New moderator: Ted Harris

[QT Luong]

I am very pleased to announce that Ted Harris has joined the LF Forum moderation team consisting of Ralph Barker, Neil Poulsen (and occasionally myself). I am sure you are all familiar with Ted, thanks to his frequent contributions here, as well as at View Camera. I'll leave it to him to introduce himself further.

[Ted Harris]

I was honored and flattered when Tuan asked me to join the team and saying “yes” was an easy decision. As we move forward with our new format this weekend I hope we can also continue as the “kinder gentler” board that we have been noted as being for so many years.

I know most of the 'regulars' here and consider many friends. For those who don't know me ... I’ve been a photographer since 1954 when I had a shiny new Speed Graphic thrust into my hands so I could be the photographer for our Junior High School newspaper. Within a few days I was also in the darkroom processing my first action shots of football games taken with the Graphic and the journey has continued ever since. My lifelong interest in the outdoors also began in the early 1950’s and remember begging my father for a beat up old screw mount Leica in the local camera store; to no avail, however, as he insisted on getting me a fancy new Graphic 35, anyone besides me remember this odd camera? That beast accompanied me through the woods and mountains of New England and Pennsylvania for the next decade.

Fast forward to 1972 when I became, along with my partner, the first (and for a number of years the only) resident photographer in the Torpedo Factory Art Center (http://www.torpedofactory.org/) in Old Town Alexandria across the river from Washington, DC. In my studio I worked largely with 4x5 and 8x10 Linhof’s doing everything from figure work to food photography. For most of the next 35 years I balanced a career in photography with one in energy and environmental science and policy. The second career took me all over the globe permitting me to work at the first as well. Like many of us there were sojourns of total dedication to photography for a year here or there, years when the published work was nice but the pay rather slim; its often hard to eat on a photographer’s income alone.

After 30 years in the middle of the whirlwind of international science and policy I escaped back to New Hampshire about a decade ago and plan on spending the next 30 years or so focused (pun intended) on making images, helping others learn how to do the same, trekking my woods and loving my wife and animals. Right now I am looking forward to working out of my new studio, 1000 feet up the side of a mountain, in the Upper Connecticut River Valley.

[Ralph Barker]

Glad to have you join the moderator group, Ted.

[Juergen Sattler]

They certainly picked the right person - I have met Ted at the Scanning Workshop in Springfield earlier this year and he is a very leveled person. He is not someone who shoots from the hip on an impulse. He listens to the arguments of others. As we know there are lots of tensions that pop up on this forum from time to time and it is therefore important to appoint someone with Ted's qualities to monitor the discussions without jumping the gun. Congratulations Ted!

[Kirk Gittings]

Superb choice! Someone who really cares about LF and a straight shooter without guile.

[Oren Grad]

Thanks for pitching in, Ted!

[Eric Biggerstaff]

Thank you Ted.

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

Oren - Thanks for pitching in, Ted!

Eric - Thank you Ted.

And they say being a moderator is a thankless job! I'd like to add my own little "thanks in advance" to Ted. Enjoy it while you can.

Seriously, an excellent choice. Ted has long been a very valuable member of this community. He understands what makes this community special and will no doubt use his wisdom to makes sure it remains so.

For those about to moderate, I salute you!

Kerry

[Phong]

Ted,

Thank you for your many contributions now and in the past, publicly here on the forum, and privately off-list and in person.

- Phong

[darr]

Ted, I always enjoy reading your posts. Good choice from my side. I promise to be a good girl and keep my rants to myself. ;o)

http://photoscapes.com

[Harley Goldman]

Thanks for contributing, Ted!!!!!

BTW, enjoy the work you do on bringing scanner info to the LF masses. Much appreciated!!

[Bruce Barlow]

Harris is a bum. But so am I, and that's why we're such good friends.

Ted will do a great job. Congrats, Ted!

BB

[gene LaFord]

Congrats Ted! I know you will do a great job.

gene

[Capocheny]

Ted,

That's very kind of you to be so generous with your time and knowledge!

Although we've never met... I can state that you've ALWAYS been very helpful to me whenever I've posted a question!

Thank you!

QT... great choice! :)

Cheers

[Frank Petronio]

Ted, I'd like to know what you intend to do about American prestige abroad and how you will solve global warming. But otherwise, I hope you enjoy this honeymoon period.

[John Quinn]

Ted,
Have found your posts helpfull. I like this "new" forum.

[David Karp]

Thanks Ted. And congratulations.

[Micah Marty]

After 30 years in the middle of the whirlwind of international science and policy I escaped back to New Hampshire about a decade ago and plan on spending the next 30 years or so focused (pun intended) on making images, helping others learn how to do the same, trekking my woods and loving my wife and animals. Right now I am looking forward to working out of my new studio, 1000 feet up the side of a mountain, in the Upper Connecticut River Valley.

Came across this thread while looking for an autobiographical note from Ted, and the words above are suddenly very poignant. Requiescat in pace...

[snuck]

He's got a better view of the valley now I bet...
Or anywhere he chooses for that matter...

Once again I wish I had more chances to get to know him...