It's another one of those days; the two photos I am sharing are so crummy that I actually feel kind of bad about it. I love the Matterhorn, but these are ugly pictures of it. Look at that sky! It's green, it's pink, it's yellowish, it's gray - like a large contusion. And the Matterhorn looks like it has been carved from a 1000 year-old cheese. Also, zero points because no bobsleds are visible.
Mr. Kodak Picture Spot seems to think that this is a good angle on the mountain. I like that waterfall, of course. But otherwise? MEH!
...but look at those waterfalls. Is it my imagination, or has the amount of water in the falls been reduced in recent years? They never seem to appear as robust as they do in these photos. It appears that the light fixture in the first photo is about to lose its covering....someone call maintenance. I really love the silhouette of the little man sitting on the Kodak Photo Spot sign. That's something I've never seen before.
ReplyDeleteI like the first pic because of the original Skyway buckets and Matterhorn waterfall. Also, I think Mr. Kodak was wrong for a change. Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeletesteve2wdw, yes, the waterfalls are definitely a mere trickle today when compared to the 60's and 70's. Perhaps wind made them a problem? I always assume that money is the issue, and that running large pumps all day is expensive. Turn 'em down! I appreciate that you are finding good things in these "blah" images!
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, ha ha, now that you mention it, Mr. Kodak does seem to have chosen a view that is less than awesome (considering that the Matterhorn could be seen from so many vantage points). I think that it's that awful yellowish-greenish-grayish coloration that really bins these images. They look like oysters gone bad.
My Kingdom for a UV filter. Every photo taken in the park over the years, can't be a winner. If you make one trip to Disneyland a year and its hazy all day, what are you going to? Even Mr. Kodak can't fix weather. Ken is right, the original Skyway buckets are cool. Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that we should only take pictures of the Matterhorn during months that have an "R" in their name?
ReplyDeleteMajor-
ReplyDeleteI wonder if “Mr. Kodak Picturespot Man” has an official name-? You know - the way Cretors named the diminutive clown cranking-away on each popcorn wagon: ‘Toasty Roasty Man’-?
Also, Photo #1 isn’t a total loss - how many other images can boast a close-up of an Autopia overhead fixture - and with the lens partially-open-? A-ha, I say-!!
Thanks, Major.
@ JC Shannon-
ReplyDeleteShouldn’t that be ‘Magic Kingdom’-? Just a thought.
I suspect that the Kodak Picture Spot was meant to be in the opposite direction, toward the submarine lagoon.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, you can see the Kodak sign in the first picture, way over to the right.
ReplyDeleteNanook, my bad, but if it were my Magic Kingdom the Skyway would still be there. Along with the Mine Train and all of ROA and...you get the idea.
ReplyDeleteI have a picture of my mom standing next to a Kodak sign somewhere. Kodak ruled the roost in photography for a long time. I and my Instamatic took alota photos. My mom passed in 2011, and I have still got tubs of loose photos yet to go through. She never threw out a photo.
Somewhat off-topic: did anyone in So Cal happen to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade? There was a commercial for Disneyland Resort during the parade that prominently featured...a Skyway bucket. One of the shots was a close-up of a couple riding in a rectangular bucket. The commercial aired at least twice.
ReplyDeleteJonathan, would a UV filter have made a difference on these losers? If it is hazy when you go to Disneyland, it is your responsibility to cancel your trip, and to come back when it is sunny. It’s one of the Constitutional Amendments!
ReplyDeleteGnometrek, I have not heard that particular bit of wisdom, but I like it, so I am voting “yes”.
Nanook, perhaps his name was “Mister Snappy”? If not, it should have been. He just snaps away, using plenty of Kodak film. As for the open lamp, all I can think about is how many dead bugs are inside.
Steve DeGaetano, I guess you’re right, but then you’d think that Mister Snappy would be facing the lagoon. Maybe the signs didn’t work that way.
Steve DeGaetano, oh yeah! I see it.
Jonathan, I wish it WAS your Magic Kingdom! When you think about Kodak, their product was used mostly for happy times. Birthdays, weddings, holidays, vacations; it’s a shame that they didn’t anticipate the switch over to digital photography. I know that there is still a Kodak, but it is a shadow of its former self.
Anon, yeah, they’ve been running a version of that commercial since last Christmas. It’s very odd to see them feature a ride that is long gone - I wonder what the thinking was from the creative team??
I feel like that light is smiling at me. Gray day or not, he's just happy to be in Disneyland in 1963. Wouldn't we all?
ReplyDeleteThe original Horn That Matters color scheme was a very dark concrete gray that looks (to me at least) cheap and artificial.
ReplyDeleteThe brown theme in these photos is (to me at least) more believable, with greater variation between formations, tan to pinkish. Does anyone know when the colors changed? Has to be between 1959 and 1963 since these photos date from 1963?
I think the photo sign is intended to aim at the Lagoon, since that angle would capture the iconic composition of the monorail track, mermaid island and the waterfalls. As I recall the signs, Mr. Snappy was aimed away from the scene, or at least not consistently aimed at it. Many of the signs had little "instruction" panels showing how your finished photo should look.
Good shots today, Major. Thank you!
JG