REMEMBER THE ALAMO

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, Polarizer Filter, ISO 100, f/11, 1/50 sec.

  When someone thinks of San Antonio, they automatically think of the Alamo. The old mission is the focal point of every tourist advertisement that there is here in San Antonio. Understandably so, but because of this, it is in very high demand on everyone's visitation list. You can't hardly walk by it without there being a mob of people surrounding it.
  To my luck, the Menger Hotel sits right across the street from the Alamo.  I had a break in my conference sessions until 2:45 this afternoon so I took the opportunity to go over and take some photos.
  When I started I was trying to shoot the outer confines but there was no way to get any shots without having tourists in them.  I was about to get frustrated when I walked up to the front wall trying to get close and find something different that I could shoot without tourists in the shot.
  It was just after 11:00am and the mid-day sun was creeping over and caught my eye.  Then I thought to myself, what do you recognize most about the Alamo?  The shape of the roof with the arch in the center. I shifted my position so that the sun was just behind the top arch of the roof and angled the roof through the frame so that there could not be a single person caught in the shot. I added a polarizer filter to keep the blue in the sky from washing out. 
  I was aiming for a sunburst over the arch.  Didn't get that effect but the sun did form what looks like a halo over the arch.
  I was so excited about this.  I have never considered myself very good at finding that unique angle.  This angle may have been shot before, but I haven't seen it this way.  Either way, I was very happy with the outcome.