mean green machine

this 51 chevy was in the side lot at the garden grove main street show. it seemed more crowded than it had been recently, and there was an inordinate number of spectators in chairs around the judges' table.

turned out that it was elvis day, and they were waiting for an impersonator to come out and put on a show. great for me, fewer people milling around the cars. if you look closely, there is an elvis on the balcony, not sure if it's the guy having a peek, or just a dummy — is there a difference?

my friend with the cane, at the ruby's show later that evening, said it's always elvis day in garden grove. viva garden grove.

september skies

i was looking back through my collection, and found this one from last september. its only been about a year that i've really been taking these type of shots, and i can see improvement in the how i do them now, but back then i was shooting just about any car i saw at a show, mostly from low points of view. i still do shoot low, but don't always shoot so many cars.

i pulled this one because its the time of year i am looking forward to: the weather changes to fall; supposedly it will get cooler; stormy weather, or just generally more cloudy; the sun sets earlier until they f**k with the clock...so many more possibilities to add interest to an image without even trying.

california summer sun is pretty boring in comparison. harsh shadows, clear skies, hot hot hot.

i love this shot, catching the setting sun on the clouds, and the color spectrum shift, the further the clouds are from the sun.

this time of year also means time is running out on many of the shows, as they wind down in october, to avoid the cold and the rain.

i don't think i've seen this particular truck again at this show, but maybe it's just because i'd walk past it now.

gonna be a busy week; hoping to post some stuff, but not making any promises either.

cute tomato

went to the show at ruby's last night. waited until it cooled off, and the sun was starting to set. lots of people there.

saw this 1938 chevy early on. its really a deep deep maroon color that is spectacular in the sunlight. i'd seen it at the whittier uptown show, but then it had been crammed between two other cars and always had the split hood up. so i never got a shot of it that day. here it was, with the hoods up again...arrrggggh. passed it by several times.

after going off for some golden spoon yogurt, came back for one more pass through the cars. sun had set. they were beginning the raffle and trophy announcements. the crowds had moved over to the announcement area.

finally the hood was closed, not too many people around, which was good. at this point, the exposures on the camera were going to be long, and i didn't need people milling around arbitrarily; can't be helped. there are still some people ghosts in the background, but they aren't interfering with the car, which is the main focus anyway.

the owner was nearby. he came over and turned on the lights–which also illuminated the hood ornament, but i guess i wasn't at a good angle to capture that well. i liked the ornament, and tried to get a hand-held shot of it with my macro lens, but the exposure was too long, and all out of focus. hopefully i'll see this one again when its not so dark.

bring on the fleet

on this day at fuddrucker's in el toro, there were a lot of cars, but not so many that i bothered to take a picture of; either i already have shots of them, the hoods were up, or they were newer models that i have no interest in.

this 1948 chevy fleetline was parked on the edge of the show. it is in fairly good shape, and the owner was nice enough to close it up and stand aside for me. told him i'd try to post it soon; i think it's been a couple of weeks. trying to get to all the pictures that owners have specifically asked about...finding several from months ago, and now i feel bad for not getting to them sooner.

anyway, this show seems to be quite busy this summer, with the mild weather, and still long evenings of light, i always seem to be leaving the parking lot, only to see something really interesting drive up. i resist the urge to turn around and get everything out again...i'd never get home if i didn't let them get away sometimes.

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...

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?