polished fire

yep, here it is again. and there he is again.

personal challenge to get a good shot of the damn ghosted flame job on this puppy. thought the overcast, early morning sky would help. and it did, but, the car as always, is so buffed to a high shine, it caught all the reflection of the buildings and trees nearby. it's like looking at a world within a world, and then when you're not focusing, you can catch sight of the flames. so frustrating.

walked by it several times during the day to see what the light might do with it, but never did like the shot after the morning. gonna end up catching this one in an empty field early in a morning or late in the evening, someday...ya, evening, make the friggin flames burn yellow-orange in the sunset light...hmmmm.

i got a couple decent shots; posting this one since it had a better chance at showing the flames on the hood. can't really go wrong with this car; i haven't found that it has a bad side.

i want candy

first up from this past weekend's whittier uptown show. i hope everyone got a chance to see the group of cars from the lifestyle club. they were parked up at philadelphia and bright. incredible candylicious colors, pinstriping and airbrushing. nothing like them in the whole show. just wow. this impala was simply stunning. i'll have to post the back of it sometime. apart from it's continuous curves, there's a mermaid airbrushed on the tire cover.

another thing i noticed that made me laugh, and one i just don't understand: i'm off with my tripod doing my thing early; there's another guy with a tripod, taking his pictures. i remember seeing him last year. i'm not really following him, i've just finished walking up and down the streets seeing what's there, and getting started actually shooting. just so happens i'm going in the same direction as he is, from car to car. i'm not taking everything, i'm getting pickier lately.

anyway, i notice i'm shooting the car next to the one he's shooting a few times. seriously, i'm not stalking him, i'm in my own world, but i notice as we get to an intersection, he turns to the right and practically runs. i decide to go the other way. i was at the show off and on for about 5 or 6 hours, and i never did see the guy again the whole day. am i really that threatening? a girl? my gear? what?

which brings to mind a comment someone made to me the other day, about competition. another photographer at a show, peddling his wares. "here comes your competition." did not realize i was competing with anyone. i assume other photographers are doing the same thing i am, practicing photography. but i don't think they do it for the exercise, sheer enjoyment of the cars, of taking the pictures, or making something beautiful.

i don't try and force anyone to buy a print from me, but when they do, well, bingo, it keeps this website going another month. i assume people will buy what they like, and/or if you like something here, make a comment, let me know...don't be the silent majority.

hey, if you don't like my pictures, then thanks for stopping by, and be on your way.

dragon master

this hood ornament goes with this 1936 chevrolet that i saw again this past week at the show at alondra and the 605. maybe its not so much a dragon, as it is a phoenix, but i like it. it is a beautiful vehicle. i think it made the blue pop a little too much here; it's actually a bit darker blue – i'll try to restrain myself in the future. again, my monitor is a bit out of whack, so i'll have to check it on another computer somewhere.

the green truck is pretty nice too. both of the owners got out of the picture for me, but maybe i should have asked them to move that ratty chair too. lol. just kidding. you probably didn't realize i was framing up both cars anyway.

*************

everyone that had a good time at the whittier uptown car show today, raise your hands! saw a few people i knew, and a whole lot of wonderful cars. what a blast! total pictures for the day: 674. enough to keep me busy when the rain comes.

baby blue

the owner of this chevy was just getting in the car to leave from the back lot at bob's the other night. my husband asked the owner of this car if he could wait just two minutes so he could take a set of pictures. then he started talking to the owner about what he was doing and showing him stuff on his camera and ipad. i figured as long as they're being intrigued, i'd slip in a few pics myself. i liked this one best, but it still seems a little flat or something. does it seem ok to you? i adjusted my monitor a little, and i think i've thrown it off as far as color brightness and contrast.

so i'm going to try an experiment. wondering how many of you will whine that the picture is too small. 

anyone going to the whittier uptown show tomorrow? i'll be out early, as that rolling smorgasbord comes to my hood, and will get way too crowded as the morning progresses. maybe i'll even take a picture or two...

rebel yell

i only know fer sure that it has firestone tires. otherwise, i can't figure out what part came from what car. i also know that i could not leave without a picture of it, but there were always so many guys gathered around it, i almost did give up. i finally just walked over and set up my tripod, and just started shooting one side, then when i moved to this side, which was the side i really wanted, the group got a clue and moved back a bit. not sure if the owner was in that cluster of dudes, but if he was, someone tell him thanks for moving. i like these cars for no reason at all, but they do make for interesting images.

just home from a weekend in monterey. was taunted by the unloading of lots of classic cars for a car auction this week. public not allowed in, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. no real opportunity to get the shots i wanted, though there was one really nice buick skylark i should have taken, but just didn't. the driver was waiting for his signal to bring it into the fenced area. i figured i couldn't set up in time to get my shots, so kept walking. two blocks away, and i saw it still waiting...my husband is not letting me forget the one that got away.

fleeting moment

at bob's big boy in downey, you never know what will show up or not. hasn't been as interesting the last few weeks, as i think a lot of cars are heading to other shows. only advantage is that bob's runs their shows year round, and the others will end around october. i end up going to the other shows and also to bob's, so i'm not missing too much. but it does tend to have a different feel being there now than it did back in march. different crowd. whatever.

this 1948 chevy fleetline was immaculate. guy parked it in the corner of the front lot. don't know what his problem was, but he left right after i got my shots. seemed anxious to get going. said something snippy that i can't quite remember now, but i don't care, didn't seem to be about me.

for that guy that can never remember my better half's website, here's a link to big pixel pusher's version from the same night.

cantankerous

this 38 chevy truck reminds of an old coworker of mine. a bit worse for wear on the outside. didn't really care what time did to the outside, yet with an underlying style and way of carrying himself. a sense of grace, that you'd never, ever mention to his face, unless you figuratively wanted your guts ripped out and spewed back onto your feet. really a sensitive soul on the inside, but hides it well. he knew what was needed to make something work and get the job done.

he got the boot this past year. after so many years of service, was unceremoneously excused.
he's bored out of his gourd. never planned on being kicked to the curb, just liked to fill his days with work. he'll be all right, but his parts are getting rusty with idleness.

anyway, he'll be fine. last time i talked to him, he was still as pissy as ever.

the sun shone down

so on this evening at ruby's, i saw this car. walked by it all evening. it was always surrounded by too many people. can't blame them, it was really a spectacular car.

finally, toward the end of the evening, when it was almost time for the raffle, people headed to the announcement area, and left me alone (mostly) with this nomad in all it's flamboyant flameyness. gotta wonder about some of these color combinations i've seen recently. guess it makes them more unique.

i took several shots of this, then wandered over to a unique harley that was customized. painted with spider webs, black widows, handles made to look like brass knuckles...different...then the most obnoxious group of fat ass motorcycle guys drove into one of the aisles of the show. music blasting, engines as loud as could be, basically parked their bikes in the center of the row. ya, ya look at me, look at me. a few tense minutes as the show sponsors tried to talk over the noise and get them to move. they did. to the next row.

after about 20 guys from the show started to head over there, and a few calls to the cops, they drove their big harleys out of there, but still. ass bites. mofos. don't mind seeing the bikes, but really who cares?

gimme the bird

so another random post...this was really a beauty. sitting on the end of the street at the garden grove main street show a while back. they must like to park it here; if you search for 1955 imperial on google, this same car in this same location pops up first in the images. not taken on the same day, but interesting, since its on some german website. tourists? pure coinkydink? whatever.

i do remember seeing the owner of the '47 desoto leaning against a wall nearby talking to somebody, yet don't remember seeing the desoto that day...wonder if this one is his too? maybe just a coinkydink? lol.

anyway, i've been busy. summer is almost over and i'm trying to catch pieces of it before its too late, so excuse the few days between posts; i'm not always in the same place as my computer.

so terrifical

...and so much better than the movie of the same name, this '57 ford fairlane, guessing hardtop convertible, was at fatburger last week. i got there late, lots of cars, but not many that i wanted to shoot. some were on their way out when i got there, and they did not hear my cries to come back...ok, so the cries were in my head, but i imagine the signal going out like aquaman sent signals to all the sea life for help. guess i'm not aquaman.

i did run into another photographer, who i overheard talking to / making a sales pitch to a small group of guys. one of them mentioned his name as he was looking at the card the guy was handing out. got my attention, since its a name you don't hear often and my mother happens to know someone by this name who also trolls the car shows lately.

so, going so opposite of my shy self, i walked over and asked the guy his name. i guess since i look similar to my mom, the guy recognized me instantly. quite funny actually. anyway, he was very nice, and we chatted for a bit. he went off to take his pics and i wandered around before deciding what to shoot first.

i caught up with him again shooting a bright orange truck in the corner of the lot. good luck with the color on that one, orange that bright is a real PITA. i started shooting a nice ford woodie, and he had disappeared next time i looked around, so didn't have a chance to say good bye.

anyway, shout out to booker, hope you got some good shots! my mom says hi.