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Dan
Mittelman is 60 years old. Most of the surfing community on Absecon Island, NJ (the
collective municipalities of Margate, Ventnor, and Atlantic City) — not
to mention the East Coast at large — doesn’t really know who he is,
including the budding photographers that shoot the area’s breaks. But Dan allowed
them all a place on the surf photography map, putting in his time as a lensman
when the game was much, much different.
This
Friday, July 23rd, Mittelman will dust off the old slide carousel and present
shots that haven’t been seen in 42 years — or, in some cases, ever.
Mittelman actually put his camera down in 1968. But on Friday night, when
Singlefins, Boardwalks, And Story Talks: An Evening Of New Jersey Surf History
Presented By Intercourse Brewing Company hits the Tuckerton Seaport’s New
Jersey Surfing Museum in Tuckerton, NJ, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., Garden State surfers
will witness the photographic records of their own history.
Northfield’s
Mittelman won’t be the only lensman bringing back bygone eras, though. Joining
him will be Rich McMullin, Ray Hallgreen, and ESM Co-Founder/ Co-Owner/ Photo Editor Emeritus Dick “Mez” Meseroll,
who will all narrate their own slideshows.
Hallgreen
is the quintessential New Jersey surf shooter, as celebrated for his modesty as
his skill behind the viewfinder. Ray settled in Seaside Park in the 1970s, and though
he had talent to spare, there was little work for East Coast photogs in those
days. So he kept his job as an engineer in Trenton. But even though photography
couldn’t be his full-time vocation, Hallgreen was eventually embraced by the
wild Casino Pier crew of the time, going on to document every ripper from Greg
“Grog” Mesanko to Darren Kelly to Sam Hammer and beyond.
Collingswood’s
McMullin has considerably less dust to blow off his work than the others. At
age 36, he hasn’t been shooting quite as long. But he does list “photographer”
as his occupation on tax returns, whether or not his income comes from surfing
or fashion. Rich has become a favorite among Jersey surfers for his innate
ability to nail more than just the action, but capture the whole environment of
the shot.
And
then there’s Mez, who grew up in Point Pleasant and eventually moved to Brevard
County, FL. For him, this event will be something of a homecoming. “It’s been a
long time since the photo guru, who pretty much taught us all what to do and
when to do it, has been home,” says old pal Bruce Chrisner. “I just remember Mez’s
commitment to Jenks in the ‘70s and ‘80s. That’s when it used to break outside
the groin, and when it was on, Mez was on it.”
While
all of these photogs are swinging digital technology today, some as a fulltime
gig and others as a side hobby, they all started out shooting slides. And if
shooting film required serious commitment then, so too does arranging a slideshow
today. All four guys have dug into the archives to start the thankless task of
scanning slides.
“Quite
frankly, at first I was sorry I said I would do this because of how much work
it has been,” Mittelman says. “But after I got into it, it became a relief that
I was getting them backed up.” Mittelman says he has a cadre of ‘60s surfers
coming out of the woodwork for Singlefins, Boardwalks, And Story Talks, as
well as young surfers interested in their roots.
In
May, New Jersey legend Cecil Lear cut the ribbon to open the Tuckerton
Seaport’s New Jersey Surf Museum. The Seaport itself, a working village and
exhibit, is a venue that preserves the Jersey Shore’s important maritime
history. Seeing the close connection between surfing and the rest of the bay
and seafaring culture, the Seaport staff created the museum to a great response
from the surfing community.
Local
fare will be served from the grill, including Jersey tomatoes, clams, and corn.
In addition, Nicole Courides, owner of Pennsylvania’s Intercourse Brewing
Company, has come on as a sponsor. The farmland of Pennsylvania has always
shared a unique relationship with the Shore community, and Courides sees events
like this one as important due to their historical relevance.
The
event is also somewhat of an art show, with framed work by McMullin, Mittelman,
and Hallgreen, as well as ESM Photographers Chris Pfeil, Chrisner, Ann Coen, and Mez protégé Donald Cresitello,
on display. This work, available for purchase, will hang at the New Jersey Surf
Museum through the end of July.
“I
am humbled to be invited to this unique gathering,” Mez said, “and I look
forward to what promises to be a truly one-of-a-kind experience of imagery and
storytelling featuring the world’s most unique and stoked oceanic tribe —
the surfers who call New Jersey and its world class waves home. I am, and
always will be, proud to call myself one of them.”
Admission to
Singlefins, Boardwalks, And Story Talks: An Evening Of New Jersey Surfing
History Presented By Intercourse Brewing Company is free. For more info, call
the Tuckerton Seaport’s New Jersey Surfing Museum at 609-296-8868, or visit www.tuckertonseaport.org
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