North Wall of the Carmel Mission Canvas Print

NOTE: The logo watermark will not appear on purchased products.

The Carmel Mission has become somewhat of a cliche for local artists and photographers. Its facade is well known around the world as a symbol of Carmel. I've also seen many images of the south wall from its lovely courtyard, but its north wall and the old cemetery are rarely shown. I love the textures and shapes here, accented by the bright red window frames. I also like showing perspectives that break away from the standard imagery. I made this photograph in January 2010.

Photo Copyright James B. Toy.

In the fall of 1959, Mr. Toy entered this world at a place called Carmel on California's Monterey Peninsula. Nine years later his family pulled up stakes for the rain-soaked city of Salem, Oregon where he never quite fit in. When he was 12, he and his mother viewed an exhibit of photographs by a Salem newspaper photographer, which inspired him to take his first photography class. During his teenage years he gradually developed his eye for composition and his skills with light and exposure. Though he did not pursue photography as a career, he has continued to document his observations of the world on small frames of film. In 1984, Mr. Toy and his wife Heidi returned to the Monterey Peninsula where his heart belonged. In 1997, on a bit of...