Hello from New England!

[AndyH]

Very nice to meet you all - maybe we could post ideas in the "locations" forum? I don't know the proper netiquette for this particular forum yet.

Gene, my former spousal unit grew up in Holyoke, up in the ritzy part of town, and would not go down into the flats thirty years ago. Fortunately I'm a little dumber.

I can even spell Lake Chargogagoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamogg.

The closest translation in Nipmuc is something like "neutral fishing place at the boundary waters" but the legendary translation I cited was actually coined by a newspaper editor with whom I worked many years ago. Rather too fond of good hooch, he arrived at this approximation after a couple of scotch and sodas and delivered it for the first time to a Rotary Club luncheon sometimes in the late 1940s. It's been urban legend gospel ever since!

 

[lee]

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.

Andy H,

You are correct I confused my colleges. It is Clark where he teaches. Both he and Frank are there. He lives on Martha's Vineyard during the summer vacation months. I don't know his affiliation with Worcester Art Museum other that his work has been displayed there some. He went to Mass Art in Boston and so did I. I am older than he is so we did not meet there.

lee\c

 

[JMcLaug351]

Welcome Andy from another New Englander. I'm in Bedford Massachusetts. I think the "trip" or at least some kind of get together is a Great Idea!
JOHN

 

[papagene]

OK, when and where are we all going to meet?
gene

 

[AndyH]

Good photo location or good photo show / exhibit ?

 

[Ed Sukach]

I can think of a centrally located "outdoor" location with a "FINE"!! model/s/ if anyone is interested. Otherwise, I'd be willing to go the architecture, "nice flowers", interesting street scene, route.

 

[papagene]

I think we need a list of us New Englanders, with phone numbers, who are interested in meeting and a suggested date. That way we can at least get some idea of a central location.
There may be some exhibitions running this fall we could visit, or a trip to the Quabbin, or an urban street/architecture site.
If you all are interested, you can PM me with your information and preferences and maybe think about mid to late October(?) for a get together.
gene

 

[Ed Sukach]

I look forward to joining in a group "social/work" get together. It'll be good to meet those who participate on APUG from New England. I've sent my adress and all to "papagene."

Aside from that... Anyone interested in a cooperative "Outdoor Figure Study" (read nude) session, please PM me. I plan to set one up for early fall, and company/ collaboration could be mutually beneficial.

 

[dans]

Hello from another new guy

I'm living in Chelmsford and am close to a lot of you guys. I didn't realize how many of my "neighbors" were into film photography. I tought everyone around here and gone digital.

Dan

 

[Shesh]

Dan,
Check your PM to see how close we live ;-)

I am very interested in getting togeather. I have sent my info to Gene as requested.

 

[AndyH]

I also sent Gene my contact info. I'm not surprised to see so many photographic Luddites in this area though. After all, the line to get into the PHSNE show can get pretty long!

 

[JHannon]

I also sent Gene my contact info. I'm not surprised to see so many photographic Luddites in this area though. After all, the line to get into the PHSNE show can get pretty long!

I go to the PHSNE show twice a year. The lines are sometimes long to get in. Too bad the number of vendors has decreased lately. Maybe I will see you at the next one in October.

 

[gr82bart]

Welcome Andy,

I just moved to CT myself, so I hope to see you post some prime landscape locations! I plan to drive around this fall and capture some of the natural beauty around here.

Regards, Art.

 

[AndyH]

After more than a decade marooned on Digital Island, I'm back. Glad to see that the old APUG is alive and well in this new combined forum. I've been posting recently as AndyH52, but Sean has kindly merged my new login with my old one, so all old and new posts are under the same name.

Life has rolled on, and I've rolled along with it. I finally persuaded my lovely partner of twenty years to upgrade in 2014 from "Girlfriend V3.0" to "Wife V3.0". We have acquired a flock of new sons in law and daughters in law, and a bushel of grandchildren, both biological and adoptive. Tragically, we have lost two of our adult sons, most recently my oldest, a casualty of PTSD from yet another useless war. We stay strong because we have to. Our "Brady Bunch" needs us too much.

Photography is once again one of our passions, getting us through the dark passages by trying to create beauty and feeling through images. My wife has moved on from her Canon "Film Days" to become a digital Nikon girl. We both shot DX format, D7100 bodies with a pretty good collection of mostly Nikon glass. Our gear meets our needs well.

My interest in film has been rekindled, most recently through the gift of a Hasselblad 500C outfit from a kind and generous friend, received shortly after the death of my son. I am once again shooting on a regular basis, and I'm about to jump into C-41 processing and digital scanning. I'm pretty decent with Photoshop/Lightroom, and I must admit that at my advanced age, I prefer my darkroom work sitting in my easy chair, with both my wife and a martini by my side. I still have most of my old darkroom gear, and hope to re-enter the "wet" world in the future.

Currently my main shooters, in addition to the Nikon and Hassy, are a Century Graphic and Graphic View, Zeiss Super Ikonta, Leica IIIC, Rolleiflex 3.5 TLR, and a fairly comprehensive kit of Pentax Spotmatic and Rolleiflex SL35 gear and lenses. I also have assorted other vintage film cameras still hanging about, but my pleasure comes in using the listed cameras for the purposes they're most suited for.

So what's new with you?

Andy

 

[removed account4]

hey andy
its been like 15 years ( since your original post ) and im still here
along with a handful of some of the others who posted ..
( but some of the others are picking up film in the fotomat in the sky, or they "vanished" )
im still in / near paswonquitte and still shooting film, paper and "stuff"
and shooting digital a little and making digital negatives for alt process work.
im not as anti electronic as i was 15years ago, and think we pretty much live
in a golden age of photography ..

 

[AndyH]

im not as anti electronic as i was 15years ago, and think we pretty much live
in a golden age of photography ..

Good to see your name pop up! I moved to digital primarily because I no longer had the time or space for wet work and because life had posed several challenges that just demanded more of my time. I got my first digital bridge camera in 2007, and used it mostly for family snaps and the occasional "artsy" shot.

In 2016 (seems so long ago...) my wife and I found a D50 at a bargain price in a pawnshop, and were shocked to find that DSLRs had somehow become affordable. It took a while, but we decided to stick with the DX format and acquire duplicate kits for our more artistic endeavors, as well as for photos of our very active and athletically inclined grandchildren. We've both shot a LOT of pictures since then and are very happy with our digital gear.

But, as noted above, I got back into film in almost the same accidental way. We still have a local shop, and development and scanning were pretty affordable. Working with film forces you (or at least me) into a more contemplative and absorbing approach. When we go on a photo excursion, every week or two when my wife isn't off visiting the grands, I just get so completely absorbed that all worries or thoughts about finances, health, business, and all the other cares just go away. I think that's the purpose of any hobby or pastime, and it's been wonderful to rediscover that kind of inner peace, if only for short periods.

Andy

 

[winger]

I don't think I posted in this thread back then, but I've been around these parts for awhile and was in MA when it started. I moved from Franklin, MA to Southwest PA (near Pittsburgh) in 2007. I've added digital, but still have a darkroom and shoot film often-ish. Welcome back!

 

[bdial]

Welcome back, Andy, from another New Hampshire-ite.

 

[etn]

Hi Andy,
I'm not really good at expressing this sort of things, but I feel sorry for the loss of your sons. I am about to have a newborn and would be devastated if this happened to me. Be strong - we have no other choice anyway.
Welcome (back) to the Photrio community, greetings from another Hasselblad shooter!
Etienne

 

[AndyH]

Thank you all. I appreciate the support.

Working on absorbing and mindful pursuits is a part of life we all need to concentrate on as much as we can. Photography is a part of my life that helps get me through the rest of the day.

Andy

 

[Stephen Prunier]

Hi AndyH,

I joined in 2008 so I missed the beginning of this post. I've also added digital, but I find I enjoy my RZ67 more. I still have a darkroom and shoot B&W. Most of my digital work gets converted to monochrome as a learning tool. But I keep the original RAW file as color. I care for my 85 yr old Mom so my time getting out with the RZ67 is limited. But the darkroom is always there.

 

[AndyH]

Hi AndyH,

I joined in 2008 so I missed the beginning of this post. I've also added digital, but I find I enjoy my RZ67 more. I still have a darkroom and shoot B&W. Most of my digital work gets converted to monochrome as a learning tool. But I keep the original RAW file as color. I care for my 85 yr old Mom so my time getting out with the RZ67 is limited. But the darkroom is always there.

Stephen, you don't by any chance have relatives from Oxford, Massachusetts do you?
Andy

 

[Drew B.]

Welcome Andy from southeastern MA. We (well, some of us) meet a few times a year but mostly in the Plymouth / Cape area but most of us are willing to go anywhere. Also, become a member of PHSNE https://phsne.org/index.html and meet all types of traditional photo people. We're meeting this Sunday up in Newton, MA

drew

 

[AndyH]

Welcome Andy from southeastern MA. We (well, some of us) meet a few times a year but mostly in the Plymouth / Cape area but most of us are willing to go anywhere. Also, become a member of PHSNE https://phsne.org/index.html and meet all types of traditional photo people. We're meeting this Sunday up in Newton, MA

drew

I've been a member in the past, and will re-up soon. A great group, and a never-miss spring show.

Andy

 

[Stephen Prunier]

Stephen, you don't by any chance have relatives from Oxford, Massachusetts do you?
Andy[/QUOTE
No, I don't. It's just me and my brother left. All the others are no relation. The funny thing is, I'm also a guitarist and I use to play out. When I started playing in blues clubs a lot of people became confused as to who I was. Turns out there's another blues musician (harmonica) who has the same name and is from Lynn. I don't get to play out anymore so I don't need to deal with it.