found this beauty at last august's uptown whittier show. it's one of the nice ones that were parked off the street, in a side lot, the one with the booth advertising the show for all the cars not allowed/invited at this show.
some of the best cars were in this lot. i'm looking forward to seeing them in may, assuming they aren't all so pissed off at the organizers that excluded them in the first place.
hey look what i found in my files. was preparing another image from this night's shooting, and noticed this beauty standing out from the darkness, like a gem.
it was parked next to a '55 truck, which was reflected in the door, when another car's headlights hit this truck during my exposures. that one is a good shot too, just not as colorful only because it's beige.
i like how i caught the sunset rainbow as well. really pops when you can get that too, don't you think?
so, i thought i'd take a temporary break from chevy overload. i've worked some 12+ hour days this week, and by friday was pretty much fried. took a couple days off from looking at my computer at home. my better half treated me to the brian setzer orchestra christmas extravaganza show over at the gibson amphitheatre. they always put out some very nice cars and hot rods in the hall outside...kinda his theme.
this one is obviously not particularly a fast car, but it is different, rare, and not a chevy. i think someone mentioned it was worth some insane amount of money, so i was surprised it was actually at the show here at ruby's in whittier.
this looks a little flat on my monitor...either i need to calibrate it or need to go kick the tires some more to make the car pop. maybe it's just because it's half in the shadow of a tree that's doing it. i'll have to look at it on another screen tomorrow.
hoping this week is a bit quieter at work, with most people out on vacation, but i still have plenty to do. planning to go to the broiler on wednesday, at least...angel bought a print of his wagon...just in time for xmas.
i saw this car originally a month ago, at the viejitos fullerton show. this picture was from the xmas show in santa ana, the following week.
the owner had it parked up at the entrance in fullerton, and asked me to take a picture of it. it was parked in the shade next to a tent, next to the restaurant. in that light it looked blackish. those shots really didn't turn out that bad, but when i saw it again here, wayyyyy better. with the sun hitting it, you can see the glitter in the paint.
but the point of the title of this post, was that when he first asked that i shoot the car, he also asked if i wanted to sit in it, and see how nice it is inside. had to turn him down, as i'd already been shooting other cars and sitting on the ground and such, so i was afraid i'd get his upholstery dirty. had to say no, unfortunately for me. nice of him to ask. maybe some other time, before i start shooting.
i know i shoot cars as i find them, but sometimes i have my doubts, especially when someone asks me to shoot their car. i know what they are expecting to see vs what makes me happy. i like this shot, again with the lens flares. but i think this danny (the owner) would have preferred a shot from the other side, pretty plain vanilla.
this is the second time i've taken pics of his car, and both times, i knew they wouldn't be what he is probably looking for. parking in the shade to keep the car and himself cool—good for him, but not for a clean shot of the car, with more accurate color.
this car is a dark blue, but shooting into the sun is effing with the color. from the other side on this, and a couple of shots of other cars in this club, the colors are more vibrant, mostly due to the time of the day and angle of the sun.
but they're also clustered around their club tent, or jammed next to each other, so aside from the shadows off the tent, the people in the tent end up in the shot too. from the other side, you'd see a little gangsta doll off the front bumper and the tent legs, as well as the empty chair that one of the guys jumped out of when he realized i was taking the picture. but the color would have been nice and deep blue if the tent hadn't been there.
my better half says i should ask them to move the car to get a better shot. but then they'd lose their spot, wouldn't they? you wouldn't ask a tiger to hold still in the jungle while you take a shot, so why should i bother to have them move it? if i wanted to control it that much, i'd open a studio and be a master of the universe.
i might be making a lot of assumptions, based on a few past experiences with car owners. forgot that i was just taking them for fun, and tried to let them tell me how to do the shot. basic tenet: don't let someone else art direct my hobby.
since i shoot mostly to make myself happy, i post the shots that i like, and if, by chance, danny likes a different point of view of his car, well then, he's found one.
there i go again, i've rambled on, with my thoughts not quite in order and too tired to rewrite it correctly. what would my professor think of that?
the sign in the back window of this beauty says classic oldies—i assume the car club, not just a statement of opinion. this one and the black and gold one behind were just amazingly perfect examples of rolling art. simply awesome. what more can i say?
today, my former brother-in-law died...that's all i want to say about that.
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yet another car from the viejitos show; i've got a few more to share before i let it go. this car's not perfect, but i like it anyway—a bit of character. found it hiding at the back of the lot.
this belongs to the president of the viejitos club. he seemed like a nice guy, welcomed me right away, but that's what you'd expect from the host of the party. he asked if i'd taken a shot of his car, "the brown convertible up at the front." at the time, no, i'd just arrived, but i did go back up to the entrance and take a couple of shots.
i can't recall that i've seen another convertible like this one. i haven't decided if i would have rather shot it with the top down, or just as i found it.
another incredible car from yesterday's show. this one from the sons of soul car club, is black, with brown paint, covered with rainbow flake paint over the wheels and on the roof, pinstriping on the inside and out by kelly n sons, an airbrushed painting on the backseat. the painting on the window names it "hoochie mama." i found it visually stunning and practically perfect in every way.
today a went to only two shows, skipped the third by choice. wanted to see stuff i don't usually see. this one is from the viejitos cruisin on a sunday afternoon show over in fullerton. i've seen a few of their cars here and there, but was interested to see what a show hosted by them would pull in.
i was not disappointed. a virtual chevy buffet, some of los angeles and orange county's finest showed. and the people were very nice too. i was greeted by the president of the club when i got there. as i walked about and shot the bunch that were there initially, other clubs showed up and filled the lot, until they were parking two cars wide up the aisle. it was really not a huge lot, and i had to park down the street.
several people came over to talk to me, and ask to be sure to get their cars. guess i'll be busy over the next few days posting some. and there were so many more extraordinary cars that came out, i'll be busy for a month on just this one show if i wanted.
anyway, the owner of this car, who happens to be the guy taking a picture of his friends, found me at the front of the lot, and specifically asked if i had taken any of his car. at that point, no, i had passed it by, because the hood was up. he went directly back and closed the hood, just for me. it had a nice big chromed engine, but no interest for me.
i took several shots, but this one was my better half's pick of the bunch. hope you like it.