karate choppy

double-posty tonight: if i'm not working overtime (it's tradeshow season...again), i'm hoping to be out shooting at one of the two shows running tomorrow.

i've seen this awesome custom mercury (though one of the other regulars said it was a chevy) at fuddrucker's pretty often over the past year. the color is so deep, you almost fall into it when he's got it buffed up like this. hard to capture without the light hitting it just so. got the sunset highlighting it here, and i usually can't get the back end of it either, due to his parking choices, and the crowds. was a bit colder this night, so fewer people.

wish that tree reflected on the trunk wasn't in that spot...there's a very nice pinstripe job going on, but it's being masked by the tree branches. it's chopped and dropped pretty low, must be interesting to get in and out of, but still pretty sweet.

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short rant:

i ran into someone at a show the other day, whom i'd met at a car show several months ago. at the time i'd shown him my book of photos, and he'd asked me to take a picture of his car. fine. he even closed the hood for me. i would have taken it anyway, it was that nice of a car. i worked up my favorite and posted it, but then never heard from him. had a lot of people comment on it, liked it quite a bit.

anyway, i finally went ahead and bought a print for my book, since i liked it well enough myself. so when i spotted his car at another show recently, i figured i'd at least show him the print...they look even better than they do here. i think he saw me before i remembered which one was him, and he avoided me for a while. eventually i found him sitting in the car, and approached him.

asked if he wanted to see the picture, and he said sure. then he proceeded to tell me that he'd seen it posted, but he really wasn't interested, wanted more of a photograph. i shrugged and said this type of photography wasn't for everyone.

if i show you my book, you know the type of pictures i take, so i figure you should know what to expect...why waste my time asking me to take a shot?

it doesn't bother me in the least if you don't like what i do, i've heard the photo purist arguements before, and to each his own. but if you specifically ask me to do a picture of your car, and i bother to take the time to work on it and post it, at least be polite and say hi or something. even say i don't like it, but take the time to let me know you saw the thing.

not doing a full-on rip you a new one here (richard (no it wasn't him either)), but no, i'm not going to tell you which car it was; i assume he's still lurking here and will recognize himself anyway. whatever. if you change your mind about buying the print, the price just doubled, just for you. :)

end rant.

thou art very plain

this pretty little model t was at the broiler last week. it’s old, but looks so new. aside from the chrome wheels, the young whippersnapper cars next to it, and the modern location, it looks as it has driven from an older, simpler time. i like that they have not jazzed it up or overcustomized it. just a classic look. even if i have to squint past those wheels.

four eyes

this one is pretty cool. i first saw it in march of last year in lakewood. then i didn't see it again for a long time.

for the past few weeks, he's been going to the broiler in downey. just been waiting to get another chance for a front view.

finally got one i like here. while the fins and paint job are appealing, the front chrome is kinda making me happy in this picture.

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.

lucky bastard

stopped by the three car shows in the area yesterday. keep finding the most variety of cars over at the pep boys show. hearing that there was some disagreement with the guys that run the garden grove show, so there was a split, and now a good majority of the cars can be found here on friday nights.

i was told in passing, by a guy i frequently see at shows, that this car almost ended up in a chop shop. it had been stolen from the owner's driveway and found a few days later, covered, in the yard of a "mechanic's" shop. i remember reading about it, but the article i read had no pictures at the time, so i didn't recognize this as being the one. yep, the guy is one lucky bastard...what are the typical chances of ever seeing your stolen custom car in one piece again?

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i read a small sign hanging in the window of a shop in uptown whittier, that there is a charity car & bike show on the 12th at whittier high school, benefitting their baseball team. not much advertising...wondering if anyone has heard about it and is planning on going? says the show is from 10–4, drive-in starts at 7a.m.

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going to seattle/tacoma this summer...anyone know of any car shows?

i would have it

favorite parking spot. check.

sun setting. check

reflections. check.

hood ornament. ooooohhhh. check.

pinstripes. check.

lots of chrome up front. check.

mary poppins...practically perfect in every way. check.

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.

ain't she sweet?

didn't feel like getting up today. knew i had to go to work for a few hours, and was really dragging my ass around the house...perfectly happy to stay home. also knew there were two car shows today that i hadn't been to in a while, and there was a 70% chance of rain throughout the day.

finally decided to skip the first show, expecting half of those cars would end up over here at the original mike's show in santa ana. i arrived about half an hour before the scheduled start time, and pretty much knew it was going to be a short show. i did see a few cars drive in or by, then turn back around after seeing the turnout vs the darkening sky.

i decided if i was going to get anything, i might as well get out there before they all left. i shot several angles of this little '54 nash, and then a few of duke's ’50 olds 88 back there before the rain got started — about 15 minutes at most. i didn't want to risk messing up my remaining working camera, so packed it up pretty quick.

surprisingly, quite a few of the owners stayed, either waiting it out in the car, especially the ones with convertibles (quickly cranking the roof up), or having lunch in the restaurant. heard a few owners muttering they were glad they drove the rain car instead of one of their other cars. must be rough to have to decide which car to drive today, huh?

the lady who owns this car was one of those that stayed, wasn't worried about a little water. she related a story of someone who had taken a picture of her car up at the citadel once, with water on the ground, and a ray of sun hitting it just so. also told me it looks good in black and white. well, thanks for the info, but i'll do it my way, and i'll be just as happy as can be.

shine on

i realize that most photographers would be irritated by lens flares, but i kind of like them sometimes.

here is yet another chevy in the primo spot at chubby's diner. another perfect car. with yet another reflection of me in the bumper. arrrrggghhh. i suppose i could photoshop me out of it, but that's not what i saw, and what better way to prove that i took the shot?

i like the grill on these and the overall curviness of the car. just screams classic. oh, and of course, the hood ornament works for me too.

flying b

one cannot live on chevys alone, so i offer up something else for a change.

here's a bentley i saw at the million dollar breakfast club in marina del rey. while not entirely pretentious, it wouldn't be one that i'd go out and buy for myself, on the imaginery thought that i'd had the money to do so.

it has an interesting burled wood dash and the driver's side is on the left. the interior is a tan leather, so i assume the seating would be somewhat comfortable, at least to the touch.

i think i mostly like the front end with the big headlamps on cars from this period.

anyway, got that out of my system. i'll be back to chevy's, pontiacs, fords, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera next time.