What a great experience the annual Rockport Christmas Pageant is. Every year folks from around the North Shore of Massachusetts gather in Rockport for this annual christian spectacle. Townspeople dress as shepherds, roman soldiers, Mary, Joseph, etc and make a pilgrimage from Dock Square up to the Congregational Church. They stop along the way at the Rockport Art Association (acting as the Inn in Bethlehem) and then stop at the church where the baby Jesus is laid down for all to visit. The story is narrated along the way with giant loud speakers. Here are some photos I made during the event not really trying to cover like I normally would but just for fun since it's pitch black out. The Sony did very well shooting at 6400 at f2.8 on the 20mm. With the Nex-7 (a cropped sensor) it becomes a 30mm. Not bad and it was small and easy to use. I thought about bringing the Leica M9 but it's poor low-light capabilities soured me on it. I also considered the Canon G15 because of the zoom lens and the low aperture of 1.8 to 2.8 but in the end it was the Sony sensor that won out. It is much better in low-light than the other two. The shot below is my favorite. These women were a bit chilly with the wind blowing outside the Art Association. The woman in the middle is putting on gloves despite being dressed in period costume.
Rockport Christmas Pageant 2014Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 for the annual Christmas Pageant in Rockport, MA. With a light snow falling the procession made it's way up Main St. stopped at the Rockport Art Association (no room at the inn) and ended at the Congregational Church with a manger meant for a king.
Yes ugly fill flash. Interesting flash globs flying around from the on-camera flash. I show this because it's the best of the bunch. Ya ugly.
Rockport Christmas Pageant 2014Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 for the annual Christmas Pageant in Rockport, MA. With a light snow falling the procession made it's way up Main St. stopped at the Rockport Art Association (no room at the inn) and ended at the Congregational Church with a manger meant for a king.
This was the scene from far away as it is really tough getting close to the creche scene at the church. Look a that crowd wow! Christianity is a live an well no matter what the media says.
Rockport Christmas Pageant 2014Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 for the annual Christmas Pageant in Rockport, MA. With a light snow falling the procession made it's way up Main St. stopped at the Rockport Art Association (no room at the inn) and ended at the Congregational Church with a manger meant for a king.
Before the pageant started folks walked around Rockport shopping. A popular stop is Tucks Candies where this father and son filled a box full of taffy. I'm sure a giant candy cane was also part of the purchase. Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 for the annual Christmas Pageant in Rockport, MA. With a light snow falling the procession made it's way up Main St. stopped at the Rockport Art Association (no room at the inn) and ended at the Congregational Church with a manger meant for a king.
Christmas in Rockport, MA 2014This giant Christmas Tree comes from somewhere in Rockport and stands in Dock Square for the Holiday's including First Night! Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2014 for the annual Christmas Pageant in Rockport, MA. With a light snow falling the procession made it's way up Main St. stopped at the Rockport Art Association (no room at the inn) and ended at the Congregational Church with a manger meant for a king.
