Desert Church, Storm Sky - a photo on Flickriver

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.

Taken on: March 17, 2024

Tags:

st.

saint

sophie

barat

roman

catholic

church

building

stark

architecture

trona

california

desert

arid

searles

valley

storm

clouds

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black and white

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Camera: Fujifilm X-T5, f/11.0, 1/170 sec, 30.2mm (=45mm), ISO 125 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Fujifilm X-T5
Lens:	XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.006 sec (1/170)
Focal Length:	30.2mm (35mm equivalent: 45mm)
ISO:	125
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 25.5 (Macintosh)
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