4 Great Washington Park Photography Locations

Posted by | June 11, 2014 | WashPark Information | 2 Comments
Washington Park Sunset - Photo by Kelly Poindexter

Washington Park Sunset – Photo by Kelly Poindexter

Washington Park Photography

With the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop and over 300 days of sunshine a year to work with, Washington Park is a truly picture-perfect place in Denver. Which may be why if you google its name, you’ll see some of the absolutely most stunning photos of the park. No matter what the season, or time of day, Washington Park is a great place to snap some photos whether it’s landscape shots, family pics or even your wedding day album.

It’s not a surprise then that the Friends of Washington Park have been holding an annual photo contest to pick the best photo of the park and its visitors. And looking at the 2013 entries, we’d say it wasn’t an easy choice! The 2014 entries will be on display starting in August 2014. Unfortunately, the deadline for this year’s entries ended on June 8th, but you can start preparing for next year by checking out some of the places that we deem most photographable in Washington Park.

Volleyball Courts

If you’re looking to get some good action shots of Washington Park residents, the volleyball courts are the place to be on the weekends. Just make sure that your shutter speed is set to super fast and then you’re set up to snap at any moment. With dozens of groups competing, drinking beers and spiking balls, you’re sure to catch a few key action moves.

Boathouse and paddle boats

The boathouse is a classic land mark at Wash Park since 1913 and its Italian architecture makes it unique in Denver. If you want to get a fresh perspective of the boathouse, rent a paddle boat from one of the local shops around Smith Lake and get a 360 degree view of the park. At night the boathouse is lit up and is quite the sight to see. If you want to capture the boathouse at night, make sure your shutter speed is set to super low, this will ensure that you capture more light and all those beautiful reflections on the water.

Lily Pond

Surrounded by Russian Willow trees, the Lily Pond makes for some great black and white, mopey-type pictures, or even some poetic portrait shots. On the days when the sun isn’t shining in Denver, take advantage of the low light to get some of the best black and white photos. Set your ISO low to get a truly clear image and pay attention to the different shadows and textures from the lilies to the willows to the ripples on the water. You’re sure to get some beautiful, classy shots.

 The Statues and Gardens

While it may not be as elegant as the gardens of Versailles, the Victorian-styled gardens at Washington Park are awe-inspiring. In fact, one of them is an exact replica of a garden at Mount Vernon. Some may say that the most well-known statues in Washington Park are those of Wynken, Blynken and Nod, which are based off of a story by well-known former Denver resident and writer Eugene Field.

To get a new perspective of the gardens and statues, try getting some up-close shots. Using a tripod and investing in a macro lens (or just using the macro setting on your digital camera) will help you get some new, interesting shots. And now is really the best time to walk the gardens and catch those flowers in bloom!

 

 

2 Comments

  • Jane H Donnelly says:

    I have lived at 1418 S Race all my life. I know everything about this neighborhood from the days of it being South Denver, the drunkard hang out & maunders. I lived there from 1972-2020. Traveling right now but Old South Gaylord use to have the greatest auto repair shop at the North Dark Bricked Building. At the very opposite, there once was an old Inner Race Car Game Store, it was huge, people could bring in their cars or rent one to play on the huge ramp, it was fast, fun and funny with crashes, Reiver’s took over the oldest general store we ever had in those days. I loved it as a kid, with full fountain service. It was a reprieve in the summers. Monkey’s Island had 2 leading stories Monkeys lived there or nefarious happening happened there.. It use to have a bridge and the South High swim team practiced in Smith Lake.

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