San José cityscape at night with illuminated streets
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Questions about the subject, usage, technology & more
What elevation is San José, Costa Rica located at?
San José, the capital of Costa Rica, sits at approximately 1,170 meters (3,840 feet) above sea level on the Meseta Central, a highland plateau surrounded by volcanic mountain ranges. This altitude gives the city a mild, spring-like climate year-round with average temperatures between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius, making it one of the most temperate capitals in Latin America.
How can this photo be used?
Licensed for commercial use, this stock photo suits travel campaigns, tourism websites, and city guides focused on Costa Rica. The 49-megapixel resolution supports large-format print applications such as posters, trade show displays, and brochures. It also works well for news portals, real estate marketing, and infographics covering urban development across Latin America.
What mood does this photo convey?
The warm orange tones of street lighting contrast sharply with the dark, overcast night sky, creating a tension between stillness and movement. Vehicle light trails signal activity and pace, while the evenly distributed city lights across the urban grid convey a sense of order within the metropolitan fabric. The image reads as documentary in tone while remaining visually dense.
What equipment was used to capture this photo?
The extreme resolution of 8640 x 5760 pixels in this nighttime shot of San José comes from the Sony Alpha 1 (ILCE-1). Its 50-megapixel sensor delivers low-noise results even during long exposures, which is critical for urban night photography. Light trails, street-level details, and distant mountain ridges all remain sharp and scalable to very large print formats.
What visual style or trend does this photo represent?
Long-exposure urban night photography remains consistently in demand in stock imagery, as content producers seek visually complex cityscapes for digital campaigns. At the same time, growing international interest in Latin America as an emerging economic region makes metropolitan shots of cities like San José increasingly relevant for media outlets, NGOs, and global businesses entering the market.
Captured from a rooftop vantage point, this stock photo reveals San José sprawling across the Central Valley at night, with light trails cutting through wide boulevards and office towers rising against a cloudy sky. As Costa Rica's capital and economic hub, San José is home to the ornate National Theater, a cluster of world-class museums, and the vibrant Escalante neighborhood, widely regarded as the city's culinary and cultural epicenter.

