Having begun in 1954, the Milford Camera Club turned 65 this year.
I would like to thank Jon Aspinwall for sharing this bit of club history he came across on Ancestory.com. There has always been a bit of debate as to when the club began but this looks to answer that question once and for all. It is a fun read and while there are obvious references to film photography a lot of the content and certainly the goals of the club have remained the same all these years. Below you’ll find a photo of the news snippet and I went ahead and transcribed the article as it may be a little difficult to read.
There is a mention of a studio on Ford Street though it was tough to make out the name. It looks like Gulrick’s but I will let our long-time Milfordites correct me if I got that one wrong as I wasn’t even born let alone living in Milford when the article was written.
JUNE 23, 1974
BRIDGEPORT SUNDAY POST
Camera Club In Milford 20 Years Old
By: KAREN MARSHALL
MILFORD – The Milford Camera club is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, boasting an active membership of 60 hobbyists who have in common a love for the growing modern folk art of Celluloid.
There are more camera supply shops in the city than there are bookstores or sporting goods stores, and almost as many hobby shops attesting to the popularity of this art.
One of Oldest
The amateur is usually first attracted to the camera because of a desire to record the people and events of his life. But those with an artistic eye soon become aware of the endless possibilities of the world they see behind the view finder and it is the type of person who gathers at regular meeting of camera clubs throughout the country.
The Milford club, one of the oldest in the state began in 1954, with a group of eight people, who met at Gulrick’s studio on Ford street. The club, which rapidly expanded its membership now meets at the Community room of the First Federal Savings and Loan, on Broad Street, where works of club are displayed.
According to president John Keating, this year the club will emphasize small workshops, study sessions, and guest speakers, to expose members to a wider range of style and techniques.
Meets Twice a Month
The club meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, at 8 p.m. The first session is devoted to competition show, either of just the club members’ work or of inter-club competition.
The shows have both black and white and color slide competition and are open to the public.
The club does not have its own darkroom facilities. This is a long-range goal which will depend upon the slow build-up of the club’s treasury. The build-up is slow because yearly membership is a mere $10 or $15 for a couple.
Young People Included
The membership is open this year to young people 13 years old and up. Several youths have joined with their parents and the hobby is recreation that the family can share, Mr. Keating said.
Although the cost of photographic equipment and supplies is high, Mr. Keating emphasizes that with a bit of the basic equipment, a darkroom can easily be setup in a kitchen and used during after-dark hours.
“It’s a wonderful escape.” Said Mr. Keating, “to just forget everything during the concentration of working in the darkroom.”
Backyard Photogenic
Mr. Keating does a lot of close-up work with his camera. “You don’t have to go looking for pictures,” he said. “You could spend weeks just photographing your backyard. When you start closing in on spaces, a whole new world of objects and relationships opens up.”
The club is currently planning a 20th anniversary show to be displayed at the three-day conference sponsored by the New England Camera club in Gloucester, Mass.
PHOTOS
Top ‘EVENING SOLITUDE’ – This photograph of Milford’s Duck Pond was taken during a winter night, using a long exposure, by Milford camera club member Al Turbeville. The picture has won nine awards, including the Tops in Connecticut award given by the Charter Oaks Camera club of Hartford.
Bottom
Left ‘YA GOT ME’ – This prize-winning favorite pf photographer William Pannabaker of the Milford Camera club, took first place in the New England Camera club council competition. The eight Camera Clubs in the state participate throughout the fall and winter months in inter-club shows and contests.
Center ‘OLD GRIST MILL’ – Milford Camera club member Gary Griswold took this New England scene in Sandwich, Mass. The photographers eye captures the heavy stillness of a summer afternoon.
Right ‘CONSTRUCTION’ – Milford Camera club president John Keating enjoys experimentation with darkroom techniques. In this photograph taken at St. Rapheal’s hospital in New Haven, the black and white are reversed in a process which eliminates the in-between gray tones.
