some kind of wonderful

not sure what this is—chevy or merc—but it was one of the few nice cars at ruby's yesterday. incredible interior upholstery throughout, and very light use of pinstriping on the hood and over the lights.

i go away for a couple of weeks, and when i get back, there's not really much there. fewer cars than ever.

at least when i arrived, had just parked and popped my trunk, an old acquaintance ( his car ) was just walking back to the show from the carl's jr. said he'd missed me, had been reading my little blog. had been reading my better half's blog. mentioned a couple of pictures of me he'd seen there. apparently, he perceived that my better half might actually like me. a lot. hmmm. hmmmm. hmmmm. of all things to notice over on his blog...i hate pics of myself, but my better half seems to like them.

so there was only a couple of rows of cars there for the show. didn't take too many shots, still taking it easy, though i am allowed to return to normal activity. talked to a few people i've met before, as well as a few others, about cameras, about pictures, about cars—don't know much about the last one, but i do like taking pictures of them. it's nice to get back out.

color coordinated

the other day, while i was working late, my bettter half was fiddling with the two cameras i use. he said that one of them has more than double the rated shutter actuations and the other was maybe twenty thousand over. ya, i've got two photographic volvos. not sure what i'll do when they give up from overuse. he says not to worry, it's what they're for.

he was trying to program in some settings thinking it would make it easier for me to shoot with them. he's a tech geek that way, gets all excited about electronics and camera gear and computers, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

all i want, is to do what i do, with my basic understanding of how the camera works, and it doesn't bother me to turn the dials or widgets or whatever it is to make it work. when he tries to explain something new he's discovered or read about, i can only take so much before i have a mini implosion. i'm sorry, but i have to be open to learning that stuff, and i can only take so much. 

he knows that at some future point, i'll come back and ask again for him to explain how the flashes/off camera lights work again, but it will have to be when i'm ready and i ask.

anyway, my kid wanted me to shoot some pictures of himself with his girlfriend and his new puppy. depending on the time of day, i might need to fiddle with an off camera lighting setup of some sort. my better half said early morning or late evening is best for portraits, and started explaining using a one light setup, then if i needed another light...and i finally broke, and went aaaaaaahhhhhhhhrrrrrrr!!!! just wanted to keep it simple. dealing with a puppy, i was going to have to go with the flow, and his attention span and nap times. and i can never get the lights to work right half the time.

i ended up out there late in the afternoon. harsher shadows. i tried using one light, but didn't get it in close enough. they wanted the background. he was happy with the pictures. next time, i'll have to move in closer. then maybe the flash will be more useful.

here's one of the pictures from that day. i don't do portraits. i do cars. i don't have to pose them, or get them to smile or hold still. they make me happy.

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here's another car from the uptown show. was it random or purposely planned to park in front of a restaurant painted the same color? at least the blue truck breaks up the monotone of it all.

turns out it was the second show, that jae bueno, of low rider magazine fame, has been at while i was also in attendance. he's been a flickr contact for a while now. i still haven't knowingly run into him; more likely i was probably doing my tuned out, looking at the cars only thing. apparently my better half had spoken to him at a show a year or two ago. here's jae's version of the car, so i know he was there.

a big one

so my better half is always complaining about me posting the ittle bitty pictures, how you just can't appreciate them when they're that small. he says he has the benefit of being able to see them up on my big screen while i work on them, and how spectacular they look big.

i have a few points of view on this one. the car is terrific. i liked the other two images of it, from a lower point, showing the theatre marquee above. but this was a better look for the car. i like the pinstripes over the headlights. i like the pointy hubcaps and the swoop of the hood, the split front window. the car is basically a colorless, silvery gray, but the dash of color behind it, the sunrise sky dawning above it, breathes some life and color into its sleeping carcass.

so anyway, my point is, here is a big one for my better half. can't wait for mine.

little mermaid

i was just reviewing some of my older photos, looking for something i might have been keeping for a later point and forgot about. i think this one qualifies.

i posted the front end a couple of years ago, then forgot about it. it happens. i have a lot of pictures, as occasionally someone will comment on whether i have enough yet. well, no. i may be close to filling my hard drive up, but can you really ever have enough? i'm still learning and having fun with your cars and my camera.

this was from 2010, when the whittier uptown was still a decent show, overflowing in excellence of all types of cars, low riders included. while some of the lifestyles cars showed up this year, this one wasn't one of them. the few that were there had their hoods up, and had a crowd around them each time i walked by. in fact, i only shot one of them, and i'm not all that thrilled with it.

this one, i found early in the day, and far enough up the street from the main intersection, that there were few people in the way. though i did go back for more later in the day, and ya, more people.

the car is impressive. the paint finish is luminous on these candy cars, almost like you're staring into a pool of water, and you may fall in. interesting airbrushing and pinstriping on many of them, in interesting locations on the cars. liked the mermaid on the back end of this—wonder if its a portrait or just the typical fantasy girl guys wish they had.

powerful mach I?

still being kept from lifting anything more than what seems like a toothbrush. yes, my better half is very diligent about sticking with doctor's orders. i feel fine, and he says he wants to keep me that way.

so, in spite of ruby's show going on this evening, the most he would offer is to let me follow him around and watch him take pictures. i countered with, he could be my camera boy, and carry the tripod around, and set it up for me, and just let me focus and push the button. pfft. stalemate.

i've decided recovering from surgery is like going to a very loud concert, where your ears ring for days afterward. go to too many and you damage your hearing. then one day you wake up, you're all fine. so, i guess my ears are still ringing. but it was just one concert, i mean surgery, so i'll be ok, right?

but it's ok for me to work late. just slaving away in front of hot computer is ok. then i needed to eat dinner, so i went to disneyland. day before labor day weekend, and an hour and half before closing, not really that many people there. ate clam chowder overlooking the water in DCA, and left just as the color sprinkler show was starting.

then drove out of the parking structure just as fireworks were starting. why is it people in cars always act like they've never seen them, and randomly stop on the road to look up. hey, i'm driving here...move it.

hey ace, this one's for you. didn't quite catch the pearlized paint job, but i guess it's ok as is.

graham cracker

still sitting here. and i really don't think i'll get out to a show until before the weekend, if then. i've spent two days at work, and get home really tired. want to lay down, but i don't want to; can't sleep. whatever. everything is going to be fine now.

i've got a couple of these in my digital garage. just don't usually see one here in downey at bob's. too purty to pass by.

stormy weather

wishing for some really crappy weather, even more than this dismal overcast. storm clouds make pictures so much more cool, even if fewer cars come out from fear of raindrops on their shiny, shiny babies.

this was a big car. i've only seen a couple rumbling around. nothing else special about it, except that i'm yearning for some rain. and some sleep...just now.

dia de los thunderbird

yes, it's a real eye-catcher. kinda ugly, but outstanding pinstriping and airbrushing job. i like the skulls pinstriped inside, out, and on top.

weren't too many of the pimped out low riders at the show this year in whittier—apparently they're still pissed off by their exclusion last year. i've heard that the idiot that vetoed them last year is no longer on the committee, but his asshole-edness has continuing repurcussions. thanks dickwad. eh, excuse my french, or something.

drive-in, get down

sitting here, growing bored. i think my better half would sit on me if he could, to keep me from going out. no, really, he would just strongly suggest that i stay put. just because the doctor told him to. pfft.

so maybe i'll post a couple of pictures. going to work tomorrow. i sit all day anyway, and i think they'd be in trouble if i didn't show up for another day, with the tradeshow cycle going again.

liked this impala's parking space. i like when i can get the car and the building in the same frame. kinda wish i'd been able to get a little more off to the side on this, but this will have to do.

i'm going to go ambulate uptown later, getting out of this house. for dinner. though disneyland sounds like a lot more fun than uptown.

sleeping beauty

so i'm recovering from my little surgery thing yesterday. for a minor thing, why did they knock me all the way the hell out...general anesthesia? wheee heeee. slept all day. my better half kept watch over me, and hasn't really let me do much of anything today. ya, he's a keeper.

i went out with him to the mall this morning, to pick up his glasses, then he took me to my mom's to pick up my car. and i ended up just wanting to lay down on her couch for a while, but unable to sleep.

after a couple of hours, i drove back home, and didn't do much else. so i guess i won't be doing much shooting tomorrow, in spite of a couple of shows that i'd really like to go to. my son wants me to take a picture of he and his girlfriend and his puppy by a lake, but i really don't know yet if i want to drive there. and that puppy is growing so quickly...

here's another tribe car. haven't seen it before. he'd just had it pinstriped the day before, he said, as i was shooting the back wheel cover, in all it's freshly pinstriped glory.

his son was sleeping inside it, though you can't see him from this angle. supposedly, the kid had just gotten home ten minutes before the guy left for the show before 5 in the morning.