A walk in the park

I took a couple days off last week to catch up on some things at home and to clear my head. I did the catching up first, and then the head clearing. One of my favorite places for the latter is Holliday Park.

Kodak EasyShare Z730

Of course I took a camera along. Despite my love of old film cameras, I’m actually an equal-opportunity photographer – I shot digital. I remembered how well my old Kodak EasyShare Z730 represented color in landscapes, so I dug it out and took it along. It was made in 2005, which is positively ancient for a digicam. But it’s still a good shooter, with a fine 33 mm (equivalent) f/2.8 Schneider-Kreuznach lens.

With my dog Gracie along on her leash, we parked near The Ruins and made our way through the park. I can seldom pass this statue by without stopping to photograph it.

Statue

I moved in close to photograph the lady’s leg. (I’m normally not that kind of guy, I swear.) Just dig the texture that lens captured. The black-and-white conversion is courtesy Photoshop Elements.

Detail

My everyday camera is a Canon PowerShot S95, a truly outstanding point-and-shoot. It outclasses this Kodak in so many ways. But the Kodak edges it in color rendition. It loves blues, rendering them deep and true. It is also the only digital camera I’ve ever owned that does justice to purple.

Purple flowers

A small trail system lurks at the back of Holliday Park. If you came just to let your kids play on the extensive playground, you might never know it was there. You might also never know just how close you are to the White River. The terrain becomes rugged as it descends toward the water; some areas are so steep that long wooden catwalks were built to provide even footing.

Path

Aren’t fences just one of the most cliched things to photograph? Oh, I’m not above cliches.

Fence

It took me until middle age to appreciate autumn’s colors.

Red leaf

The Meridian Street bridge, built in 1933, is visible when you reach the river. It’s currently being renovated.

Bridge

Compositionally, this isn’t much of a photo. But dang, doesn’t this Kodak just deliver on the color? I gather that color rendition like this was a signature of the entire Kodak digital line. It’s a shame Kodak has quit the camera business.

Tree and sky

Color is why I went to the park. I wanted to be out in it while it lasts. I work too much; I’m busy raising teenagers. Sometimes the changing seasons pass me by. I hate it when I let that happen. I’m so glad I got a couple days off. Mr. Wright, your words are so true.

Wright rock

The last time I visited Holliday Park, I did it with my Minolta 110 Zoom SLR in hand.

Get more of my photography in your inbox or reader! Click here to subscribe.


Comments

16 responses to “A walk in the park”

  1. Lone Primate Avatar
    Lone Primate

    I love that wondkier looking bridge there. I myself can’t help thinking how striking that would look in infrared, with the dead wood rendered near black and the vegetation behind it a sea of bright white in faint greys.

    Your comment on the Z730 (remember, that’s “zed”, not “zee”, now ;) ) made me smile and nod. The first digital camera I had that I thought of as a “real” camera and not just a proof of concept effort was also a Kodak; a DC4800. I sold it to a friend when I bought my Rebel XT in 2005, and he still has it. I should see about buying it back before it becomes an antique. :) Anyway, I remember it had a lot of pull to the purple. For some reason, it seemed to interpret colour differently depending on how I oriented it. It pushed for green in landscape orientation, but pulled for purple in portrait. I have a tendency to rotate a camera 90 counterclockwise to shoot portrait, and anything I shot like that, especially in shaded areas, took on a pronounced indigo cast. I could correct for it now, but back in the day, I just shrugged and accepted it as part of the game.

    I still think the most satisfying work I ever got out of any camera, shot for shot, was from the S80. Maybe just because it was the snappiest little camera I’ve ever had. But it’s funny how what were once problems become charms over time. I’ve even gone out with my old, old, old DC50 to shoot on its lowest quality setting because it renders scenes so poorly that they look like watercolours. No joking. Imagine that going from an irritant to a reason to blow the dust off it. :)

    1. Jim Avatar

      Isn’t this nuts – we’re having nostalgia for vintage digicams! Vintage is of course a relative term in the digicam world.

      My mom picked up a Sony Mavica MVC-FD87 at a flea market. I’ll get it tonight. It takes floppy disks! It is 1.3 MP! (Note that decimal point!)

      I was with you on the S80 right up until I got my S95. It’s just a great camera.

      1. Lone Primate Avatar
        Lone Primate

        You know something, I’m carrying an S100 around these days, partly at your recommendation on the basis of the S95, and yeah, it’s lighter, it’s faster, it’s smaller, it’s better in terms of image quality, shooting RAW, and stereo 1280p video. But I can’t help it… hauling that panel aside and bringing the S80 to life, there’s just something about that. Still love that feeling when I do it with the IR-converted S80 I have now. :)

        1. Jim Avatar

          I hear the S110 is out, with touch screen and wi-fi!

          You clearly bonded with your S80 like I did with my S95!

  2. Lone Primate Avatar
    Lone Primate

    “Bridge”. I meant “fence”. D’oh! :D

  3. ryoko861 Avatar

    I’ve always loved my EasyShare until it just decided to not work. I just wore it out. I bought another Kodak, but it doesn’t take close ups the way the EasyShare did. I have a Power Shot that someone gave me because they didn’t want it anymore, but I haven’t gotten around to using it. So many cameras, so little time. I still have my Minolta I want to play with and haven’t gotten around to. Life gets in the way all the time.

    I’m drawn to autumns colors all year round, so this time of year is great! I do take a minute and sit out on my deck or patio and enjoy the view of the woods and corn field beyond. It’s never long enough, though.

    My son has been asking to take a day and hike through Jacobsburg Park. I should take time to do that. It’ll be winter and I’ll be kicking myself. Gotta stop and smell the roses now and then.

    1. Jim Avatar

      Put one of those digicams in your purse and take it with you wherever you go! Then you’ll always be ready. If you hike through the park with your son, it would be a perfect opportunity to take the Minolta with you.

  4. Robyn W Avatar
    Robyn W

    My favorite photo is the lone red leaf. So beautiful and perfect. I love the glimpse into Midwest’s autumn. I miss the hardwoods and their varied colors. We have a pretty fall out here in Montana, but it’s different than back in my Indiana home. Your photos make me want to visit a roadside stand, drink apple cider, and eat a caramel apple. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Jim Avatar

      Thanks Robyn! I like the red leaf too. You should plan a trip home next autumn to enjoy the colors!

  5. davidvanilla Avatar

    A beautiful walk in the park, transmitted from your digital camera to my digital receiver. Wonderful color. Most excellent.

    1. Jim Avatar

      Thanks! I hope you’re getting out to enjoy the colors in porktown.

  6. Dani Avatar
    Dani

    To Mr. Wright I say, “Amen!”

    1. Jim Avatar

      And amen.

  7. Ronald Schleyer Avatar
    Ronald Schleyer

    As noted by the most rigorous lovers of true art, Wright stayed so close to nature he never designed a building that, when finished, didn’t leak–or so goes the deep judgment of posterity after a certain filtration. Unfortunately, that makes the man a complete failure as an architect. My sympathies go out to the purchasers of those now-moldy experiments. True, he isn’t the only architect to design leaky buildings but the others mostly got their due long ago, while Wright still hangs onto his tolerant fans. That brings us to another hard judgement: All of America’s heroes are defective!

    1. Jim Avatar

      Clearly, you’re not a Wright fan!

  8. Ronald Schleyer Avatar
    Ronald Schleyer

    Jim, you’ll be gratified in the news today to see the newly unveiled 260-foot ‘Venus,’ a yacht commissioned by and for the late Steve Jobs, looking exactly as if designed by the ghost of Frank Lloyd Wright. I wonder if it has drains on the captain’s deck for the occasional leak!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: