tangerine dream

finding an awesome car can be both great and full of suckage at the same time. it's great cuz you're just saying to yourself, "wow! i gotta get me some of that!." i also sucks big time because it usually draws a big crowd of people just milling around it, getting in the picture, asking for the hood to be opened, and the owner to be strutting about proudly.

exactly the problem with this glitter paint tangerine fluorescent caddie. skipped it a few times because of all the folks just standing there in front of it. meanwhile, the sun is going down, and now i know my chances of a clean shot are diminishing, because i'll be needing longer exposures.

i saw it clear of people from across the lot, so hurried back over. then my better half saw it too, and i had to wait for him to get his shots first. nevermind, i like the back end of these babies better anyway. by this time, they were opening the hood for someone to look inside too.

apart from the owner of the mustang next to it constantly polishing it and milling about next to where i was shooting, and me standing in the ditch to get this shot, i still kinda like it.

now this one is just a favor. owner watched me shooting some other car at pep boys, and asked some questions, looked at my prints, and asked if i'd take some shots of his car. told him not with the hood open...he closed it immediately, of course.

well, this one seems the most interesting of the couple that i did take. several people just mosied through the other shots. well, if you like it, mr. owner, send me an email and let me know if you wanna buy a print.

coffee anyone?

this is one of the regulars at the broiler. typically parks over with the other caddies in the drive-in spots. but here he was in what is becoming one of my more favorite spots to get a nice shot, with enough room between him and the car next to him.

i like that you get different colored lights coming from different sources, neon, passing cars, headlights — they look good on shiny surfaces like the paint on cars.

not quite sure what was going on weather-wise that day, but the sky looks pretty cool, so i'm guessing it had recently rained or was gearing up for rain.

pink panther

this past friday, i hit three car shows in one evening. they aren't too far apart from each other, so really wasn't a problem. started at chubby's, to which i arrived a bit too early, but was still going to be a really good show. i was told that the week before, about 90 cars showed up. i left early that night, so didn't see them all. gonna start calling this one the chevy show or the latin gents show...that ends up being a lot of what i see there.

then i went to a newer show over at the pep boys. ended up being a lot of the cars that have been missing from the garden grove show, as well as others i hadn't seen before. only bitch about this one is that it's just a parking lot; no scenery to add to a picture, too many cars crammed in, and the owners parking them nose in. makes it difficult to really "see" a car that way. and i really don't like to get in the middle of a bunch of cars with my tripod...it makes the owners nervous.

after that, went briefly to the garden grove show, which has been very light on cars the last few times, in spite of the elvis impersonator show. there were a few that i've taken before, but again, parking nose in or putting a big sign in front of the tail fins that i'd really like to shoot. thanks for nuthin'.

_____

i've seen this one many times before. at the garden grove show. never like the shots because they usually put a big stupid sign about it out in front, or on the side where the light is hitting the car best, thus ruining the picture. do these signs really add any value, especially at a show they attend often, as far as judging goes? also they have a little stuffed pink panther sitting on the hood. i think everyone can guess why this one is called the pink panther, don't need to reiterate it so many ways. definitely a 'look at me' car.

sign and stuffed animal were also in attendance here, but fortunately on the side that you can't see them. and from this angle, you can't see the damn toy on the hood.

nice flames popping on the hood though, with the sun setting behind me. pretty happy about that.

sign says it's a '47, but looking at other images on the internet, it looks more like a '51 or '52 to me, but what do i know? nuthin. just like taking pictures of your shiny babies.

sixty

supposed to rain until the end of the week. i love it. but it sucks...no pictures to take.

anyway, here's a shot of reine's caddy from my first visit to the broiler last year. he's been supportive and encouraging with my work since that first day. so i just wanted to thank him and wish him merry xmas, since i doubt i'll see this caddy again before next year.

how could you leave this behind?

so check out so cal tribe member's cars: reine's 1960 cadillac coupe de ville; danny's 1959 chevy impala; and ron's 1963 chevy suburban. was this back before they started their club? i dunno. they usually are together whenever i see them.

this shot from the broiler, in july. the back end is just delicious. below is a shot from a long time ago...actually the first time i ever visited the broiler...but with the tire thinga-ma-bobber on the back, and i don't know why i never posted it before now:

while the wheel thingy is designed to blend into the lines of the car, and is all chromed out, as well as serving to hide an ugly spare tire, it just kills the curves of the trunk. i vote for leaving it off, it's more pleasing to my eyes. but then, it isn't my car, so do what you want. lol.

<begin rant>

i stopped by the broiler tonight. second time in three weeks. big disappointment in turnout. two weeks ago i didn't even bother to get out of the car; today, i figured since i drove all the way out there, i might as well take a few shots, since i was in no hurry. only a handful of cars, and one that i really wanted drove off just before i got back over to it. high fives to the diehards that were there. thanks for saving me from another fruitless drive.

one of the owners said it's too cold. well, what a bunch of wusses. put on a coat why don't you? at least it wasn't raining. sure i know tomorrow is turkey day, but that was no excuse for the other week. and it doesn't only happen at bob's now; just about any evening show, except the one in garden grove is pretty sparse. didn't seem to bother you all last winter. 

i think i'm just torqued up because the holidays are coming and they are my least favorite time of year, with forced good will and smiles, and i hate going shopping.

so i'm mostly going to have to hit the weekend shows during the day or sift through my hundreds of pictures i've taken this past year. could be worse.

<end rant>

have a happy thanksgiving anyway. lol.

three amigos

back to cadillac row at the ruby's show in whittier. always at the back corner, i suppose because they're such big cars. these guys always park in bunches, but here in typical guy fashion, every other space, just like in a movie theatre.

i've shot this front caddy before, but didn't really like the result here. always figure if i take a car i like enough times, eventually i get something better. just gotta catch it with the perfect light, angle, location, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

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speaking of location, while i was out this wet, rainy weekend, i kept driving by a nice '48 chevy in my hood, just parked out on the curb. finally went out when the rain took a break, camera and tripod at the ready.

the car was just lovely, with fallen leaves all around it, ivy behind, rain puddled and reflecting the car in the misty light. i parked across the street, and just sat there. couldn't work up the nerve to get out and run across the street. best shot would have been from the street side, but then i would have been road kill if i took too long. other side wasn't as interesting, and since i'm not sure where the owner lives or who he was, just started imagining being chased down the street with a baseball bat, and so i drove away. was gone this morning...why didn't i follow my own advice and take it when i see it?

da boyz cad

this was a very nice caddy parked where it shouldn't be parked at the garden grove main street show. found it in the college lot, adjacent to the back throughway, off the side street of the show, with a handicapped tag hanging from the mirror, but backed up on a sidewalk...makes me wonder what kind of "handicap" they might have...

was a lovely green, almost perfect condition. then i noticed there's a scratch up the side from the wheel toward the tail end. wonder what they parked too close to that was that low? i could remove it digitally, but then maybe the owner hasn't noticed. it's for sale, btw, but i didn't write down the number.

ah well. was in the midst of saving the file when my computer locked up and crashed. so my master for this file is effed up and all i can get out of it is a larger version of this, or start all over again. ugh. i need a new computer...damn POS hp. which reminds me, xmas is coming...buy a print, 'makes a lovely gift'...or holiday cards of your car, just drop me an email for pricing...oh hell, just tip the photographer if you've enjoyed seeing your picture here...at this point, i'm taking up a collection to keep this blog going. lol. "ain't too proud to beg, sweet darling..." or not.

again

can't get enough of this car. won a trophy at this show. seems like the guy in the checkered shirt is telling a dirty joke...nice hand movement.

anyway, not much to say, not much time...been running around like crazy this evening. worked late. stuck in traffic. bailed off the freeway. slow drive to the house. no time to change out of my work clothes. pick up a print, then deliver it to the owner at ruby's. no time to take any shots at the show, only a quick walk around. then to the stupidmarket for my mother-in-law. then pick up a bite to eat. home and carry it all in the house.

why the run around? had to get home to pack my bag...heading off for a week in d.c. in the wee hours of the morning. mom and dad, take care of my house, please. don't do anything i wouldn't do...>:)

double-double

i had a good time at this show in garden grove. was stopped several times by people asking about photography and talking about the cars. i am getting a little better at chatting, though i am always going to be better at listening, and some of the stories they tell really are interesting. at least i was at this show early enough, that i wasn't watching the light change too much while i listened.

check it out. love the back fins and lights on these older cadillacs. and i saw two of these on the same day, in different cities. weather was perfect for hitting the car shows on this evening...had really cooled off by and there was a cool breeze.

this one was up at the end of the street, not next to any other cars, so i had free reign to take shots from all sides. i couldn't figure out who the owner was; there was an old guy with a polishing cloth, but there was also a younger woman with a kid nearby. i finally decided by listening to their discussion that this was her inheritance, but gramps still got to play with it. they were trying to tell the kid about taking care of it and it would be his some day. at least that's what i overheard while minding my own business. some of the things i hear...sometimes i just pick up and move to another car.

after this show, i headed up to the ruby's show in whittier. i cut up the surface streets through garden grove, caught the freeway, exited and cut through santa fe springs, where i spotted the second one of these 59 caddies at a random gas station. and later found it at the ruby's, in what's become the cadillac aisle, in the back corner.

plain & simple

there are some cars i just haven't taken a picture of before. reasons, as i've mentioned before, usually include the hood being up, bad lighting, poor location, too crowded, can't get a good angle, etc. this is one of those never see it in a good position/lighting situations. i rarely see it, but i don't think i've done more than shoot macro shots of the pinstriping on the front and back.

i remember there were a lot of people on this evening. this wasn't the original spot this one was parked at either. i was about done for the evening when it was mentioned to me that a friend's friend would like me to shoot his car. well, i didn't know who it was, but he eventually found me and asked.

so now it was here, in one of the drive-in spots. probably still would like to take it again in some other location, under different lighting conditions, but hopefully, if he's been patient enough to keep checking, he'll see it now.