Most Springfielders are familiar with Washington Park, one of the city's most popular parks.
I first learned of the park in the spring of 2003, shortly after I moved to Springfield. Before coming to Central Illinois, I really hadn't been much of a park person. Other places I lived had parks, and I went to them occasionally for events, etc., but never just to enjoy the weather, the scenery, or to exercise. As the new guy in town, without any relatives or past friends close by, I became open to trying new things. Getting out to the park for a few laps after work and on the weekends became a new pastime.
Having lived here for several years now, my relationship with Washington Park has been on the outs. I've found many other things to fill my free time since then. I was recently re-acquainted with my old friend, however, with the purchase of a new DSLR camera earlier this year.
The park makes for an excellent place to practice photography. It's large, there are tons of plant life (obviously), park animals are everywhere, and there's the occasional large event. I don't take pictures of random strangers, though, because that just feels creepy . ducks and squirrels never seem to mind.
Where is all this leading, you may wonder? I was trying out some new digital camera toys in the park last month and noticed the first signs of fall. Some of the trees in the park already began to change from green to autumn colors. There aren't a lot of trees in my neighborhood, so it didn't really hit me summer was coming to an end until that time. I sat on a bench, snapping a photo of the Thomas Rees Carillon (pictured above), when I thought it would be neat to take the same photo of a spot in the park each week for a few months, detailing the gradual change from summer to winter.
I wouldn't doubt something like this has been done before in this very same park, but I wanted to try it myself. My plan is to take the same shot of the Carillon each weekend (give or take) until the leaves are gone and the park is snow-covered. Once the photo collection is complete, I'll make a movie of them to illustrate the transition.
I'll admit I'm not being too scientific about this. I haven't lugged along the tripod, so far, and my point of reference is what I see while sitting on that bench I mentioned (let's hope they don't decide to move it). There will be many things I can't necessarily control, either, like the lighting and weather conditions on the days when I have time to do this. Because this is a just-for-fun project, I don't think I'll necessarily have to go to extreme lengths to get the results I want. I'll chime in on the blog every now and then with an update. I'll share details regarding how I'm doing the project and what I've learned from it.
Below are a few of the beginning shots. The photo on the left is from Sept. 13 and the photo on the right is from Oct. 4. The lighting conditions on these days were different, but you can see a little less green in October's picture. It's hard to tell because of the sunlight, but if you look closely you can see what is green and what is turning. Hope you enjoy the project.
