I Don’t Know Those People

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The people on the left. Those people. No clue.

However, I do love visiting Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH. I heard a rumor it is the least visited national park in the country but google doesn’t agree with that assertion. Saint-Gauden is worth visiting and they have some incredible programming you won’t find anywhere else in New Hampshire or at other national historic sites.

I shot this nearly a century ago with my Voigtlander Bessa R3M and my Heliar 15mm. I don’t remember what film I used but it was probably Kodak.

Things To Know – Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site

  • The grounds are open even when the site isn’t.
  • The path down to the river is magical.
  • Saint-Gaudens wasn’t the only rich guy with a nice house in Cornish, NH and if you know where to look one can find impressive mansions.
  • The magnolia trees are incredible in spring.
  • One of the studio buildings may have inspired the design of the Polaroid SX/70.

Lomostax

I’m a huge fan of my Lomo’instant but I usually forget about it until the leaves turn. This was taken forever ago near Lake Morey.

Things to know:

  • The Lomo’Instant has a super wide lens that can look amazing with trees and fall foliage but may make your friends look ugly.
  • Ugly friends are better known as acquaintances.
  • For maximum fun treat the Lomo’Instax like a vintage box camera or brownie.
  • Instax Monochrome was built for this camera.

Belair Blues

10,000 years ago I bought a Lomography Belair because I was crazy and/or I wanted to put an Instax back on it. I don’t remember. I bought it used on eBay and it arrived DOA but Lomography agreed to fix it for me. I think I shot one roll with it before getting tired of it. This is one of the few photos I took with it. I think I developed the roll myself which is why it looks so horrible.

Things to know:

  • The Lomography Belair is a melange of various analog signifiers forged from the cheapest plastic one can imagine.
  • I test almost all of my cameras at that waterfall because I’m lazy and don’t want to drive very far.
  • I think this was that super cheap Chinese film.
  • I probably developed this in Rodinal because it never goes bad.

Cheese Grater

Last year, on my way to Montreal for Thanksgiving I spent the majority of my drive listening to NHPR’s excellent Outside/In podcast about the history of Hydro Quebec. I just happened to be staying in this magnificent cheese grater which was the first Montreal skyscraper designed by a francophone Canadian. Needless to say, I was a master in my own hotel room.

Things to know:

  • I may have bribed my way up 9 floors with a $9 bag of Lindt chocolate.
  • It is really easy to get in and out of the city.
  • The elevator to the Bonaventure metro station is elegantly retro.
  • The Provigo by the Bell Centre is nicer than the Desjardins IGA.