living daylights

fleetmaster

saw this car with the lights still on, past sunrise, and the light coming up quickly, but the parking lot lights were still on. the sky was overcast, so i guess that fooled the sensors in the lamps.

wished it was a bit darker, a little more foggier, more atmospheric. would have got that warm spray of light intersecting with the wisps of fog.

better half says i have the power to make it so...i know photoshop. only, it wasn't like that when i saw it. i could darken the picture, kick the shit out of the pixels, add some fake smoke, but nah. if was going through the trouble of all that, i might as well be the guy masking out the car and having it fly through space, with george jetson giggling like a school girl behind the wheel. and a trail of stars flying out the tail pipes.

i like it just the way i found it, thank you very much.

bunny ears

1954 chevrolet

so it's easter sunday. closest thing i could find to an easter bunny in my recent files. the trees kinda look like bunny ears, right?

can't control the backgrounds in a picture. shoot them where you find them, and this happened to be here. nice car, an interesting, but unfortunate backdrop. i guess i need to follow the same rules as you should when shooting pics of people...watch for things sprouting from the head...eh, fuck the rules.

took a walk up greenleaf this morning, then stopped at the whittier cinemas on the way back. skipped the long ass lines for superman vs batman, and watched a chick flik, big greek wedding 2. it was neither great nor sucked; it just was. was a continuation in the life of, and not all that suprising a story. even room for another movie if they are in search of more money.

ate too much popcorn, and the coke at the front counter was flat, but the refills from the concession stand in the back hall, were much better and bubblier. now not hungry for lunch.

as usual, i'm seeing classic cars drive by, out the window, while i work. say it in a whisper, a la the sixth sense, "i see old cars..." they aren't dead, but very much alive. my own personal car parade, just past the window.

i think we'll go back out for another walk uptown for lunch now. hope to see a few more cars before dark.

wings and a prayer

1959 chevrolet impala

came across this impala in the midst of things. i just love the back of these cars, and usually don't pass up the opportunity to take a shot.

usually, i pull in close, up and under those fins. i did that with this one too, but just didn't get an angle i liked. this picture, pulled back a bit, still showed the curves that i want, and gives it a sense of it's place in the world, the variety of makes and years represented at the show.

is it my eyes, or does it still look a little dark? maybe it's my monitor.

da boyz

quick post. relatives visiting here, and i'm tired. stayed up too late last night, followed by a long day's work.

i did manage to get around to finding the originals east los angeles club, eventually. not hard to miss, with their big banner hanging from the trees.

they're a friendly bunch, and i've gotten to know them a little the last couple of years. armando always says hello, and shakes my hand.

the tall dude with the pepsi, called me over to show me something in his phone. for no reason, and completely randomly, he had a picture of me he'd shot at last year's show. a picture of me taking a picture. at least i didn't look too pissed or squinty or whatever it is my face does when i'm focused on a shot. he even showed it to my better half, when he'd been over there.

i'm pretty sure he added another to his collection, as i shot his car here. shiny car. buffas, they have lots of buffas.

figured it would only be fair, that i'd shoot a picture of all of them. didn't turn out too terribly awful.

keep on knocking but you can't come in...

keeping it short, i've so many pictures to sift through.

arrived at the south gate show about six-thirty in the morning. later than last year, and not so dark out. overcast and cool. still, not so cold that i couldn't dump my light jacket in the car before too long. i'm just running hot lately, and the cold felt good to me.

fewer cars than last year waiting in the lot—only a little disappointing, still plenty to bide the time. a lady at the new registrations table in the middle of the parking lot, came over to ask if we were with a magazine, or who we shoot for. following the usual explanation, handed her a card.

still too early for the gates to be open to anyone, except food trucks and vendors, we cruised around the parking lot, shooting cars here and there, chatting with people we know, and keeping an eye on new arrivals to the lot.

when the gate opened to start letting groups in a few at a time, my better half and i went to the table by the gate, hoping to be let in, as we often are. didn't recognize any of the people organizing the show, and the young girl at the table, most definitely not. she seemed unsure of what to do.

explained we were just there to take pictures, to which she asked if we were with one of the magazines on their vendor list. nope. just wanted to take pictures. would have paid the entry fee, if necessary—we've been to this show several times, and know it to be worth the money.

she went over to ask the people letting cars in, and returned to tell us sorry, no.

so, shrugged and took our place on the same wall as last year. hoped they weren't going to make us wait until the offical open time, around nine or ten, i don't remember; would have just left after shooting what we could—there were other shows to choose from, and it was too early to sit there for several hours doing nothing.

fortunately, there was a food table nearby, so we bought a couple of bfast burritos, and munched on them, while shooting pics and watching the cars slowly ooze by toward the gate. watched a hadley tow guy help an old chevy that wouldn't start, followed by a newer mustang with a flat tire.

here's a smallish video clip i shot while we waited (click on that chevy back end). (click on this bigger is better link to see it in all it's glory.) i should take some time and figure out how to use the video editing program better, but i'm not really that interested in video anyway.

after most of the groups had entered the golf course, we tried asking again, if we could get inside, first from the lady we met when we got there, who sent us over to another guy. talked to the overstressed and tired guy, who'd been up before the sun, directing things, who apologized several times if he wasn't making sense, as he was very tired.

he mentioned they were interested in getting some official photographers and being able to use their work on the official facebook site or something, and somehow my better half agreed to audition, got us on their vendor list, with the promise of shooting not only the cars, but the spectators and band as well.

well, i shot cars. he spent time talking to people, talking them into posing with their cars, and shooting some pics of the first band. i'm not sure how much of our souls he sold to the guy at the gate, but i suppose my better half will post his pics on his web site, which has been neglected for a long time now.

i should take more pics of people. i'm too shy to ask if owners would like to be posers, errr, i mean, want to pose with their cars. so, if you want to throw down some signs next to your ride, just ask.

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anyway, i was going to keep this short, and i'm rambling. got plenty more pictures, and a few more stories to tell from this show, so i'll spread the wealth on other posts.

saw the owner polishing this car, as i shot another car some distance away. when he was done, i headed over. still fairly early, and suprisingly, not any people wandering around in the shot, in the morning fog. they're behind me, you can see them in the reflection.

it was just a pretty car, and i knew it was going to be a pretty picture. i could just see it.

chevy baby

1957 chevrolet bel air

another week of being away. things got busy, my daughter was still in town. generally exhausted by week end.

i've been away, and unable to post more pics from last week, and i'm already looking forward to tomorrow's show in south gate. should we say, i'm gathering my nuts for a rainy day. they still say rain is coming before summer comes slamming back, with it's wall of heat.

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pretty sure i've seen this one somewhere else, though i can't quite pinpoint it in my memory just now.

it was just sitting there, with some space around it at this point in the show, so i took a few shots. 

even went back later to shoot the back end. something about it just isn't the right angle to make me happy, but i told the owner i'd post something. the shots are ok, i just know there is a better angle or something, and i know i didn't get it. maybe next time.

bless the bombs

1954 chevy bel air

sorry, this will be brief. it's late, and i gotta an hour to drive before bed.

went to dino's bomb squad's blessing of the bombs show. never been. i'll go again. everything i like, in one place.

heard it's usually a bigger show, but there was plenty to appreciate.

i'll post this shot, since it was the last one i took for the day. yay for the clouds—probably scared some people away, but it didn't rain anyway.

awww, shoot

1953 chevrolet bel air

posting another tonight. i've been away from home too many days. catching up with things.

another from last weeks mini-show at the vfw. such a small show, i felt like i'd crashed a party. someone posted a flyer, so i just took them up on it, and showed up.

i liked the cars, that there weren't lots of people in front of the cars. i think i lot of them were inside, enjoying the freshly barbequed meal being sold at the door. i wasn't hungry, so i didn't buy one.

i'm pretty sure i've seen this chevy somewhere. the sun going down, is whacking the color with a blanket of yellow. throws it off a bit.

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hell if i was going to work a third weekend in a row. though, with the workload waiting, i sometimes find it hard to not think about trying to get ahead of deadlines, without being interrupted. it's hard to stop thinking about the work. gotta remember there is a life outside the office.

i gotta get back to weekly car shows, spending time with my better half, and trying to drop a few pounds. i sit on my ass all day in traffic, at the office, in the evening. i need to make some changes. just don't know what.

so shine your cars, or not. i'm in the mood to shoot.

crusty

saw this car between the buildings at the super cruise this past february. it's sort of a POS, but wonderfully full of character. the texture in the morning light is fun. just had to do extreme angles, to keep the cars parked right up next to it out of the picture. hate when they're clumped so close together.

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rain is supposed to stay away until drive time monday. great. there are like, four car shows tomorrow, that i'd be perfectly happy going to any one of them. either i pick one, and spend most of the time there, or flit from show to show...the weather is too perfect to not be able to stay out all day. not too hot, not too cold.

i'll end up at my mom's for the night, working my way south. my kid is in town, so i should see if she's there or out with her friends.

work can wait til monday. so much work. i gotta get my request in for vacation time, for time off to go to some more distant car shows too. i want to travel more, got the bug again. any recommendations?

been gone, and it's late

ever feel like you've been running non-stop for days on end? not sustainable, but i'm not seeing any relief in sight.

planning on getting home tomorrow--been gone since monday. rain will probably ruin any aspirations for a car show or two this weekend.

i'm just gonna post this for now, as i gotta get at least a few hours of sleep, before getting up and doing it all over again.