Hi! My name is EuGene Smith. I live in North Arkansas, and got my first non-brownie camera, a 4x5 B&J Watson Press (cost me $22), when I was 13 . . . paid it off at $3.00 per week while working as a shoe-shine boy. Lost it in a fire and didn't have a LF camera until about 30 years later, about early 1990's, when I bought a B&J commercial view in a yard sale in Alexandria, VA for $50.
I played at being a LF photographer for about 4 years, and even formed a DC area club, C.A.L.F. (Capital Area Large Format Club) that had about 65 members when I moved back to Arkansas in 1995. Don't know what ever became of C.A.L.F.?
I just recently unpacked from storage my various 4x5 up to 8x10 cameras (B&J Commercial Views), about 40 or so classic lenses (many in dial-set Compurs, my favorite shutter), and assorted other stuff (also bought a Cambo on the unmentionable site). Cleaning it all up, and getting ready to play again after all these years.
Do I know what I am douing? Doubtful, but I always had fun being a photography duffer.
Ahh the Ozarks; I remember going there and swimming in the cold cold water when I lived up Missouri... Sounds like you have quite a collection and of course a nice area to shoot in. I look forward to seeing some photos and welcome to duffers anonymous.
Thanks, folks. Now I've gotta re-learn all the skills that I have forgotten over the years . . . fortunately, I didn't have much knowledge back then to be fogotten, so the re-learn process shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
P.S. I wonder what ever happened to C.A.L.F.? Maybe there are some folks on this forum from the DC metro area who were involved with that group and can give an update. Eu
Welcome Eu(gene). I've only recently gotten in to large format, but I've never heard of C.A.L.F. If they still exist, perhaps they've gone underground.
Barry, I guess LF is rather reactionary in this age of fully automatic P&S digital stuff, and of course DC being the HQ for the PC Police, I suppose C.A.L.F. may well be meeting underground, in the sewer catacombs or one of the unused metro subway side tunnels.
On the other hand, C.A.L.F. may have evolved into a LF club in the area that continues under another name. I found a lot of LF folks when I started putting flyers and newsletters in all the metro area camera shops.
Interestingly, although we reached between 65 - 70 members within one year, none of them knew of the existence of more than 3 or 4 other LF folks in the area. LF folks just weren't networking very much it seemed, but I assure you, there are a lot of them in your area.
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