On Sunday morning I went to James Mack Memorial Park in Smithfield and worked a paid gig! It may have been a family thing, but it was the taste of work, and a chance to put some photos on this site. I am going through the photos now and rating them only by clarity in the important parts of the scene and will use a different rating system for the subject and composition later.
I thought it was hilarious working on the images of the family before Dad finally stepped in and had his photograph taken with mom and the kids. Being camera shy, he was not eager. I took quite a few shots of everyone getting settled in that were blurry and sometimes even out of focus. I worked my way through, getting more and more nervous all the time till finally, it arrived! Two photos out of maybe ten that were usable in one way or another. I’ll take that!
Then, there is nothing funnier than Dad stepping into the photograph and pulling a face that requires him to be edited out again. Naturally I am going to give them some of those for the family treasure box!
James Mack Memorial Park is perhaps the most beautiful city park I have ever been to. Coming in off the south parking lot there is a place where the path passes along a grassy patch, and from there one can see through some trees and to the side of a little wooden bridge in the distance. It is an excellent place to take portraits. There are lots of mature trees in the park and light is easily subdued under them. It is a lovely little park with a hill blocking in the west side, and the water holding much of the neighborhood at bay to the east. The houses to the south are beautiful and will not spoil a photo, and the north end narrows down between the west hill and the road as it vanishes up the canyon. It is picturesque and well kept, and even on its busiest day that I have been there, it has never felt too crowded. Definitely would shoot portraits there again. Five Stars!