Tag Archives: church

Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Death Valley, Photographs: Desert, Photographs: People In Landscape, Photographs: Southern California

Desert Church, Storm Sky

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Desert Church, Storm Sky
“Desert Church, Storm Sky” — Stormy skies above the St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Roman Catholic Church in Trona, California

The town of Trona, near Death Valley, can feel like a place that is dying. A large factory operates in the town, extracting minerals from the giant dry lake in Searles Valley. I have passed through for years, and the number of abandoned and boarded-up homes and businesses has increased. This intriguing church sits along the highway, wedged between the town and the dry lake.

The church has fascinated me since I first saw it many years ago. I have never seen people there or even a car parked in the gravel parking lot. It is one of the least aesthetic Catholic Churches I have ever seen, looking entirely functional and standing implacably in this rough landscape. On the day I photographed it the wind was blowing and storm clouds had gathered over the distant Panamint Mountains.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Santa Maria della Pieve Church, Arezzo

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Santa Maria della Pieve Church, Arezzo
“Santa Maria della Pieve Church, Arezzo” — Dark skies just before a storm breaks over the Chiesa Santa Maria della Pieve on the Grande PIazza, Arezzo, Italy

As I promised a while ago, there will be more photographs from our ten-weeks of Southern European travel in the summer of 2023. This one comes from the Italian town of Arezzo. This was one our stops in some smaller towns, and it was pleasant to have a bit of downtime between larger and better-known cities. This view shows the Santa Maria della Sieve church next to the Grande Piazza.

There were thunderstorms in the area on this afternoon, and when we arrived at the Grande Piazza the sky looked ominous. We planned to explore, perhaps checking out restaurant options before getting lunch. But within minutes the skies opened up and we made a run for the nearest place, where we got a table under an awning and watched the storm.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel

Columns and Shadows

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Columns and Shadows
Soft light on columns near Ingreja Da Graca, Lisbon.

Columns and Shadows. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Soft light on columns near Ingreja Da Graca, Lisbon.

This is perhaps not quite a typical Lisbon photograph, and it came about as a result of one of our semi-random walks — something that characterizes our travel. We, wandered downhill to a central square, crossed and began ascending, and eventually turned toward the hill topped by the St. George Castle. We climbed up to it, but decided not to join the tourist throng inside, preferring to wander around the periphery… and that led us to this nearby convent and church. (The full name is longer than what I’ve used here, by the way.)

After wandering through the beautiful church, we walked around the grounds of the convent, a quiet and not-very-busy place that contrasted with what we had experienced earlier in the day. These columns, in lovely soft light, lined a walkway around an inner courtyard.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Orvieto Rooftops

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Orvieto Rooftops
Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Orvieto Rooftops. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Our 2023 European travels took us mostly (with only a few day’s worth of exceptions) to the southern part of the continent. We spent a lot of time in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Croatia… and also visited Kosovo and briefly passed through places including Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Montenegro. Along the way we did visit some of the very popular places, those that are predictably crowded during the summer tourist season. But we also managed to spend time in some slightly less-visited places, among them a couple of smaller towns in Italy.

One of these was the “hilltop town” of Orvieto in Umbria. It would not be accurate to suggest that this is a place without tourists. In fact, it is a very popular destination for daytime visits from other nearby locations. But we stayed there for a couple of nights and saw a different aspect of the place. In the mornings and after day-trippers depart in the late afternoon it is much quieter and far less crowded. In fact, it turned out to be one of our favorite places of the entire trip.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.