A Thought or 2 - Imaging at San Fernando Mission

Mission San Fernando Rey de España was first sited c.1797 at approximately Latitude 34.28194 North and Longitude 118.43806 West as shown here. From at least c.1850 it has been the subject of various artists and illustrators, and from at least c.1880 it has been the subject of many, many professional and amateur photographers such as myself.

Convento Arcade / Jim . Beardsley (c)2010 

Convento from Memory Garden / Jim A. Beardsley (c)2010 

Western View of Convento / Jim . Beardsley (c)2013

While depictions of the Convento building have become the most iconic images of this particular 18th-century Franciscan Mission in Alta California, the Church (a 1970s replica of the c.1806 original) has never been very photogenic.  Due to its size, location, and the various scenic obstacles that have evolved on and around the Mission property in recent times, most imaging of the Church has resulted in partial, elusive, or shallow interpretations.   Though much excellent work has been done and is accessible, the majority of recent imaging of the Church at Mission San Fernando has been produced with little consideration or practical study.

Western View of the Church / Jim . Beardsley (c)2010

The Church from the Courtyard / Jim . Beardsley (c)2010

This week some of us working here at the Mission had a rare opportunity to take a few aerial photographs with the aid of a construction extension lift.  For a few years running, I've had the desire to capture a two-dimensional, one-frame, image of the San Fernando Mission Church from a south-southwest perspective.  The image below is a result of the fulfillment of that wish and it's paired with a view of the courtyard taken by John Shammas and then edited by me. These photos are likely the first images created from these particular vantage points in the 217-year history of Mission San Fernando.