Tom A.'s M2

james.liam said:
What's the lens on the M2?
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a 35mm f2.5 color-skopar pII that i bought used 10 years ago and that i'm still shooting today. it went very wobbly on me after a year or two. the local repair shop couldn't fix it properly (they actually put it back together the wrong way the first time around), ringfoto couldn't fix it long-term (started wobbling again after a month), so i took it to Tom and Tuulikki the first time i stayed with them in 2011.
tom took of his glasses, looked at it for a moment, then got a matchstick from his pipe supplies and some locktight and fixed it in a matter of seconds. no wobble to this day! it was a simple fix, he knew instantly because he had his hand in designing the thing, and i know what to do if the locktight ever wears off.

when i was living and shooting in istanbul in 2013, the glued-on front ring with the lens designation etc. on it fell off. i got some super-glue from a small diy shop and glued it on backwards, thus un-branding it. looks alright, no?
 
I am guilty of taking the presence of many people for granted, as if they will always be there.
With my recent career change and now my long internship at a physical rehabilitation hospital, I feel both the resiliency, yet fragility and ever present transience, if life.
Tom touched so many people, yet he did it so subtlely.
I have only realized how far reaching and profundly his influence is.
The ripples of his life hit the opposite shore, here and there, and continue to travel around the world.
Phil Forrest
 
Great story Simon, thanks for sharing it.

Here below is one of two of Tom's images that I proudly hang (this one in my office which is a loft area where a big open wall provides nice visibility :) Tom gave it to me after I arranged for a gallery show at the University here in Bellingham. It featured images he and Chris Cameron put together following their first Cuba visit....back in 19__?

I learned a lot from Tom. I recall the first time I saw him was at one of the Vancouver Photo Swap meets. A friend and I had a table and some Leica gear on display to sell. He sauntered over and gently shared his opinions on this or that piece. When he left I thought (sneeringly....who is this guy?! :)

David

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Thanks for sharing that touching story and what a kind person Tom was. You could tell from his posts here he was the type of person anyone would love to know.

Didn’t know it at first but a Olympus Pen FV I bought on ebay was from the estate of Peter Dechert. It was featured in his Pen monograph that he very generously made available for free download several years ago. I still have that printed up and in a binder along with other Pen literature.
 
DwF said:
Great story Simon, thanks for sharing it.

Here below is one of two of Tom's images that I proudly hang (this one in my office which is a loft area where a big open wall provides nice visibility :) Tom gave it to me after I arranged for a gallery show at the University here in Bellingham. It featured images he and Chris Caldwell put together following their first Cuba visit....back in 19__?

I learned a lot from Tom. I recall the first time I saw him was at one of the Vancouver Photo Swap meets. A friend and I had a table and some Leica gear on display to sell. He sauntered over and gently shared his opinions on this or that piece. When he left I thought (sneeringly....who is this guy?! :)

David

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Thanks David, nice one! You must mean Chris Cameron, great man. I've slept on his couch. It was a very small couch. Good times.
 
zuiko85 said:
Thanks for sharing that touching story and what a kind person Tom was. You could tell from his posts here he was the type of person anyone would love to know.

Didn’t know it at first but a Olympus Pen FV I bought on ebay was from the estate of Peter Dechert. It was featured in his Pen monograph that he very generously made available for free download several years ago. I still have that printed up and in a binder along with other Pen literature.
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What a find Zuiko! You could call that the golden age of ebay ;) And yes he was the consummate gentleman.
 
SimonSawSunlight said:
Thanks David, nice one! You must mean Chris Cameron, great man. I've slept on his couch. It was a very small couch. Good times.
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Thank you for that Simon, and timely as I was able to edit my post. Writing it, a red flag was trying to pop up. I realize who the other Chris was (another from my past) that I confused Chris Cameron's name with.

David

PS Please send Chris my best regards if you see him.
 
Lovely story and a great connection. Do you feel it gives you a sense of wanting to do it justice? - I have a camera belonging to a friend who is a very fine film photographer, and it does make me feel some additional inspiration.
 
CharlesDAMorgan said:
Lovely story and a great connection. Do you feel it gives you a sense of wanting to do it justice? - I have a camera belonging to a friend who is a very fine film photographer, and it does make me feel some additional inspiration.
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i don't know if i would call it that, but on top of all sentimental value, i definitely feel a lot of responsibility towards the camera.


here's a picture of it with the rapidwinder and 35mm f2.5 i mentioned in my comments above.


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Ricoh said:
Can someone please inform me where I can see some of Tom's images.
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someone here probably can but least I remember his posts and presence here, rather than any imagery posted. most photos he posted were new lens test shots etc. (?)
 
Yum to a Good story, more than a good story
Yum To Tom !
Yum to Simon carrying the Torch !
the Eternal Flame lives on
 
As an M2 lover I thank you Simon for sharing such a fantastic and heartfelt experience with photos of the M2.
Secondly like Darth feeble, I never got to meet him or email him
BUT I sure do appreciate his mind, talent, heart and stories...

Thank again Simon
 
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