Category Archives: California Missions

San Juan Bautista

2011/08/11 – 05:22

The attractive Mission San Juan Bautista and the equally named charming small town surrounding it are easy to miss if you don’t already know its location. San Francisco Bay Area residents therefore consider the town one of their insider secrets, a place to relax, to shop, and to eat.

Art stores, antiquities shops, and restaurants line the narrow streets, each competing for your dollars. Unusual characters and harmless but grim looking bikers mingle at the saloon, just next door to the ice cream parlor filled with the excited noise of children begging their parents for sweet treats. San Juan Bautista’s rich, colorful street scenes seem made for photography.

Most visitors come to see Mission San Juan Bautista, the main attraction of the city. Founded 1797, the mission was the largest of the 21 California Missions. The mission is still active today, continuously serving the parish. Its lush gardens are an oasis of color and its bell tower and St. John statue are well-recognized symbols. The mission and nearby buildings of San Juan Bautista State Park are relics from different periods. An old west hotel, horse stables, Plaza Hall and Castro-Breen Adobe provide a unique insight into the old West and provide a great way to complement your portfolio of photographs.

San Juan Bautista has a lot to offer to the casual visitor. Many of its sights reveal their secrets only at the second glance, providing hours fun for exploration.

Flower Pots

By myphotoscout | Also posted in central valley, Faith, flowers, Montery Peninsula, Museum, Northern California, state park | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Soledad Mission

2011/08/03 – 03:27

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad is the thirteenth California Mission. This very small mission does not receive the attention of its more famous sisters. It lies within the Salinas Valley Farmlands that once were dry and inhospitable.

Once a larger mission, the adobe buildings crumbled after its abandonment for over a century, leaving only small piles of rubble and remnants of walls. Some of the original remains are still visible behind the museum, but they are not very photogenic.

Although Soledad Mission is not as attractive as others are, it is only a small detour from Highway 101 and therefore always worth a quick stop. If you are weary of traveling and happen to be in the Salinas area, Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad is the perfect stop.

Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad

By myphotoscout | Also posted in central valley, Faith, flowers, Northern California, Southern California | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment

Mission San Miguel Arcangel

2011/07/21 – 04:50

Despite its convenient location along a well-traveled path, San Miguel Arcangel Mission is an often-overlooked photographic treasure. Due to recent earthquakes, the old mission used to be in a desolate condition. The mission church was long closed with the thread of an immanent collapse looming over it. Today the church has reopened, owing to extensive restoration projects funded through donations.

The decay that threatens the very existence of this mission also makes it one of the most appealing ones to photograph. Crumbling walls, rusting ornaments, and peeling paint give it an authentic old feeling that some other missions lack. While you walk through the old mission remnants, you can feel the age of the buildings.

Simply plan a stop on your next trip along Highway 101, you won’t regret it.

San Miguel Archangel Mission

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Faith, landmark, Museum, San Luis Obispo, Southern California | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

How to photograph Mission Santa Barbara

2011/07/15 – 04:26

Known as the “Queen of the Missions”, Santa Barbara Mission is a primary tourist attraction in Santa Barbara, a Spanish style coastal town in Southern California. The parish church is still in use today.

The façade of the mission and the nearby rose garden are popular backgrounds for wedding photography, whereas the mission grounds and the architecture are the main subjects for travel photographers and tourists interested in early California history.

The location of the Santa Barbara Mission sets it apart from all other California Missions. It sits atop a small hill, exposing it to a cool breeze from the ocean. The nearby Santa Ynez Mountains provide a wonderful backdrop for panoramic images while the rose garden is a popular foreground motif for mission photographs.

I highly recommend spending some time around the waterfront to soak up the cool relaxed atmosphere of Santa Barbara before photographing the mission. Take advantage of the location.

Font - Santa Barbara Mission

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Central Coast, Faith, flowers, landmark, Museum, santa barbara county, Southern California | Tagged , , | Comments (5)

Mission San Juan Capistrano

2011/03/16 – 02:10

Mission San Juan Capistrano is my favorite California mission. Its title, “The Jewel of the Missions”, fits the photogenic gardens, beautiful colonnades, and courtyards. The Mission is larger than it appears from the outside. Small alleys give way to courtyards and beautiful gardens with native plants. The tasteful restoration of Mission San Juan Capistrano has preserved the old feeling, giving it a presence and authenticity that other missions lack.

When Father Junipero Serra founded San Juan Capistrano Mission in 1776 for the second time, he resurrected the Mission founded and abandoned one year before. The chapel, built in 1782, is the oldest building still in use in California. The Mission is home to large flocks of swallows that return here for the summer. Every March 19, the city of San Juan Capistrano holds a large street fair with a parade in honor of the swallows.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is a terrific photo destination. Tourists rarely overcrowd the mission, despite its convenient location along I-5 in Orange County. You will find new compositions for hours on end with a chance to learn about the history of California’s settlement. Take an extra day for your trip between L.A. and San Diego to see the Mission, town, and coast.

Colonnade - San Juan Capistrano

By myphotoscout | Also posted in flowers, landmark, Los Angeles, Orange County, South Coast | Tagged , , , , | Comments (5)

How to photograph Santa Ines Mission

2010/08/26 – 04:17

Santa Ines Mission is located between Santa Barbara Mission and Mission La Purisima Concepcion. The Mission was built as an afterthought to relieve overcrowding at these two nearby missions and to “serve” (exploit) the friendly Chumash Indians that lived in the fertile Santa Ynez valley.

Although the Mission does not stand out next to its two famous neighbors, you will still find many unique compositions and wonderful subjects that are worth the time and effort. The pleasant city of Solvang and their delicious sweet Danish treats can always help you justify the side trip.
Santa Ines Mission

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Central Coast, Faith, landmark, santa barbara county, Southern California | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

How to photograph La Purisima Mission SHP

2010/05/26 – 18:49

The extensive complex of the La Purisima Mission entails the church, workshops, gardens, and living quarters. It presents a detailed picture of mission life in the early 19th Century. With ten of its original buildings fully renovated, La Purisima Mission is the most completely restored mission in California.

It is also one of the most photogenic missions.
La Purisima Mission

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Central Coast, Faith, landmark, Museum, Southern California, state park | Tagged , , , | Comments (11)

How to photograph Mission San Jose

2010/05/20 – 15:36

Founded in 1797, Mission San Jose quickly became one of the most prosperous. Nearly 2,000 Indians lived here, tending the land and animals.

The Mission is named after St. Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, who also lent his name to nearby San Jose, the unofficial capital of the Silicon Valley.
San Jose Mission Church: interior view

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, Faith, flowers, Museum, Northern California | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

How to photograph Carmel Mission

2009/01/23 – 16:38

Mission San Carlos Del Rio Carmelo is a quaint and well-maintained Mission located in one of the most beautiful little cities at the California coast.  With so many places all around it, the Mission does not get the traffic I would expect which is good news for photography. The Carmel Mission is not big enough [...]

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Coast, Northern California | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (2)
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