Anyone from Central California?

Alisha · Aug 6, 2008

I'm from Fresno, California and I've met other Californians here, but most come from SoCal, or the Bay area. I was wondering if anyone else came from Central California, more so the Central Valley in cities like Fresno, Bakersfield, Visalia est.

It'd be nice to know I'm not the only one.

Jon Shiu · Aug 6, 2008

Hi, I'm from the small town of Reedley, which is south of Fresno on the Kings River. I used to live on the coast, but am now getting used to the Central Valley. I find it quite hot here!

Jon

Alisha · Aug 6, 2008

Hi, I'm from the small town of Reedley, which is south of Fresno on the Kings River. I used to live on the coast, but am now getting used to the Central Valley. I find it quite hot here!

I know where Reedley is. Yeah, it does get really hot here. lol

Fast Frankie · Aug 7, 2008

Hi Alisha,
Bakersfield here. I think I have met Jon once or twice at one of Per Volquartz's get togethers. I like the fact that we are central. There is good access to the best of California and the West.
Welcome
Frank

Perry Way · Oct 1, 2008

I'm in San Luis Obispo. Would be nice to shoot some film with others. If any of you Central Valley folks are getting too hot and wanna cool down on a weekend, come out to the coast, eh? Let's go to Montana de Oro, or Guadalupe dunes, or Pt. Sal, San Simeon or ... further north. ? Ideas.. its beautiful coast around here!

RMayfield · Feb 5, 2009

Hi Central Valley. I live between Merced and Turlock. I teach photography at Merced High School where i still hang on to film cameras and darkroom. I personally use LF film, 4x5, but mainly 8x10.
Ron

cooltouch · Feb 5, 2009

I lived in Bakersfield for almost ten years. But then I escaped.

Actually, I was living in B-Town when I first got interested in photography. Still have fond memories and lots of nice images from when I'd go roaming around taking pics. You live close to some beautiful scenic areas.

Best,

Michael

Sirius Glass · Feb 5, 2009

cooltouch said:
I lived in Bakersfield for almost ten years.

Oxymoron?

Steve

cooltouch · Feb 5, 2009

Point taken. OK, I resided there for almost 10 years.

RGS122 · Oct 15, 2009

I'm from Fresno. I'm taking a black & white photography class at Fresno City College. I'm taking pictures on the side too.

FireCapt · Nov 3, 2009

Well actually from the central "Coast" really the Salinas - Monterey area. been shooting 35mm B/W for ever and am now loving MF.

bushpig · Aug 25, 2010

I'm originally from Pennsylvania, but I'm currently living in Bakersfield.

However I'm planning on moving to SLO, Cayucos, or somewhere abouts there. Bakersfield is alright, but jesus! The summers here!

I know this thread is old, but if anyone in Bakersfield wants to get together sometime or just chat and exchange tips, locations, etc., let me know!

Also, if anyone living in or around SLO wants to give me any tips for moving there, those are also welcome.

Perry Way · Aug 25, 2010

bushpig said:
I'm originally from Pennsylvania, but I'm currently living in Bakersfield.

However I'm planning on moving to SLO, Cayucos, or somewhere abouts there. Bakersfield is alright, but jesus! The summers here!

I know this thread is old, but if anyone in Bakersfield wants to get together sometime or just chat and exchange tips, locations, etc., let me know!

Also, if anyone living in or around SLO wants to give me any tips for moving there, those are also welcome.

I live in San Luis Obispo. If Bakersfield drives you crazy with the heat, stay away from any inland location along the Central Coast (inland is different than coastal valley like San Luis Obispo), they are just as hot but not as often. I'd give the inland locations around an 80% chance of having the same hot weather as Bakersfield! So stay away from Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Paso Robles, San Miguel. You mentioned Cayucos. That's a great location if you're interested in actually enjoying the beach most of the summer. Morro Bay is often overcast or solid fogged in even on days when Cayucos is not because they say Cayucos is a south facing beach but that's not true, its a west facing beach that generally has a slight southern exposure, but that's enough combined with the coastal range behind it to keep it less foggy there.

Anyway, I'm a local. When you get here and want to hook up sometime, just send a message!

bushpig · Aug 26, 2010

Perry Way said:
I live in San Luis Obispo. If Bakersfield drives you crazy with the heat, stay away from any inland location along the Central Coast (inland is different than coastal valley like San Luis Obispo), they are just as hot but not as often. I'd give the inland locations around an 80% chance of having the same hot weather as Bakersfield! So stay away from Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Paso Robles, San Miguel. You mentioned Cayucos. That's a great location if you're interested in actually enjoying the beach most of the summer. Morro Bay is often overcast or solid fogged in even on days when Cayucos is not because they say Cayucos is a south facing beach but that's not true, its a west facing beach that generally has a slight southern exposure, but that's enough combined with the coastal range behind it to keep it less foggy there.

Anyway, I'm a local. When you get here and want to hook up sometime, just send a message!

Awesome info! Thank you very much!

I guess I have a couple more questions that are both on and off topic for various reasons.

While visiting a friend in Cayucos, I checked out SLO, Morrow Bay and Pismo. They all seemed like wholesome towns, but a friend said that at least in SLO, there's a lot of crime. I'm not really afraid to move there (or anywhere), but what is it really like in these towns? Are there many homeless people? I don't mean to sound bad, but homeless people make excellent models. Plus a lot of them are intellligent, interesting people who have excellent life stories. Worth throwing them a few bucks and buying them a meal in exchange for being allowed to shoot a couple rolls and get your ear talked off.

Perry Way · Sep 2, 2010

bushpig said:
Awesome info! Thank you very much!

I guess I have a couple more questions that are both on and off topic for various reasons.

While visiting a friend in Cayucos, I checked out SLO, Morrow Bay and Pismo. They all seemed like wholesome towns, but a friend said that at least in SLO, there's a lot of crime. I'm not really afraid to move there (or anywhere), but what is it really like in these towns? Are there many homeless people? I don't mean to sound bad, but homeless people make excellent models. Plus a lot of them are intellligent, interesting people who have excellent life stories. Worth throwing them a few bucks and buying them a meal in exchange for being allowed to shoot a couple rolls and get your ear talked off.

Morro Bay Crime in San Luis Obispo? Certainly they must be talking about University students on campus. I don't know about crime in this town except for one murder in several years time span. I don't even know about any car breakins or robberies. The cops have hardly any work to do, honestly. This is a historic spanish mission/colonial city that has been bypassed by whatever population growth has occured in California throughout the years. It's an idyllic location. Forbes magazine rated San Luis Obispo as the number 1 city in USA in terms of desirability to live here. That's really saying something for a city frozen at 45,000 population. The University (California Polytechnic (cal poly) University at San Luis Obispo), is the highest ranked graduate university in the country! There's something special about this place in other ways as well.

As far as homelessness is concerned, well you'll find more homeless per square foot in Los Angeles, to be sure. Probably more homeless in Santa Barbara too. I don't need to mention San Fransicko, do I? But sure, we have homeless people here. But is it out of control? I don't think so. We have a lake, creeks, lots of woods and rolling land. Natural settings that they usually camp out at. Gone in the morning. It's not really in your face. Though, the other week, to be completely fair, there was a jogger on one of our bike trails (a good deal of our bike trails are separate from roads and sidewalks, some go into the woods areas) and he got a busted collarbone from some "transient looking character" that asked him for money and slammed him to the ground when he said he didn't have his wallet with him. I don't know the guy that happened to, but let me tell you this, there's no way that transient looking character would have gotten a chance to do that to me! I'd have put him in the hospital. Anyway, you were asking about homeless people as a photographic study. Go ahead and shoot away! If you need help finding them, I'll show you where they hang out! Laguna Lake Park is one place. San Luis Obispo Creek is another.

bushpig · Sep 3, 2010

Perry Way said:
[paraphrase]a bunch of stuff about SLO[/paraphrase]

Damn you! You're making me want to be there already!

I'm not a hundred percent sure how I'm gonna get a job there, but I hope to be living there as soon as possible. Wanna help me get a job?

Thank you for all the information!

Perry Way · Sep 3, 2010

bushpig said:
Damn you! You're making me want to be there already!

I'm not a hundred percent sure how I'm gonna get a job there, but I hope to be living there as soon as possible. Wanna help me get a job?

Thank you for all the information!

This message to anyone who wants to relocate to the best city in America and needs help finding a job!

http://slojobs.com/

Don't bother with any of the major job sites. You'll be living a thousand lifetimes before you find any listing on those. We are a tight knit community of sorts. None of the employers worth working for advertise in Craigslist, or Monster, or any other job site.

bushpig · Sep 4, 2010

Perry Way said:
This message to anyone who wants to relocate to the best city in America and needs help finding a job!

http://slojobs.com/

Don't bother with any of the major job sites. You'll be living a thousand lifetimes before you find any listing on those. We are a tight knit community of sorts. None of the employers worth working for advertise in Craigslist, or Monster, or any other job site.

I like the idea of getting a whole bunch of APUG users to move to SLO. Just wait until I get a job and get settled in first. I don't want the rest of you to take all the jobs before I can grab one!

Robert Budding · Sep 4, 2010

bushpig said:
I like the idea of getting a whole bunch of APUG users to move to SLO. Just wait until I get a job and get settled in first. I don't want the rest of you to take all the jobs before I can grab one!

This thread caught my eye because I grew up in the Napa Valley, and my sisters now live in Modesto and Turlock.

SLO is nice, but my commute is already long enough! I'm working in New York 5 days/week and living in Boston. My wife likes her Boston-based job, and our kids are settled in schools. Sigh.

lxdude · Sep 4, 2010

Robert Budding said:
This thread caught my eye because I grew up in the Napa Valley...

Where? I was over in Pope Valley for years, up 'til not long ago.

Robert Budding · Sep 5, 2010

lxdude said:
Where? I was over in Pope Valley for years, up 'til not long ago.

I grew up in Napa and graduated from Vintage High School (I'm not joking). But that was long ago - I've been in New England for almost all of my adult life.

Terry Hayden · Sep 20, 2010

For any of you in the even general central CA. vicinity, don't overlook one of
the oldest co-op galleries in the state, if not the country.

Yup, right in Fresno -

Spectrum Gallery, 608 East Olive ave.

Membership is open to anyone using photographic processes
( nowadays that is a really really broad catagory ).

We have group members exhibits annually as well as individual
members exhibits.

There is also a darkroom available to members.

So, anyone wanting to hook up with other photographers, do check us out!

http://spectrumphotogallery.org/

Jon Shiu · Sep 21, 2010

Terry Hayden said:
For any of you in the even general central CA. vicinity, don't overlook one of
the oldest co-op galleries in the state, if not the country.

Yup, right in Fresno -

Spectrum Gallery, 608 East Olive ave.

Membership is open to anyone using photographic processes
( nowadays that is a really really broad catagory ).

We have group members exhibits annually as well as individual
members exhibits.

There is also a darkroom available to members.

So, anyone wanting to hook up with other photographers, do check us out!

http://spectrumphotogallery.org/

I believe Spectrum even has an 8x10 Durst enlarger in their darkroom!

Jon

Terry Hayden · Sep 24, 2010

spectrum darkroom

Indeed we do, as well as a couple of 4x5's ( with appropriate
carriers for smaller formats ).

It's really quite a nice space.

The gallery itself is top drawer, and located in the "Artsy"
Tower district.

wy2l · Sep 24, 2010

I escaped.

I escaped from Visalia. There's not much I miss about the place. Fresno is kinda like Detroit, nice is you are into recreational pharmaceuticals, or gang life.

Anyone from Central California?

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