Before the turn of the new year, my friend Ethan and I met up for a photo walk in downtown Rogers. This is the story and photos from that evening.
Having a friend who’s into photography makes getting out to shoot a lot easier sometimes. My friend Ethan and I occasionally get out and catch up with each other over cameras and photography. This time we met in downtown Rogers.
Downtown Rogers, Arkansas: A cool place to hang out
We started out at Parkside for a quick bite and to catch up. If you’re ever in the mood for some bar food, definitely drop into Parkside for some! I got the loaded french fries and ate way too much. Of course, I committed the ultimate faux pas and didn’t get a food photo to share. However, The vertical photo above is of the entrance to Parkside.
After that, we wandered around with our cameras looking for compositions. Downtown Rogers isn’t the biggest or most happening place in the world. However, it’s got some cool places, a bit of nightlife, and old buildings to enjoy. There are several hole-in-the-wall bars I haven’t got to try yet, and several nice restaurants as well.
Gear used
As far as what I brought with me to downtown Rogers, I was wanting to use some film. Therefore, I brought my Nikon F5, a Nikkor 35mm f/1.4, and some Kodak Ultramax 400. Between the 400-speed film and the f/1.4 aperture, I was able to make the whole night handheld. However, I did have a couple of photos on the edge of my ability.
The above photo ended up needing a 1/15 shutter speed. It actually surprised me when I was scanning the film and this one turned out sharp. All I can figure is that I was extra steady that night, and the considerable weight of the F5 must’ve helped stabilize the shot. As an aside, the shot above was taken outside Onyx Coffee. If you’re ever in downtown Rogers, AR, and need a coffee, be sure to stop there!
I also brought my little Powershot G11 to downtown Rogers. I figured if I needed more than the 400 ISO that Ultramax gave me, having the little G11 in my pocket couldn’t hurt. It’s actually a pretty capable little night shooter. Between being usable up to about ISO 1600 and its good lens IS, getting nice photos at night wasn’t too hard.
Wandering around downtown Rogers
With our outing being so close to Christmas, downtown Rogers was looking quite festive. It’s always cool to see how different towns deck themselves out for the holidays. Rogers has recently finished renovating the area where the big Christmas tree was in the photo below. I thought it was pretty cool!
It was also nice to get to catch up with Ethan. Having someone to wander around and take photos with while in an urban environment is fun and it also makes me feel more comfortable in public. Sometimes it feels weird wandering around town with a camera on your own. Beyond that, Ethan is a great guy and I enjoyed getting to shoot the breeze and discussing life and philosophy with him.
Calling it a night
In the end, I think we both had a good time and came away with some decent photos. Photographing a town at night has always been one of my favorite ways to approach urban photography. There’s just something about the way places present themselves differently at night that I love. Turns out, downtown Rogers is no different!
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