There was a big Día de los Muertos parade in Albuquerque’s South Valley for many years. It took place on the first Sunday in November and was called the Marigold Parade. Neither politicians nor corporations were allowed in the parade but there were virtually no other restrictions. It was one of the quirkiest events ever and I never missed it, not even the year I was sick.1
I last watched the Marigold Parade in 2018. The event had become humongous by then — maybe not the parade itself, but certainly the throngs of spectators. In 2019, the organizers said they were taking a break to better discern what they wanted to do. Last year was COVID. This year … well, I think we’ve seen the last of that parade for a while. Maybe forever.
As you may have noticed, I seldom process photos in black and white. But Día de los Muertos images lend themselves to monochrome or, as in the photos below, to selective saturation.2
Fortunately I’ve taken hundreds, if not thousands, of Marigold Parade photos over the years. The guy in the first photo in this email posed for me3 but I’m pretty sure none of the other folks ever saw me.
Viva el día de los muertos!
I sat on a rock throughout the parade because I was too weak to stand.
Saturation refers to color. Selective saturation means only selected areas of an image are in color.
One of the things I love most about parades is that people actually want me to take photos of them.