Hello from Beech Grove Indiana

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello everyone,,

I've been into photography since 1983 and LF since 95... I am a house carpenter by trade and do the photography as a hobby..

I consider myself just an explorer with a camera ... I will explore anything and everything..

I shoot mostly color and print digital but also stepping into B&W darkroom for 1st time.

My choice of format is the 8x10" and used primarily for scenery,still life,architecture..

I'm very glad to have found this site and look forward to visiting it regularly..

I have already been busy reading a lot and have found very interesting topics!

Regards
Steve

[Really Big Cameras]

Steve,

Welcome to the board. I was born and spent my youth in Indiana. I grew up in a little town called Union Mills, up near LaPorte and Valparaiso. I spent many, many weekends camping further south at Turkey Run (my favorite - LOVED Trail 3), Brown County, McCormick's Creek, etc. State Parks.

I live in Oregon now and love it out here, but I have some very fond memories (and many fond relatives) back in Indiana.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://www.reallybigcameras.com/)

[John Kasaian]

Welcome Steve! :)

[Kirk Gittings]

Welcome! We are all just explorers at heart, even if we have been doing it for 30 years.

[MIke Sherck]

Hello, Steve: I'm in Elkhart, on the Michigan border about halfway across the state. Are you in the Beech Grove in Marion County, or the other one in Morgan County? I'm also a fan of Turkey Run and try to get down there at least once or twice a year. A fine group of folks, the Midwest Large Format Asylum, usually goes there once a year as well.

In August the Asylum will be having an outing not too far from you (either one!) We're going to Spring Mill State Park, near Mitchell. It's the third weekend (Aug 15, 16, 17) and I expect there will be half a dozen to a dozen of us. Some will camp, some will stay in motels. You don't need to be a member and anyone's welcome to show up for an hour, a day, or the whole weekend. Festivities will start around the campfire Friday night and most of us will pack up to head home sometime Sunday.

We're a pretty easy-going group and all experience levels are represented. Our website is www.Midwestlargeformat.com

Nice to meet you and hope to see you at Spring Mill State Park next month!

Mike Sherck

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello Kerry,Mike,John and Kirk,,,

Great to meet you guys.. I was beginning to think I was the only hoosier to shoot LF.

You speak of Turkey Run,, I done some shooting there this last winter.. I'd get there about 45 min. before daylight and leave the truck just as it starts showing twilight..
I got several good shots there but Shades park just down the road is better,much better for photography.. And then once you get done at Shades do Pine Hills Nature Preserve just down the road from Shades and you will be stunded ...

Another good spot to see is Portland Arch Nature Preserve in Pike county.. It is like a lost world in there... Google the arch for it's history it's very interesting..

Mike, thx for the invite to the group outing.. It sounds like fun.. I know Spring Mill state park and I have found the creek behind the Mill to have promise for good photography.. Maybe I'll stop by if I can get away..!

Some wonderful places in Indiana to see and photograph are:

*Hovey Lake in Posey county,,, huge Sypress trees
Twin Swamps Nature Preserve ,,Posey county
*Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve,, Lake county
Willow Slough FWA , Beaver county
Woodlands along the Kankakee river near LaSalle FWA West Creek county
Clifty Falls State Park
Salamonie river and lake project
Mississinewa river and Lake project
Farmland between Peru and Wabash Indiana
Vincennes Indiana,, oldest town in Indiana
*Hemlock Cliffs ,, Union county, a must see ! another lost world...
Yellow Birch Ravine Nature Preserve, Union county
and last but not least,, The Devils Backbone near Tunnelton in Guthrie county

Regards
Steve

PS. Mike, Beech Grove in Marion county ,, birth place of actor Terrence Steven Mcqueen..

[Diane Maher]

Hi Steve. Welcome from St. Louis.

[MIke Sherck]

You're far from the only large format shootin' Hoosier, Steve! The Asylum has several members in Indianapolis and thereabouts, and there are more of us scattered here and there.

Your list of interesting places in Indiana is welcome. I'm more familiar with stuff in the northern half of the state and will have to try to visit some of the places you mentioned. You made them sound interesting! The Asylum is always looking for new places for outings, too. Thanks!

At Spring Mills, a number of us are camping at the park camp ground. One of our Asylum members was good enough to reserve a small block of campsites. If you find the time to stop by, you'd be welcome. At dawn and dusk I imagine we'll be out photographing somewhere (and probably all hours in between, too!) but there will probably be folks nearby at meal times and after dark for certain. I'll be at campsite 410.

Mike

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello Diane,, St. Louis ROCKS !

[P. Yee]

Hello Steve

Welcome to the large format world. I am in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

[SamReeves]

Nice work there. Welcome.

[Toyon]

Isn't Beech Grove the home of a railroad car shop?

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello P.

Thank you for the warm welcome:)

[Bill_4606]

Hello Steve,
I used to live in Beech Grove myself -- worked for Amtrack at the famous (infamous to the conspiracy theorists) train yards.

I'll be one of the campers at Spring Mill on the weekend of 8/15. Mike has already given you information on the campsites. If you (or anyone else) wants to join us, we have plenty of room for more tents. We try to bring prints and sometimes manage to share a video lecture or two. I'm bringing a a few LensWork DVDs to view.

We all shoot various formats on these outings - 4x5, 5x7,... I'll have my 8x10 along. If you can't swing this outing, maybe we meet up another time. There is usually one around the third weekend of the month and many ad-hoc outings most any time.

Cheers,
Bill Riley

[Steve M Hostetter]

[QUOTE=Toyon;374647]Isn't Beech Grove the home of a railroad car shop?[/QUO

Hi Toyon,,, Yes Beech Grove Indiana has a huge train facility... As a young boy we'd all get together and jump trains ,, as we called it... The shops go back to 1903 ...

There has been rumors that the old shops will close someday... If they do I will have lots of fun photographing the interiors ... :eek: :D

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello Sam,, thank you

[Steve M Hostetter]

Hello Steve,
I used to live in Beech Grove myself -- worked for Amtrack at the famous (infamous to the conspiracy theorists) train yards.

I'll be one of the campers at Spring Mill on the weekend of 8/15. Mike has already given you information on the campsites. If you (or anyone else) wants to join us, we have plenty of room for more tents. We try to bring prints and sometimes manage to share a video lecture or two. I'm bringing a a few LensWork DVDs to view.

We all shoot various formats on these outings - 4x5, 5x7,... I'll have my 8x10 along. If you can't swing this outing, maybe we meet up another time. There is usually one around the third weekend of the month and many ad-hoc outings most any time.

Cheers,
Bill Riley

Hello Bill,, Yes, I've heard the conspiracy theories about prisoners being kept there..
Funny,, they almost shut down the shops many times but for many years now there has been no mention of shutting their doors... Maybe it is a prison ,who knows...
Beech Grove shops were owned by a fellow named Churchman and he lived next to the shops on Churchman Avenue... The Churchman mansion was a historic site and was linked to the Hanna house by underground railroad in slavery days...
I know this personally because we played in a tunnel or two as kids..
To make a long story short,,, the mansion was torn down and "Government housing" was built in it's place... Then the police station was built right next to the old graveyard also on Churchman property...
There was never anymore mention of the Churchman mansion history as an underground railroad...
I can see why there is conspiracy theorists ...

[Steve M Hostetter]

PS. Bill, thx for the invite to Springmill Park.. I may not be able to make it do to low finance s ...
God ,, I can remember going to a RoadMaster concert there... It took all day to get in the gate and we lost out on half the show...
I was pretty intoxicated and had a little gale 100 lbs soaking wet carry me out... Damn I wish I remembered more.. Those were the days my friend and I'm lucky I survived I guess.. hehe
Yeah,,, yes we should get together sometime soon .... Do some 8x10 ing
I've got 10- Fuji Velvia 50 new I wanna burn this fall around peak leaf time maybe..

[Steve M Hostetter]

PS. Bill, thx for the invite to Springmill Park.. I may not be able to make it do to low finance s ...
God ,, I can remember going to a RoadMaster concert there... It took all day to get in the gate and we lost out on half the show...
I was pretty intoxicated and had a little gale 100 lbs soaking wet carry me out... Damn I wish I remembered more.. Those were the days my friend and I'm lucky I survived I guess.. hehe
Yeah,,, yes we should get together sometime soon .... Do some 8x10 ing
I've got 10- Fuji Velvia 50 new I wanna burn this fall around peak leaf time maybe..