Hello from New England!

[AndyH]

Thank you so much for this website. I sort of accidentally on purpose discovered it through a friend and I must say that you have one of the more eclectic collections of people and images around. I am most impressed at the talent and knowledge.

I'm an aging baby boomer from New England who mostly works with equipment made when glass, metal, and leather were not materials to be shunned for their weight. I dub around with my 4x5 Speed Graphic and several lenses, my Rollei TLR and my Rolleiflex SL35 system with some German glass and a handful of older Supertaks that I use with the M-42 adaptor.

My work is about 50/50 color and B/W; although since coming to a house with no basement my beloved darkroom is now packed mostly in boxes until we get a chance to expand it I've been doing more and more color.

Architectural and landscape and "found object" still lifes are the most fun for me - I'm still kind of shy around people despite shooting quite a few weddings and similar "events" and two years as a working news photog many years ago...

I'm currently living in New Hampshire and working in central Massachusetts but have lived and shot all over the east coast and a few places out west...

Andy

 

[TPPhotog]

Hi Andy,

A big welcome from Old England You'll very quickly find there are many knowledgeable and very friendly talented people here, so I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Look forward to seeing some of your images

 

[mark]

A hearty Welcome from the upper desert SW.

 

[roteague]

I'm an aging baby boomer from New England who mostly works with equipment made when glass, metal, and leather were not materials to be shunned for their weight.

Welcome Andy. Always good to see another large format shooter. I've seen some awesome photos from your part of the country and I'm looking forward to seeing some of your work.

BTW, I am from the opposite side of the country from you; Kaneohe, Hawaii (about 15 miles from Honolulu).

 

[Thomassauerwein]

Welcome and have fun with the site, Your part of the country is someplace I have never been and would really like to see and shoot. Look forward to seeing your work.

Tom

 

[Andy K]

Welcome Andy... I think you'll enjoy it here!

 

[Robert Kennedy]

O.k. So you found out about this place through me. Just don't double dip your chips in the dip and all will be fine.

 

[BWGirl]

Welcome Andy!

Aging boomer??? There is no such thing!!! Aren't we all forever young???
I love that area of the US! My hubby used to work in Pittsfield (guess where!!) many moons ago & he took me there a couple of years ago. What a beautiful area! My favorite time there is fall, when everything is colorful & the air is crisp! Hope to see some pics!

This is a great place, I'm sure that you will find a thing or two to interest you!
Jeanette

 

[papagene]

Andy,
As another New Englander, I welcome you to this wonderful site.
Where abouts in New Hampshire do you live and where do you work. I am originally from a small town in north central Mass and most of my family still lives up that way, so I am very familiar with the area.
Are you familiar with the Western New England Large Format Photographers group? If you e-mail me, I can send you some info.
Enjoy your visits to APUG.
gene

 

[removed account4]

hey andy
welcome to apug. i'm a few states away in ri. i spent a lot of time in central new hampshire when i was growing up. it is really nice up there

have fun!

- john

 

[AndyH]

Thanks for the warm welcome...

I live in lovely Keene, New Hampshire, which could serve as the prototypical small New England city (come to think of it, it already did - in the film "Jumanji")

I work in the city with the smallest ambitions in the United States. Its nickname is "Wormtown" and its official planning goal is to become "one of the most livable medium sized cities in the northeastern United States" (No, I am not making this up.... )

I have family and job connections all across New England and travel from Acadia to Burlington to the Vineyard with regularity. I pass through North Central Massachusetts twice a day and worked in many of the small towns there developing housing.

I am still quite electronically challenged, so I hope to be able to scan and post some of my work, but it will be a challenge. I'm counting on some support from the experts.

As I said before, I pretty much stopped surfing and lurking photo.net when I could no longer understand have of the pixeltalk.

Anyplace that has concurrent threads on Rodinal and Dianas has definitely got something going for me as a member in good standing of the Luddite wing of the Photographic Party.

Andy "I never double dip but I might double entendre" H

 

[Dave Miller]

Hi from old England. Welcome.

 

[papagene]

Andy,
I know Keene quite well. My father worked in Troy, NH at the Troy Mills for many years. We used to go swimming at the quarries in the Swanzie(?) area.
But you have me quite curious as to what medium sized city is "Wormtown!"
gene

 

[Shesh]

Hello from another new englander. Although a recent immigrant ;-). I live in the north eastern part of MA, just south of the NH border.

 

[AndyH]

Andy,
I know Keene quite well. My father worked in Troy, NH at the Troy Mills for many years. We used to go swimming at the quarries in the Swanzie(?) area.
But you have me quite curious as to what medium sized city is "Wormtown!"
gene

I love old New England mills and have done quite a bit of shooting around them. The Swanzey quarries are largely fenced off for safety reasons but people a lot younger than I still use them.

Wormtown's "official" nick is "The Heart of the Commonwealth". Does that help any?

 

[papagene]

Andy,
Nope. I know Chair City, Plastics Town, Tool Town (where I grew up), but am still confused. HMMMMM... moderate sized city in Central Mass; Heart of the Commonwealth; I've got to guesses: Worcester, because of its location; and Framingham, because of its on going heart study.
gene

 

[AndyH]

Holy Moly Gene - I have worked in Spectown and Toy Town, and developed property in Tool Town (although some of its denigrators just added an "e" and an "s" to describe its residents I always kinda liked the place. My dad did inspection work at UTD and Starret during the war and they moved from there only shortly before my birth).

I've also got some roots in the birthplace of Clara Barton and the home of Lake You Fish on Your Side, I Fish on My Side, Nobody Fish in the Middle.

But you're right, I now work in Worcester, birthplace of barbed wire, Abbie Hoffman, the birth control pill and the smiley face - in that order.

I'm driving back and forth to a conference in the home of the Volleball Hall of Fame next month, and I was thinking of bringing my 4x5 down to the old canal area. Do you know this area and do you have any suggestions?

 

[lee]

Worcester is also the home of Smith College and I know a couple of the teachers there. One is Steven DiRado and the other is Frank Armstrong. Both are prolific artists.

lee\c

 

[AndyH]

Smith is actually in Northampton, about forty miles west of here.

But Steven DiRado is/was affiliated with the Worcester Art Museum and lived (I think) here until recently.

In addition to a really neat little art museum the city does have seven colleges including a couple of pretty highly regarded ones.

 

[Shesh]

Maybe the New England based APUGgers can meet up sometime?

 

[AndyH]

I smell a photo trip? :?

 

[Ed Sukach]

Sounds like a plan. Where would there be a friendly Tavern located near our geographic center? Would we have to bring cameras?

We'lll show those APUGers from the San Fransico Bay Area!!

 

[Aggie]

We'lll show those APUGers from the San Fransico Bay Area!!

*lol*

 

[papagene]

Andy,
Holyoke (pronounced by the locals as Whole-Yoke) can be quite dangerous in the canal section - The Flats. Even though the police chief has made some good strides in taming crime, that section still is rather iffy.
Shoot during the day and I would suggest a second photographer to work with.
And yes there are plenty of photographic opportunities in the old mill sections there in and around the canals. The blocks from just north of the VB Hall and south to I-395, between Main and High Streets are great photographically.
When are you going to be actually shooting? I am temporally (I hope) unemployed and do have a little free time - e-mail me.
And Shesh - a New England get together is a good idea. Saturdays is the best bet for me. I am part of the Valley Photo Center here in Springfield. We could meet here or another more centrally located spot. Keep in touch.
gene
PS - I almost forgot about the real name of Webster Lake.

 

[JHannon]

Welcome Andy! I am from Needham MA, SW of Boston. A meeting sounds like a great idea. I am always looking for good photography spots..