door-to-door service to the underworld, or at least to the broiler.
usually, i'll pass by the hearse boys. they're usually newer models, and mostly carry the cliché skelly in a box. i find that not very interesting.
this one was there by itself, and oh, the fins and lights...had to take it.
ahhh, a stephen king fan. my fav.
finally got her where i wanted her. this one is always, always jammed between other cars, until this day. i think i got there late, the awards and raffle already going. for all i know, she had been pulled for an award and moved off to the side.
what ever the reason, i think i got a great shot of her, and the creepy overcast skies just make it more awesome. now if that radio had started to play on its own or that antenna had moved...
what is it with the ghost flames/color on color i see too often? they're there, but they're not, which is the whole point, i guess, but what a pita they are to photograph. even with a little bit of sparkle thrown in the mix, it's difficult to catch the light on them just right. the glitter throws the light all around and messes with my camera focus.
found this one in cypress. first time i made it there this year. i have pictures from last year, but i didn't remember it quite this flamey. gotta be the sunlight hitting it. i need to start carrying a little step ladder, not only to get the details here, but i'm seeing highly designed and airbrushed roof tops, that are just a shame to not be able to see from my height. i'm gonna take to leaping small buildings or standing on top of other cars or something. so aggravating when i see those and am too short to aim the camera, should i attempt to fully extend the tripod legs. guess i could just wing it and see what i get.
technically, this one wasn't in the show, it belonged to a vendor. but it was just so unusual, i had to show it to you. didn't seem to be anyone around, and there was no markings on it, so i had no idea if it was a kit car or what.
i believe the owner of the previous car was checking it out as well, and took a little time to recall what it was; said that happens with age. finally remembered it was called an auburn boattail.
must be a bitch to back into a space against a wall.
been so busy at work, i mean crazy busy. the kinda busy that just makes you want to crawl in bed once you hit the door. truly not enough hours in a day, but i am happy to be up to here with work. keeps me from getting bored. anyway, it does keep me from playing with my pixels here.
i had to meet up with a couple in rialto this fine june gloomy morning at the run whatcha brung show. i actually arrived at 7am, when the cars were just showing up. don't know why i woke up so early, except that i get up before that ungodly hour all week, so it really wasn't that bad.
i'd never been to rialto, or obviouly that show, and wanted to be sure to figure out where to park. and well, i got to shoot the cars before too many people got in the way, and before the majority popped the hoods open. (ya gary, thanks for pointing out that yours was already open– lol.)(hey to your buddy that said i should stop hassling you...you should know that just makes me wanna continue...don't worry, i'll stop soon enough and go back to haranguing richard)
my take on the show: it was pretty good, not too big, only about 3 blocks long with an island down the middle. the overcast made for great lack of strong shadows – giant softbox for pictures, though it does kinda wash the colors out. and if anyone can get a sunburn between the hours of 7am and 10 am, that'd be me. i'd planned on hitting one or two other shows on the way back home, but my lightly toasted skin kinda made me skip them. didn't even stop at ontario mills – never shopped there either, just driven past.
i must say, security is very interested in anyone with a tripod and seemingly professional looking camera. i guess "professionals" need some type of permit if they intend to sell. well, i had to explain twice that it's just my hobby. they let me go on, but they still seemed kinda hesitant to believe me, and i wouldn't know how to prove otherwise if they insisted that i leave, apart from asking anyone whose car i shot if i was being one of those bad photogs. apparently, in past years, that type of pushy, "buy my pictures" photogs invaded, and they wanted to avoid that. that ain't me fer sure. so thanks to the security guys in the golf cart for being diligent in their duties, and to bev, who was also doing her job, and thanks for not making me leave. i do hope you inquired of the other couple with the tripod and the more "professional" brand camera with equal diligence.
a big camera does not always equal a pro, or even a good photographer. check the settings on most, and you'll find they never switch out of program or auto mode...that'll get them average images at best...just people with the buy the expensive camera and i'll get better pictures mentality. doesn't work if you don't know how to use it. <enter the obvious analogy here>
the owner of this car graciously closed the hood so i could take a few shots. said he'd put a small fortune into this old ford, and it shows. it totally stands out amongst the other cars, but he said it's just the color. no. nope. it is really different than the average car, and i am getting pretty jaded after chasing them down for the past year.
oh, and the couple i was meeting, finally rolled in after 9am. but all's well. i had plenty to keep me entertained before then. if only i can find the time to get them posted.
almost called this one up the tail pipe, but changed my mind since i wasn't close enough, and didn't want the owner to be razzed about the connotations. it's late and i don't feel like my usual smart ass self, or so my better half describes me.
anyway, on this overcast day in riverside, this sunny yellow chevy made me happy. love the back end of these babies. the fins make me happy, though on this model, they're a little stubby.
some dude asked if this was my car, i suppose because i was taking a picture of it. infrequent question, but my typical answer, "nope, but i wish."
this one had an interesting bumper. kinda chromey but also a little rust starting to pop through. not sure i like the matte finish paint. it kinda reminds me too much of primer, but to each his own.
the owner had been standing off to the side chatting with some other guy—the car is for sale—but kept an eye on me. before i was done he did comment that all photographers always shoot the front. well, ya, it's the most interesting part of this model. not much going on in the back.
so my friend reine has several cars, or so i've heard. i've seen this one a couple of times before, but have never shot it for whatever reason.
after meeting up with him inside the broiler, he'd asked if i could take pictures of this one. i took several, but there was a car next to it at the time, and the owner or someone was sitting on the bumper of his car, and didn't get the clue and move.
this is a later shot, after i'd already put my stuff away and was preparing to leave. my better half pointed out that the sun was beginning to go down, and to look how the light was hitting it. i noticed that the other car was gone...so out comes the camera stuff again.
i do think these sunset shots were much better, and this was my favorite one.
how the heck are you all this memorial day? don't forget those you loved who are no longer with us, and those who served our country and gave their lives so you can enjoy yours today. oh heck, thanks to all the veterans and enlisted too. hug them, while they're still here; time flies too fast as it is.
hey dad, both my bros, my sister-in-law, and to all my my relatives that have served in the navy – thanks for all you've done and still do.
____
this car i found in riverside. beautiful old buick. the lady that owned it said it had been her husband's pride and joy. it will be a year ago, july 4, that he passed. she said he hoped she would still take the car out to the shows. well, she does, and puts a big poster in his memory in the front window, but took it out for my shot. thank you.
yes, yes it is. 1956. says so on the plate.
this is gary's car. i've only met him a couple of times. he's a funny guy.
this shot was from the first time i ran into him, where he made some typical remark, when i was shooting the back end of his car and another bel air next to it (not shown, except for the reflection on gary's car) — can't remember the exact phrasing, but i'm sure you can guess how it went. everyone has to make those kind of comments to a girl on her knees shooting up at the tail lights i suppose.
he happened to have closed the hood for some other photographer, so i went around to the front for this shot, though the back end wasn't bad either. notice i didn't say his back end...
ran into him again last week, where he mislead me on the ownership of another car and knew about my predilection for closed hoods. they do look better closed, don't you think, gary?