Calzone
Gear Whore #1
The June Meet-Up will be held on Sunday the 23rd at Puck Fair.
Also save the date: June 22'd will be a Long Island City "Death March." Breakfast at the Court Square Dinner at 8:00 AM; shoot at 5-Pontz in perfect light at 9:00; and the follow Newtown Creek inland to Masbeth/Bushwick; and if we really want to kill our legs Williamsburg.
I feel that I have concentrated my shooting too much in Madhattan and the South Bronx lately and need to shoot more Brooklyn and Queens again. I like urban decay BTW.
Cal
Also save the date: June 22'd will be a Long Island City "Death March." Breakfast at the Court Square Dinner at 8:00 AM; shoot at 5-Pontz in perfect light at 9:00; and the follow Newtown Creek inland to Masbeth/Bushwick; and if we really want to kill our legs Williamsburg.
I feel that I have concentrated my shooting too much in Madhattan and the South Bronx lately and need to shoot more Brooklyn and Queens again. I like urban decay BTW.
Cal
JMQ
Well-known
I'm in. See you at 8:00 am at the diner. Thanks Cal.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Jean-Marc,
Awesome. This is mostly urban landscape. It is a no-man's land with no residential housing. During the "Great Recession" John and I did dumb things like shooting there on days that had a heat index over 100. No water, no people and it was like an urban "Death Valley."
Now its different, but still very gritty. I'll likely be carrying two medium format cameras.
Cal
JMQ
Well-known
carrying 2 MF cameras? it'll kill your back. have you considered hiring a porter?
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
I had one of those in the mid seventies when I was 15 years old. Even back then I was a wack job. I use to call on my friends on my motorcycle. BTW I weighed 80 pounds back then. LOL. What a thug.
Cal
icebear
Veteran
Sounds like a plan, I'm in too for the first time. I'll just need to figure out which subway to take. But it looks like 7, E or M are all close by. I marked my calendar. Looking forward to it
. Bushwick was on my shooting agenda for quite a while already.Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Really not too bad. A Rollie 3.5F and the Plaubel is about the same weight as two of my pimped out Leicas. Twin Fuji's GL690 and GM670 are not too bad either. If I use my Pentax 67II just carrying an extra lens is a bit much.
Somehow I have a very thick neck for a skinny guy, and my right arm is already overdeveloped when compared to my left.
Cal
Cal, I didn't know "pocket" bikes existed in the 70s. These are tiny.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Sounds like a plan, I'm in too for the first time. I'll just need to figure out which subway to take. But it looks like 7, E or M are all close by. I marked my calendar. Looking forward to it
The Court Square Dinner is not a far walk from Queens Plaza. Also know that I plan on going extra early to shoot this small industrial area by Queens Plaza. If you are interested in hooking up before the 8:00 AM breakfast PM me.
There's this interesting bridge on Grand Ave. Perhaps on one of the future "Death Marches" we can start in Bushwick near the 4th stop on the "L" train and walk towards the East River. I just got to find a breakfast place nearby.
One time John and I were by Grand Ave Bridge and the water of Newtown Creek was this green like soda Mountain Dew. We also found this lonely house that could be mistaken for being in the deep-deep south. Abandoned cars and trucks with overgrown weeds.
Also there's that grave yard with the NYC department of sanitation incinerator that looks like a cream-a-tour-I-UMM.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Search "Premire Moto Beta." Not quite a cafe racer, but it had a 5 horsepower 50CC two stroke engine made by Ducati and a 4 speed transmission. I could do 50 mph. It had 10 inch wheels.
I also used a red, white an blue stars and stripes helmet like in "Easy Rider."
Cal
icebear
Veteran
Sounds like creepy fun, I'll have to get up at 5 to get there if we wanna met before the 8am Diner meetup.
I'm not sure if I'll rather kill the alarm clock when it rings that early on a weekend.
I'm not sure if I'll rather kill the alarm clock when it rings that early on a weekend
.Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Sounds like creepy fun, I'll have to get up at 5 to get there if we wanna met before the 8am Diner meetup.
I'm not sure if I'll rather kill the alarm clock when it rings that early on a weekend
Sometimes us camera geeks do crazy things. LOL.
Anyways this is a vast area with lots of possibilities. One time I was stopped and detained by three detectives. Was kinda trespassing, but in my book I was not because the fence that was errected to keep people out had fallen down and there was no posting or signage telling me it was private abandoned property and to keep out. Basically I think this hipster couple called 911 because I looked suspicious and looked like a terrorist.
Perhaps a Chinese guy with a ponytail and a camera (Rolliflex) looks suspicious, LOL, especially in an abandoned area. Anyways three guys jump out of a Towncar coming from nowhere, and initially I thought I was going to get jumped and take a beating. It wasn't until they got close when I save the guns and badges.
Anyways I was able to talk my way out of that one.
Cal
I don't remember that...
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
I called it the "Hill Billie House." It was by a lumber yard and not far from the elevated LIRR train tressle. We discovered it when we first discovered the "Van Gogh" bridge AKA Grand Avenue Bridge. This was when we started a Death March from the fourth stop on the "L" train.
Cal
PS John (Macfiend) from New Jersey is also coming.
Cal, we should go back there then because it's something I'd like to photograph. It doesn't need to be during one of these group hikes.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
We were wise to shoot there when it was the Great Recession. Going back there shooting with Pro-Mone last year was startling because so much has changed.
UPS is building a huge depot right buy the LIE, and now the building across from the police warehouse with the abandoned railroad tracks is gone. It's like seeing another luxury condo go up. LOL.
I'm sure some of the stuff we shot over the years has decayed more, and the abandoned building that allowed me acess to the roof is no longer accessible. I feel that lately we have fallen into a rut shooting in Madhattan and the South Bronx. Going back to Brooklyn and Queens will be fresh again.
Also know that now that Hill Billie House was too overgrown to capture with a 28 Cron. I think it needs an ultra-wide. Almost looks like a an abandoned house in the woods.
Cal
Cal
I find new stuff everytime... so no rut for me. I photograph differently to you though. That said, I'm always ok with going anywhere... I'll always find something.
