WHAT WE’RE DOING

In June, NHSPA members began researching and photographing buildings in each NH town/city that were constructed in 1823 or earlier for our current statewide photography project, New Hampshire Architecture: Buildings that have Survived 200 Years or Longer.  

[Canaan Meetinghouse ©Gary Tompkins]

WE NEED YOU!

We have 21 photographers currently participating in the project, and we need more!  We have more than 160 members.  If you’re a member (or would like to become one, please join us! You can start photographing buildings that fit the criteria. These can be in your local area, or in other sections of the state.

 

This project will be completed by June 30, 2023. We have a lot to do, but it’s not too late!  And winter light can be especially pretty!  Don’t worry, we won’t make you go out in a snowstorm – you can choose which buildings to photograph, when you want to.  See below for details about how you can start!

 

So far, 202 buildings have been photographed, or will be photographed by NHSPA members. Ninety-eight towns have had at least one building photographed, leaving somewhere between 136 and 162 to photograph. 

 

Participation is the key to the success of this project. We need many members involved, to cover all areas of the state.  

 

WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU NEED?

Members are primarily using digital cameras, but you can use any photographic process.  The camera, lens, and process are each members’ choice! Below, you can see some of member Gary Tompkins’ work using a different film cameras.  

 

HOW CAN YOU START?

 

We will be having our last Coffee Session of the year this month, on Saturday November 19th from 10:30am-12:30pm.  Coffee Sessions are held at our headquarters, Kimball Jenkins School of Art in Concord, NH.  If you have new images that you would like to upload, please bring them to this month’s Coffee Session. If you’ve been thinking about contributing to this project – even if you can only photograph one building--this is a great time to find out more!  If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can find out more here. 

 

BOOK

If we come close to our goal of photographing at least one building in each of the 234 towns in the state, the project will culminate in the publishing of a book. This project, unlike the NH NOW project, does not have grant money available that would allow us to do a large print run, so we will be doing this project as a print-on-demand book that can be ordered online. We have not decided yet whether it will be a single publication containing all of the seven regions of the state, or whether we may break it down and do a separate publication for each region. That will be determined by the quantity of images we have to work with. 

 

EXHIBIT

Depending on participation and submission levels, we will likely put together an exhibit. 

 

MEMBER GARY TOMPKINS for the PROJECT

“In researching the histories of the buildings for our architectural project I have been enlightened to learn that what we accept as, or presume to be, “historic” or “original” are in fact the results of what later generations perceived or reinterpreted as appropriate for their time.  It turns out that most of these historic buildings have been adapted and altered multiple times over the years. As towns grew with new settlers, or shrank with westward expansion, as fortunes rose or fell, as congregations grew or were replaced by new denominations, these building were adapted to the changing conditions.  Old buildings that have remained original and unaltered for centuries are extremely rare. Time and budgets constrained plans then, just as they do today, historic buildings reflect this reality. Below are examples of changing style and purpose that I have encountered during the project.

 

[Left: Horseman L45 view camera with bag bellows, and 90mm Schneider Super Angulon lens.  Right: Community Church of Sandwich ©Gary Tompkins]

“Here is the Community Church of Sandwich.  When anyone reads the sign that says built in 1792, and looks up at the beautiful high-colonial design features, they could be inclined to think that it may have always looked this way.  However, when built it was a typical “Type-II New England meeting house,” no steeple, no bell, and with the main entrance on the eave side, not the gable end.  It was built for a Baptist congregation, but later became Free Will Baptist, a short time as Methodist, then supported a Federated congregation.  In 1847 the building was turned to face the gable end southward to the road.  At that time its height was reduced by four feet, and it was remodeled in the popular style of the time, Greek Revival.  In 1862 the tower and steeple were added.  More alterations followed in 1925 under the direction of a Boston architectural firm when a clock, and Colonial Revival embellishments were added to the tower.  

 

 

[Left: Tachihara field camera with 150mm Caltar SII lens. Right: New Hampton House ©Gary Tompkins]

“New Hampton Town House, built in 1798 for town meetings it was also used as a Congregationalist church until 1842. When built it was two stories tall, with exterior stairs (called “porches” in that time) to access the second floor gallery.  After it ceased being used as a church, and with the town population in decline, in 1872 the gallery level was removed along with the exterior stairs, and the roof was lowered to its present height.”

 

 

 

 

For this month's blog, we feature NHSPA member and Board President, Ian Raymond.  Ian became a member in 2018 before becoming Vice President and then, in June, President.  He has been a professional photographer for more than forty years.  He runs his studio, Raymond Photography, in downtown Laconia, NH.

What drives you?

"I have been photographing since I was five years old. Even at that age, I think I realized that photography, much like reading, opened up a world of vicarious experiences—the viewer was able to almost “live” the same experience as the photographer had witnessed firsthand. I remember viewing portraits of my grandparents when they were children and fantasizing what life must have been like so long ago. By the age of seven, I had watched my neighborhood friend’s mother making contact prints in her bathroom, and after watching the magic happen in the developer tray, knew that photography was what I wanted to do for a living."

What medium do you like to work with?

"I have worked in media ranging from 35mm, Polaroid, medium format, large format, and ultra large format (an R.R. Robertson camera with a 16”x16” film holder). My work has ranged from fine art portraiture to commercial work including architectural, industrial, studio product photography, and photographing and writing feature stories for magazines. At one point I was shooting well over 500 product photographs per month, all on 4x5 transparency film with a Cambo view camera.  Over the 40-plus years that I have been doing photography professionally, it seems my personal work always veers toward using vintage camera equipment and processes."

What are you working on now?

"I currently have an exhibition (through the month of October) titled "Time Passes Slowly”, hanging at the Belknap Mill in Laconia, NH. It is a collection of this work, fine art portraits, shot on film and paper negatives, using large formatcameras that are 100+ years old. The collection also contains many images printed on albumen paper, a process dating back to the 1850s. I absolutely love the quality of images these primitive lenses are capable of creating. Much of my work was inspired by early photographers such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Gertrude Kasebier, Alfred Stieglitz, Oscar Rejlander, Edward Steichen, and the promotional poster for this exhibit was of course inspired by Man Ray."

What would you like to learn/do next?

"Going forward, I look to expand on this work by photographing a much larger cast of characters, and using other alternative and historical processes such as wet plate collodion."

Come learn the details about fine art digital printing with renowned photographer Gary Samson.  

This one-day workshop will be held on Saturday, October 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Kimball-Jenkins School of Art in Concord, NH.

You will learn the steps to take your images from digital files to the best prints they can be.  Using your own files, you'll print on a variety of high-quality papers from different manufacturers. Both matte surface and glossy, 100-percent rag papers will be available, and Samson will demonstrate the advantages of using different surfaces to achieve a particular look for a specific image. You will learn how to prepare your files for print, and you'll leave with a number of prints made on a range of different papers. Samson will also discuss the presentation of your finished work. 

This workshop is co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists and Kimball-Jenkins School of Art.  

Spaces are limited. Enroll here:  https://www.kimballjenkins.com/fall-2022-adult-classes-workshops/fineartdigitalprinting

"Brianna"  Copyright Gary Samson

For this month's blog, we feature longtime NHSPA member and Board Secretary, Claudia Rippee.

In terms of your art, what drives you?  "I am a constant observer of my environment and most engaged in an urban setting with multiple visual stimuli cascading around me. I suppose obsession was inevitable when I picked up my first camera in 1998. Since then I have been happiest traveling to Rome or Paris (or really any European destination) with a camera in hand and wandering the city snapping scenes that capture the gestures of everyday life. I look for incongruous connections on the street with juxtapositions of elements to create an unexpected story that allows the imagination to illuminate the narrative as I explore searching for unexpected relationships in the landscape. Chance juxtapositions between disparate elements that catch the rhythm of the moment are likes magnets to my eye as are scenes with reflections whose layers can reveal a new, altered reality.  A closer look may reveal subtle detail. My photographs are about relationships and patterns framed in the viewfinder or objects arranged in a still life that will reveal a unique story to each individual viewer."

What is your favorite medium? "My current favorite is the wet plate collodion process, which I have been learning and working with since late 2018.  Since pouring my first plate and watching the image clear in the fixer bath I have been smitten by this very tactile process.  I love that a finished image can be made in a twenty minute span of time and the beauty and unique visual character of the silver image which carries the mark of the makers hand is unrivaled by any other process, in my opinion."  

What are you working on now? "I just finished a collaborative project named “Call and Response” with Maine-based painter, Angelique Luro. Angelique’s abstract canvases were a response to my graffiti photos which I printed on canvas and mounted onto stretcher bars and when hung in their respective pairs were quite dramatic.  I am now changing gears and pausing with digital work to create a series of wet plate still-life images created in the studio for my winter project."  

Where are you going from here? "To date my tintypes have all been produced in my studio which is a controlled environment that eliminates many of the variables one faces in the field.  I recently purchased a vintage brass landscape lens, from the estate of Will Dunniway, and plan to make a series of images at Fiskill Farm in Concord.  Working in the field introduces new variables that can effect the process so I expect there to be a substantial learning curve."

What's on your list of things to learn or do next? "Learning to efficiently and quickly make a digital negative is high on my todo list.  I have been making cyanotypes using digital negatives but want to also explore making negatives suited for the albumen and kalitype processes.  I see myself focusing mostly on handmade alternative processes for the next year or two."

This summer, NHSPA members have been researching and photographing buildings in each NH town/city that were constructed in 1823 or earlier for our current statewide photography project, New Hampshire Architecture: Buildings that have Survived 200 Years or Longer.  

Along the way, members are learning interesting historical facts.  NHSPA Board President Ian Raymond wrote, "I learned some new history while out shooting for the Architectural Project today.

"Deer antlers hung over an exterior door meant that food, drink, and accommodations could be had there if you were a traveler.

"A red door meant the same. These symbols were used because many people of that time period could not read. The red door was used because of its high visibility in a snowstorm or rain.

"Many homes had white chimneys with a black rim around the top. These were called "Tory chimneys" and signified loyalty to the crown during colonial times.

"During the civil war era the white chimney or red door each signified that the home was a "safe space" for fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad.

"One of the homes I photographed today was built by the ancestors of astronaut Alan Shepard."

You can find more information about this project here: https://nhspa.wildapricot.org/sys/website/system-pages/?pageId=18010

We are pleased to announce that we have begun a new, statewide photography project, New Hampshire Architecture: Buildings that have Survived 200 Years or Longer.

Current NHSPA members are in the process of researching and photographing structures (buildings, barns, churches, forts, covered bridges, etc.) in each NH town/city that were constructed in 1823 or earlier. 

Our goal is to photograph each building from the street. We may also photograph detail shots of the exterior / interior architecture.  Photography for this project will take place from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023.  

If you have a building that is 200 or more years old, please contact our president, Ian Raymond (ian@raymondphoto.com). We’d love to include it in our project.

The project will culminate in an exhibit.  We’ll share details about that in the coming months!

Members may find more information on our private Facebook group, and files here under our private tab “Statewide Photography Projects.”  The public may follow along on our public Facebook page, and updates will also be posted here. 

 Photos of the historic Belknap Mill in Laconia ©Ian Raymond

The Manchester Historic Association (MHA) has recently chosen five honorees for its 30^th Annual Historic Preservation Awards, including an Individual Achievement Award for renowned photographer and NHSPA Vice President, Gary Samson.

The Historic Preservation Awards program recognizes and supports the work of individuals, businesses and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, traditions and other historic resources in Manchester. [Click the dots in the upper left-hand corner to read more]

You can read more about the MHA, the Historic Preservation Awards, and the other award winners, HERE.

The awards presentation event is scheduled for September 8 at Manchester Community College.

Congratulations to Gary Samson and all the deserving honorees!

Photographer Gary Samson in his Manchester studio ©Maundy Mitchell 2020