I’m finishing my coverage of this year’s Dia de los Muertos with the parade. Shot in my standard framing, unlike the view I talked about yesterday. It was the first time I used the Fujifilm GFX 50S II with the Fuji GF63mm f2.8 lens to cover this event. The camera worked well, and I made pleasant images, as you can see from this year’s posts.

Many of my pictures, shot wide open at f2.8, were created for a shallow depth of field, which tends to soften backgrounds and reduce clutter. The camera excels at image quality but is not fast shooting. Thus, it was the most challenging during the parade.

The event makes its return after a two-year COVID-induced holiday. It covered a shorter distance than in previous years, organized on 6th street west of Interstate 35. Above, we have the lead banner caught just as the parade started.

There’s an eclectic mix on display. Though no traditional floats. Anything vaguely connected to Mexico and the day of the dead seems fair game.

We had Lloyd Doggett, one of Austin’s congressmen, doing the wave. I’ve seen him many times over the years riding different vehicles.

My highlight and photographic delight are the Concheros dancers. Unfortunately, they are the hardest to capture well, especially with a slow-focusing camera. They move constantly and erratically as part of their performance. I compounded the problem by shooting with a large aperture producing a shallow depth of field. Thus, the dancer’s bodies might be in focus, but not their faces. I did manage a few solid pictures.

Slower and more predictable dancers were easier to manage, even with the Fuji GFX 50S II. And thankfully, this camera is faster than my GFX 50R, which was my first medium-format camera.

Classic and low-rider cars brought up the rear. Many were immaculately polished. This vehicle with the Texas and Mexican flags attracted my attention.

My preferred framing would’ve been up close and from the middle of the street. I’ve shot this way back in 2017 in the middle of Congress Avenue. I opted for a restrained approach from the side, though I moved partially to the street for this final image.

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