# Any Providence, R.I. Dopers with cameras willing to help me with something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835 "2005-06-04T03:45:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/1 "2005-06-04T03:45:41Z")
In Gardner-Jackson Park on South Main Street, there’s a 1985 welded steel sculpture by João Charters de Almeida. (There are apparently two war memorials in the same park – it’s neither of those.) I’d really appreciate it if someone could shoot a picture of it for me, along with any identifying plaques etc., and email/snail mail them to me. I’ve got a [web page](http://www.metrodemontreal.com/art/almeida/index.html) about the artist, who also created a sculpture for the Montreal metro. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/2 "2005-06-04T04:04:22Z")
I might be able to get down that way, maybe even this weekend. And I’ve got a good camera, but it’s not digital. If I can make it, do you prefer slides or prints? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/3 "2005-06-04T04:16:39Z")
Prints are fine. Bless your heart! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/4 "2005-06-04T04:20:27Z")
(Actually, if you can get your developer to burn them onto CD – a lot of places will do that now for film – that would be even better.) And let me know what your costs are so I can reimburse you by PayPal. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/5 "2005-06-06T04:16:13Z")
Okay, so here’s the thing. A lot of public art, and this is the sort of thing that you never really notice until you’re specifically looking for it, a lot of art is not labeled. At all. It’ll be just this big, metal _object_ in the middle of some vaguely park-like area. And I don’t know if you’ve heard, but metal is like a hugely popular medium for sculptures these days. You want two pieces of metal to stick together, you’re going to weld them. I got down to Providence about 6:00, hoping to catch some good evening light. As soon as I got in the vicinity of South Main Street, there was a park right there, and a big-ass metal sculpture right at the corner of the park nearest me. Piece of cake, I figured. I parked. Walked up to the sculpture, and not too far away was another sculpture. Now I have a predicament. And to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure this was even the right park. I walked around a bit. I found _three_ war memorials, which didn’t quite match the description, but I figured it was a good sign, because if there was another park on South Main Street there weren’t really enough wars left over. I found plaques dedicating the park to Gardner and Jackson, so I was in the right place. Nothing to do but take pictures of both sculptures. I had a 24-exposure roll of film, and I would have been a little hard pressed to shoot that many pictures of one sculpture anyway. I picked one, took about ten shots and then walked over to the other. Took a couple more pictures, and as I was framing the next one, I noticed something. “What’s that tall, black thing back there among the trees?”, I thought to myself. This one had a plaque, “Welded Iron Sculpture”, by Charters de Almeida. I finished the roll. I hope the pictures come out. That park was in the shadows from some of the tall buildings downtown. I may head down again next weekend and try for some shots in morning light. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/6 "2005-06-06T04:49:17Z")
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see them. This is above and beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/7 "2005-06-06T05:04:58Z")
Hold off on that until we see if the pictures came out. And it worked out okay for me, too. From the park I could see a boat going up the river and loading firewood into baskets that were a few feet above the water, about three-dozen of them. Someone told me it’s a big thing they do on weekends in the summer. Just after sunset, a boat goes along and lights them all on fire. I had my camera, lenses and tripod with me (forgot the cable release, though), so I hung around and took some night exposures of the fire on the water. I was totally guessing on exposures and settings, so I have no idea if those will come out at all. But taking timed shots like that is great because it doesn’t take so much attention that I can’t still enjoy being there. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/8 "2005-06-06T11:46:32Z")
Maybe it’s just the places people have gone, but burning the pictures onto a CD has brought less than spectacular results for me. Anytime anyone has submitted them for print, they’re just not print-worthy. I had the same problem with a roll I tried at CVS. The photo prints were fine but there was a ton of breakdown when they were transferred to disc. I ended up having to scan in the hard copies. Maybe **Robot Arm** (hey, how are ya? ) will have better luck, but just wanted to warn you in case this is a time-sensitive project. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/9 "2005-06-06T13:14:14Z")
I saw this too late to do the first round, but if **Robot Arm** ’s photos don’t turn out well due to light conditions, I can grab a digital camera from work and get the pics for you. Just let me know. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/10 "2005-06-06T13:15:41Z")
Oh, Robot Arm, what you saw is called [WaterFire](http://www.waterfire.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/11 "2005-06-06T16:11:41Z")
Okay, I work on South Main Street in Providence, Rhode Island. I can go take a picture with my phone at lunch today if you like. It’s right across the street I guess, although I’ve never heard it called Gardner-Jackson Park before and I’ve worked here for almost 8 years. Where am I sending it? ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/12 "2005-06-06T16:14:30Z")
Oh, rats, I see someone beat me to it. I was out of the office on Friday. But, hey, I learned that the park across the street has a name. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-providence-r-i-dopers-with-cameras-willing-to-help-me-with-something/306835/13 "2005-06-16T01:49:16Z")
**matt\_mcl** , I e-mailed them last night to the address in your profile. Did you get them?