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.

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.

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.

grape jelly

posting this one for my coworker, mario. after several months of walking by my cubicle, he finally figured out that i took the car pictures hanging on my wall. who knew he was a classic car freak too? well, he certainly didn't suspect the same of me. he knows cars; i just take pictures of them. my way of unwinding after work. says he wants me to take pictures of his car when he has it fixed up. we'll see...

anyway, i believe he said his favorite color was purple, so this one is only appropriate. some of these cars get stripped down to the point that they're so plain, they seem generic. this one caught my eye because of the color, and then i noticed the subtle pinstripe on the hood. the bumper and the chrome stuff on the side do set this one apart from the plain jane customs i've often seen.

just noticed that i have more than 200 posts since i started this blog last march. whew!

sublime

this car was awesome. i watched it drive into the lot, and then head straight to the back corner in the darkness, up against the fence, in front of others of the group. that would have been the shot i wanted, but it was one of the bad boy's cars, and i wasn't about to go into the dim light with a small crowd of guys and my camera gear. i was resigned to not get the shot.

it was like a ghost in the shadows.

later on, i noticed it had been moved under this light on the other side of the lot. positioned in an angle formation with another car, which i'll post another day. turned out there was another photographer there, i guess it was a "photo shoot." not sure what kind of camera...canon or nikon, i'm sure...but he was using a flash up top, and shooting all around, both cars as a set, the details, etc. almost expected him to toss the camera aside and say "i'm spent." i heard one of the owners asking about getting it all on a disc. i hope he was getting a fair price for his work.

anyway, i digress. the two cars are practically perfect. i noticed a minor blem on this one, but maybe it was a trick of the light. there was just a hint of pinstripes here and there, not overdone, very nice and simple. just not the best location and lighting. have to make do – i shoot'em as i find them.

i don't like when people walk into my shots, and i try very hard not to get into other's. at some point the photographer noticed me standing there, at which time i told him i was waiting my turn. he kept doing his thing, he was working it. i can wait, not in a hurry. i suppose he stopped either because he was done, or so i could take some shots, and he walked away.

i took a few of each, before the organizers came over to judge the cars for the raffle or contest or whatever they do. had to wait for them to get out of the way. took a couple more pics before one of the judges mentioned that he'd talked to me earlier in the year. chatted a bit, wanted to know which car i like best at the show. i showed him my prints.

next time i look up, the photographer was back, but this time with the owner of this car. he was decked out in some nice duds. time for pictures of him and his car. that was it for me.

i had to get to my car before i started to laugh at something that occured to me at that moment, and didn't want them to think i was laughing at them. i can't share my thoughts on what was making me laugh here; i'll get in trouble, but damn it was funny.

green with envy

i'm starting to miss taking pictures. of anything, actually. perfect day outside today, and of course, no car shows in the winter on a monday. rain will be coming back tomorrow evening...i wonder if that will scare off the cars at fuddruckers. well, guess i'll find out soon enough.

maybe i should go out to the peterson museum, but i don't think they'd let me bring the tripod in. eh, maybe i should go to a greenhouse and shoot some flowers or bugs or something.

anyway, here's an old chevy that visited the broiler once upon a time on a sunny evening, back in may. i'm sure it was the metallic sparkle paint that caught my eye at the time. it also had a touch of pinstriping, but i don't remember it being overdone.

feeling blue

on an ordinary wednesday, i'd be heading over to the broiler. but nooooo, it's still raining here. not this instant, but soon enough i know it ain't worth the drive over there.

oh well, i'll just play with my cars now.

i think this is a ‘34 ford, but i'm not betting on it. i've seen it several times before, but never really liked the shots i was getting. while it's still wedged between other cars, i got most of it before the sun sunk too low and cast a shadow across it.

if an engine has to be displayed, this is better than having the hood open and messing up the lines. and i'll squint my eyes and imagine that the blue flames are real and pretend that it's going real fast. :)

flames burn, but it's still dark

ok, this post is a gimme. the owner wanted to see it. only shot i have of it.

they had it parked in the dark, under a broken or burned-out light. this shot is getting hit from behind and from the headlights of an oncoming car.

there is an interesting little scene airbrushed on both sides, if i remember correctly, of a little cabin or house, with two or three old chevys (?) parked out front. again, it was too dark to take a close up shot of that to show you here, and a bit out of focus.

newport news

can't let my better half get all the glory on his page. here's one of my shots of a sultan's car.

hadn't seen this one since last march in lakewood. back when i was just getting started and took the majority of shots from low angles, as shown here. i think it needed to be redone at a higher angle, to get a better view of the flames on the car.

still very clean, and the paint really reflects the lights from various sources in interesting patterns. glad i got the opportunity to shoot it at a different time of day.

paranoia will destroy ya

story time, boys and girls.

the other night, i went to the broiler. really hadn't planned on it, but my better half wanted to go, so off we went. was pleasantly surprised to find a fair number of cars, especially after my last couple of trips there. so we did a walk-through to see what was there worth shooting, and sat down to get the cameras ready.

probably spent an hour shooting various cars, my hubbie being mr. marketeer and showing off past images on his ipad in between his shots. i did my thing while he did his. several cars from the sultans car club showed up; a couple of them i've shot at other places in the past. some of the cadillac guys also showed, as well as this hot rod. there were a couple of really beautiful 1957 pontiac star chiefs in the lot, one you can see pieces of here.

anyway, to get to the point of the missing piece above, it was my last shot of the night. ready to go, but waiting on my hubbie to get done taking a shot of the pontiac (that's his tripod off to the left). i'd seen this particular unnamed car elsewhere and even taken some shots of it's pinstriped details. it is really a well done pinstripe job, and the car is not bad either, but i digress.

i was just finishing the long exposure for this shot, when this guy, whom i'll refer to as "richard" here, walks up between the cars (in my shot, i'll add), and gets in my face and says in a not so friendly tone, "you taking a picture of my car? what do you do with the pictures?" dude is practically looming, all puffed up like a bullfrog. my hubbie hears/sees this guy talking and walks on over...

"richard" proceeds to insist, loudly, that he doesn't want any photos taken of his car, and that i not post any pictures of it. he'd be happier if i deleted them, but doesn't wait/ask for me to do so. at this point, i'm wondering what he intends to do. if he plans on grabbing my camera, my hubbie will make him very sorry about his choice, but he backs off a bit instead.

he blathers on about how thieves will see the license plate, look it up on the internet, and get his address, then come and steal his car. claimed three of his buddies' cars had been stolen, and apparently, they'd decided this must be how it was done. seems like too much effort and intelligence for the average car thief to me.

of course, i'm sure that happens, but to get on with the counterpoint to this lame excuse for a non-picture. not getting into a pissing match with an <insert obvious expletive here>, we countered with the fact that he'd made the point of driving from his home, or wherever the car is stashed, through the city, to this show, for the sole purpose of people seeing and admiring it. pointed out that it was in a public place, albeit a restaurant lot which happened to be hosting this car show, with many people taking pictures of all the cars on the lot. he didn't hassle any of them.

i can only assume he zeroed in on me, because i had a tripod. probably thought i was with a magazine and was going to publish it without getting a model release or something. i did tell him, it was for fun, and that i post stuff i like on my website. told him, had he wanted, i could have removed the plate or blanked it out, but he insisted it not be posted.

he actually had the balls to tell us we should always ask first before taking pictures, because most people would not want their cars posted anywhere the bad guys could see the plates, and thereby steal the cars. pull your head out, "richard." seriously.

didn't matter that anyone could have followed him at any point on his route to the show, and copied the plate down, or just do what someone did to my ex's truck...followed him home, then do the thievery while the owner slept. if he's so worried about it, just stay home in your garage, and keep it all to your little bitty self. no one would ever know...

anyway, didn't want to argue with him, he's not worth it, and since i respect his request (or anyone else's, for that matter) to not post a picture of his car, here's a picture of all the other stuff that was in the shot. too bad really, because it was a decent shot of this "richard's" car. big mistake, richard. big.

kma