The Matterhorn, April 1974
I have a relatively large batch of slides that are dated "April 1974", and many of the photos are nice - though unfortunately many of them also tend to be overly-dark. Photoshop allows some level of adjustment, but one can only do so much. I tried to avoid lightening them to the point that the dark blacks were grainy and gray.
You can see what I mean in this first example, taken on a bright sunny day, but oh boy, the shadows so dark that you can hardly see any details there. I can only assume that the camera's settings were wrong. The Matterhorn itself looks impressive - no matter how many pictures I see of it, I can't be bored!
Here's another shot of the mountain, juxtaposed with graceful palm trees, just like in Switzerland! The flowerbeds of orange and yellow... er... marigolds?... add a lot of bright color.
13 comments:
The shadows are forgivable here because the Matterhorn's the thing, and it turned out beautifully! Plus, the darkness makes the sky look a wonderful shade of blue. Not too good for people watching though.
Major, they aren't just marigolds... they're out-of-focus marigolds! They're more expensive because they take twice as long to grow; but it's worth it!
We can see the Skyway cables, but no Skyway gondolas; how can that be!?
Beautiful pictures of Switzerland, Major. Thanks!
Major-
"... taken on a bright sunny day, but oh boy, the shadows so dark that you can hardly see any details there."
I think these photos need HDR to capture both the highlights and the low lights.
They're probably marigolds, but California Poppies were also used in many places throughout the park.
These are pretty decent Matterhorn pics, and that’s fine with me.
I’m a little confused at the location of photo 1. There’s a Tomorrowland trash can in blue and silver and the bobsled bridge looks like the one on the Tomorrowland side, which means the Sub Lagoon should be behind our viewpoint, but if so, what is that roof on the right?
Or am I turned around and this is about the same angle as photo 2 and the roof is the souvenir stand in Alpine Gardens, but if so, why is there a Tomorrowland trash can in Fantasyland?
Or are these taken before the Matterhorn was moved (with a very large hand truck) from Tomorrowland to fantasyland?
I think those are the “Crackerjack” marigolds. Used to have those on the farm. Hardy, long-lasting and decorative.
Thank you Major, for your hard work in the pixel mines.
JG
Always loved the juxtaposition of the Swiss Peak with palm trees. Only at Disneyland! Thanks, Major.
In other breaking news: Six Flags and Cedar Fair have merged to become a theme park mega company. That I do not like at all. The new merged company will operate under the "Six Flags" name. So, does that mean it's now Six Flags Knott's Berry Farm! UGH!
@ Ken-
That’s what happens when Wall Street’s ‘happiness’ is the only thing that matters. It’s highly doubtful this merger will produce anything of value… for anyone-!
JB, I guess in these photos the shadows aren’t too bad (I mean, they’re relatively easy to ignore), but some of the others in this lot are SUPER dark, even the light parts are too dark. It’s a bummer, because these could be so nice! Hmmm, interesting point about no Skyway gondolas, there must be a reason? Is it just that the angle is wrong?
Nanook, yes, if only HDR existed back then. Or maybe it did, even in the film era? Hooray for marigolds, the first plant I ever grew (when I was about 7 years old).
JG, well shoot, now I’m trying to figure out where our photographer was standing in photo #1. What the heck is that close to the mountain (regarding the roof to the right)? I agree that photo #2 is looking toward Alpine Gardens. And that’s at that weird “gray zone” where Fantasyland and Tomorrowland kind of overlap, so I’m not too bugged by the trashcan being in the wrong place!
K. Martinez, oh man, the thought of “Six Flags Knott’s Berry Farm” is painful! If the companies merged though, that doesn’t mean that they necessarily adopted the Six Flags name, does it?
Nanook, this is one of those instances where we get to wait and see what awful things transpire with this merger. I try to stay positive, but it’s tough.
Major, after studying the photo again, I believe both photos are from the same angle although a good distance apart.
The monorail beam crosses the base of the mountain in photo 1, and the Tomorrowland angle I was thinking of, the monorail beam would be behind the viewpoint to the left. So photo 1 is on the Parade Route not far from Screaming Kid Tree.
You're right, the trash can theming is not very reliable and might even vary from day to day.
JG
Ken M., I hear that "they" are merging names and that Knott's Berry Farm will now be called:
"Flags Fair Farm"
;oD
Major, I always love Matterhorn pictures...dark, light, or ANY way. Thank you.
Sue - I'll just called it ruined. Why? Because as a certain Junior Gorilla would say "They ruin everything!".
My problem is that Cedar Fair is the better company of the two. Their quality is much higher than Six Flags. I think Nanook hit the nail on the head.
Ken
JG, yes, I was going to say the same thing - they are from the same angle, just from different distances. So it looks like the photo was taken from the little side path entrance to Tomorrowland, more or less.
Lou and Sue, they left out a key F-word!
K. Martinez, I wonder what why Cedar Fair made the deal, since they seemed to be humming along smoothly? Meanwhile Six Flags parks are often struggling. There are always rumors of them closing.
Major-
"... they left out a key F-word!"
They certainly did: Farblunget.
Maybe Knott's will become Six Flags over Buena Park? Actually, they said the Company will operate under the Six Flags name. As it is right now at Knott's, you basically only see the name "Cedar Fair" in fine print on the bottom of brochures and such (and maybe the park's trash cans?). I bet they keep the Knott's name, and just change the fine print on everything, to "Six Flags."
Someone on F.B. was saying that they hope it doesn't affect Knott's Halloween Haunt, and that they hope they don't start charging to go through individual mazes. Does Magic Mountain/Six Flags charge per maze, once you are inside the park for their Halloween events? If so, it sounds like they are becoming more and more like Disney!
I'm surprised that the company is taking the Six Flags name, considering that one of those Six Flags was the Stars & Bars. I guess they expect that not many people remember that now, and Six Flags has wider recognition than Cedar Fair.
I think TM! is right that the Cedar Fair parks will keep their current names and just have Six Flags in fine print.
I'm too lazy to look up the numbers on the Bloomberg, but I'd bet the reason for the deal is that Six Flags is more profitable than Cedar Fair. They'll buy CF and run the parks like SF parks to make them as profitable, not realizing that nickel-and-diming a place like Knotts will alienate fans and lose money long term. I really wish I had visited when I was in CA last fall.
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