Memorial Park in Riverside is one of the most photographed parks in Jacksonville. It is located at the "bend" in Riverside Avenue and features a statue "Life" by Charles Adrian Pillars. The park was actually designed by the Olmstead Brothers who's father, Fredrick Law Olmstead designed many of the famous parks in the US (Central Park, the Washington Mall, etc.). Memorial Park is dedicated to the Floridians who perished in WW1.
The park faces South, S-E so the trees on either side are mostly in shade except for the late afternoon. Lots of people are usually milling around, fishing, and taking pictures. To find a different shot is challenging, and dodging the people is almost impossible even in the early morning or evening. My first attempt came during the week that several wildfires were burning in the Okeefenokee Swamp creating a weird orange cast to a cloudless sky sunset. I ended up replacing the sky with an orange gradient in Photoshop for the final image. The two compositions I worked with are the standard symmetrical front shot and another shot that had the Park Lane Condominium opposing the statue. Both were shot as 3 shot panoramas.
Memorial Park - condos on right
Memorial Park - client choice