Organizational Meeting

Greetings to all...

It's probably time to more formally organize this APUG regional group. Robeert Triffen and I met for a dinner meeting last week and we would like to do more as a group. Although we both shoot Large Format, as other APUGers do, we want to offer a program to all film shooters.

We need to get started so we can have an active Fall. We need ideas for
1. Time and Place for an organizational meeting. I am willing to host one in Frenchtown, NJ if that is convenient for everyone interested. Other ideas will be considered.
2. Fall photo opportunities. We already have a Beacon, NY trip in the idea stage.
3. Winter seminars/workshops for when we cannot get out and photograph. My studio will be available for at least one workshop if we decide to do them.
4. Annual show and dinner - if we want to go this route.

Let me know what you think. NJ/PA/NY APUGers welcome as well as anyone else.

James

A very convenient site for a dinner meeting would be the TG Friday's Restaurant which is located at: 2703 Mount Holly, Rd. Burlington, NJ. This location is approximately 1/2 mile from the Mt. Holly exit of the New Jersey turnpike, and approximately one mile from the I-295 exit for Mt. Holly.

For those not familiar with the area, when exiting either I-295 or the New Jersey Turnpike at Mt. Holly simply proceed east on the intersecting highway - Rt. 541 (a/k/a) Burlington-Mt. Holly Rd. Friday's is located on the north side of Rt/ 541 in a complex of stores and similar eating establishments.

Regards,

Robert J. Triffin
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

Can people from the Mid Atlantic group come too?

Although James Grimes is the leader of the NJ/PA/NY regional APUG chapter, I do not see a problem with anyone who may interested in attending.

Robert J. Triffin

Organizational Meeting / Date, Time, And Location

There will be a dinner organizational meeting on September 7, 2006 at 7:30 P.M. at "Fridays" restaurant in Burlington, NJ. Please refer to my prior post in this thread for directions to this restaurant.

Everyone is welcome, individual dinner costs will be the responsibility of those in attendance. The purpose of the meeting is to formulate goals, events, and interests of the NJ/PA/NY regional APUG members. The scope of this APUG chapter will encompass all formats and film mediums: with the emphasis on having fun, learning from one another, and perpetuating the experiences of making traditional film images while incorporating the advances in technology.

Robert J. Triffin
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

Flauvius said:

There will be a dinner organizational meeting on September 7, 2006 at 7:30 P.M. at "Fridays" restaurant in Burlington, NJ. Please refer to my prior post in this thread for directions to this restaurant.

Everyone is welcome, individual dinner costs will be the responsibility of those in attendance. The purpose of the meeting is to formulate goals, events, and interests of the NJ/PA/NY regional APUG members. The scope of this APUG chapter will encompass all formats and film mediums: with the emphasis on having fun, learning from one another, and perpetuating the experiences of making traditional film images while incorporating the advances in technology.

Robert J. Triffin
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

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This should be a good opportunity for anyone who is interested in having an active photography program close by. I would encourage anyone who is interested, no matter where you live, to attend this organizational meeting. If you have any ideas, please write them down on a list and bring that list with you.

Robert, are there any good photo ops close by if we want to do some shooting before the meeting?

James

Within a (10) minute drive from TGIF Friday's restaurant, there is the old Burlington County Jail right on Route 541 in the center of Mt. Holly, NJ. This old building, which is on the National Registery of Historic Buildings, is open to the public and offers great photo opportunities.

In addition, the Pemberington Railroad Museum is aproximately (15) minutes from Mt. Holly.

So, - if the weather permits - we could make an afternoon trip to Mt. Holly and then, meet for dinner at Fridays.

Regards,

Robert J. Triffin
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

Flauvius said:

Within a (10) minute drive from TGIF Friday's restaurant, there is the old Burlington County Jail right on Route 541 in the center of Mt. Holly, NJ. This old building, which is on the National Registery of Historic Buildings, is open to the public and offers great photo opportunities.

In addition, the Pemberington Railroad Museum is aproximately (15) minutes from Mt. Holly.

So, - if the weather permits - we could make an afternoon trip to Mt. Holly and then, meet for dinner at Fridays.

Regards,

Robert J. Triffin
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

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Robert,

Right next to the Jail is the Old Burlington County Court House which is rather nice building also. Mount Holly also has a one room school house on Brenard St. (about two blocks from the jail). I believe its next to the Baptist Church around the corner from the Friends Meeting House on the corner of High & Garden Streets. You can see the meeting house from the jail and you the meeting house and Baptist Church's back lots back up to each other.

In addition Mt. Holly has a former railroad station built in 1867 (now a restaurant) on Madison Ave. The old Three Tons Tavern (now Mill St. Tavern) which is supposed to date back to revolutionary times.

And don't forget the Smithville and the Smithville Mansion while your through the area. It's the next town east of Mount Holly. The Mansion is a museum and might still have office space for the Burlington County Cultural & Heritage Commission. They have been working on what used to be the workers houses for the bicycle factory. The factory remains are down near the lake but are fenced off. There are a number of the other buildings on the grounds. There was a bicycle railway built between Mt. Holly and Smithville back around the turn of the last century to get the workers from Mount Holly out to the Bicycle Factory, but there isn't any remains of that left today.

Flauvius said:

So, - if the weather permits - we could make an afternoon trip to Mt. Holly and then, meet for dinner at Fridays.

Regards,

Robert J. Triffin
RJTRIFFIN@RCN.COM

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The ideas are stating to come in. Awesome! I like the idea of making this an afternoon or even an all day photography excursion. And a good dinner with discussion to finish it off...

I would like to know who will be available for photography and/or the dinner meeting on Thursday, 7 September. Please e-mail or PM me so I can start getting a head count.

Thanks,
James

Agenda for photo shoot and organizational meeting - Thursday, 7 September

Greetings...
Here is our proposed agenda for Thursday. Please understand that this is not etched in stone and we can make changes as needed or desired.

1:30 meet at the North Pemberton railroad museum and photograph there for awhile (info at http://www.pembertontwp.com/North_...on_Station.html).
3:00 Move on to Mt. Holly for more photography there (check some of Flauvius's posts for additional information. He seems to know this area better than most.) Photograph here until 5-5:30 or so.
5:00 Move on to any other site that we might know about for a little more photography. Let's see what suggestions we get.
7:30 Meet at TGIF for dinner and an informal meeting. Come with a list (written) of ideas you would like to propose or have the group consider.
9:30 Adios.

Let me know what you think. Four photographers have said that they will attend. Anyone else? Please let me know.

James

It was suggested we meet at the Commerce Bank parking lot at 510 High Street (Rt. 541) in Mount Holly and introduce ourselves and proceed from there. Are there any issues in doing this? There may be an opportiunity to grab a drink close by and then move on.

Please share any thoughts or concerns there may be. This may be more convenient and easier to find for those who do not know the area.

James

JamesG said:

It was suggested we meet at the Commerce Bank parking lot at 510 High Street (Rt. 541) in Mount Holly and introduce ourselves and proceed from there. Are there any issues in doing this? There may be an opportiunity to grab a drink close by and then move on.

Please share any thoughts or concerns there may be. This may be more convenient and easier to find for those who do not know the area.

James

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Count me in. I ,too, am familiar with the area and The Commerce Bank parking lot is easier to find than the Pemberton RR Station.

I still work but 1:30 is a pretty good time for me.

Howard Dvorin
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

JamesG said:

"... Commerce Bank parking lot at 510 High Street (Rt. 541) in Mount Holly..."

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Sounds good. See you there at 1:30!

Sorry for the delay in posting, but we had a successful shoot with a meeting to follow. I will try to post photos later tonight. Looks like another trip to the Burlington County Jail Museum for the next get-together, as time was a little constrained last week. Maybe a 10 a.m. gathering in October or early November...

Please let me know what the consensus is.

James

James,

Sounds good to me. Next time, I'll bring LF.

Photos

Finally, I am able to post some photos. I've just been very busy in the studio the last 10 days, but here they are.

James

Sounds Good to me. Thanks for posting the pictures. How did you make me look so handsome?

Howard

Planning for 2007 - Getting Involved

Who's ready for another get-together to help plan a few activities for the coming season? Does a dinner meeting in the Trenton-Princeton area sound like something NJ APUGers want to do? Give me some feedback so we can get things going.

Note: Robert Triffen and I have been getting together for some photography with our large format cameras. While we enjoy the company of other photographers, and continue to hope that others will become involved in our activities, we will be getting together for large format work even if it is only the two of us. I have posted a few photos below of a recent outing. it was cold, there was snow on the ground, and the pond we had set up to photograph was mostly frozen over.

I hope everyone who reads this post is interested in being active this year. Just let me know what you want to do and I will try to set up various activities that will appeal to everyone.

James

Jersey APUG Events

Newark's Portuguese "Down Neck / Ferry Street Corridor" is Newark's counterpoint to Philadelphia's "Italian Market", - and which is long a figment of the tourist industry's imagination. Another good "North-Jersey" location for street photography is Union City's "Bergenline Ave." from about 39th Street through 60th Street. With all the Hispanic food sellers, music, and - everything going on - "Bergenline Ave." in Union City is a walking photographer's paradise.

While both "Down Neck" and "Bergenline Ave." are ideal for 35mm/120 shooters, the Route One corridor from Lawrenceville thorough Rahway presents numerous attractive photographic opportunities. New Jersey has more operating dinners that any other state. For those who are interested in "old factories", Passaic is the place in "North Jersey". At Passaic's 8th & South Street, there is a working rail road repaid yard that is ideal for railroad buffs.

South Jersey - by the Delaware Bay - is reminiscent of Walker Evans vision of "dignity amonst the working men/women". The area's oil refineries and shuttered glass factories scattered through serene farm/swamp land present numerous photographic opportunities. While as different as night and day, Atlantic City through Cape May - with its Victorian mansions and vacationers - are also not to be forgotten.

Western Jersey offers the Delaware Water Gap, and through which area the Appalachian Trial weaves some very impressive hiking and landscape photographic opportunities. Dover - right off of 1-80 and Rts. 10 and 46 - is small but interesting for its Hispanic community.

For those who are "truly adventuresome", I recommend Camden. However, I would only recommend Camden to those who can bring a couple friends to assure that there are no "mis-undersandings". Presently, Camden is hard pressed and only a faint shell of its once manufacturing and ecconomnic prominence.

My idea for a Jersey APUG chapter is that we meet periodically for dinner, discuss past and future get togehters, and then each of use goes either alone or with friends "where-ever" the spirit moves us. I see the Jersey APUG chapter as a supportive and open minded - rather than a competitive or dogmatic group - of shutterbugs.

In this regard, Jim has been able to get Jersey APUG'ers a group weekend rate at a local Gettysburg, PA, motel. While I have offered to play "tour guide" through Philadelphia's Latino and Manychunk neighborhoods for those who may be interested in street photography.

Conversely, having been to the Philadelphia's "Italian Market" in the mid-50s' as a child - and continuing through the late 60s' - on numerous occasions; the current version of the "Italian Market" offers - at most - two city blocks of non-Italians who with very little to sell - do so at full retail for poor quality merchandise.

Given the number and location of those who reply, we will meet in the next few weeks at a restaurant that is centrally located. In keeping with the idea that the Jersey APUG Chapter is "Open", Jim and I believe that the means used to present an image are immaterial to the ultimate goal of enjoying the experience - and if a pleasurable image results - so much the better.

Regards,

Robert J. Triffin

NJ diner shoot this Sunday afternoon. Anyone interested? Let's photograph them before they are all gone.