disco disco. good good.

1952 chevrolet

i have a craving for lasagna today. so i've been busy making the sauce all afternoon, and just now have finished layering it in the dish with all the cheese, and got it in the oven.

better half chopped the onions for me. i think the doubled the garlic that the recipe called for, so, i may be sweating odiforously for a day or two, thanks to him.

have also watched the old cars drive by today. saw a really beautiful mint green bel air drive past the window earlier. walked uptown and saw an old merc drive by.

drove over to whittier boulevard at lunch, and saw an intriguing old gray chevy of some sort waiting for service of some sort or oil change, down by the ymca.

saw this completely glitter covered chevy at frisco's on friday. i think the light hitting all the facets of glitter at different angles fooled the sensor on the camera a little, so it's blurrier in some parts than i like, and others, the glitter disappears.

owner says at night, it looks like nothing. just flat paint. hard to imagine, but i guess so.

i don't think i'd do this to a car of my own, glitter isn't really my thing, but it is different. and it caught my eye.

green reaper

harley davidson road king

found my better half chatting with some guys from the timeless classics club in the lot between the buildings, an overflow parking lot. the real show lot only had one hundred spaces available, so i'm pretty sure this area was meant for actual customers for the nearby businesses. i think the majority of the customer parking areas quickly became overflow parking for the show, and any of the paid, reserved show spaces were quickly forgotten after the tape went down.

i shot the immaculate impala my better half was standing in front of; i'd shot it previously at the majestic's new year's show at the dam. the car looks fine, but my better half and the dudes he is chatting with are too close to the front of it. i'll have to think about if i want to waste time cloning them out, or just leaving them in.

anyway, right behind that car, this bike pulls in and parks next to the wall. i'd seen it cruise by the main lot earlier. wondered if he was going to park, or just pass through. a car had just abandoned the space before he got there, so there was a big gap between the bike and the cars in front and behind. perfect for a picture, and there really weren't a lot of people in that area, only traffic to contend with.

as i set my tripod down, and started to frame up a shot, the owner offered to turn the lights on for me. awesome. thanks, i think it looked better with them on. kinda kicking myself that i didn't shoot the details of the airbrushing on the fenders and tank. flaming skulls are always fun. and love the rearview mirrors held by skeletal arms and hands.

now if the headlights had been on, and it was a wee bit darker, that could have really been cool.

i think i made a car wait while i finished my shots of this one, my ass hanging out in the drive lane, but i think it was worth his aggravation.

frisco's

made it out to frisco's yesterday. worked from home friday afternoon, so didn't get stuck in hellish traffic, so i wasn't too tired. better half got home, and after about forty-five minutes, got him out the door, and we were there about five fifteen or so.

wanted to get there early as possible, since it had been shut down by eight the first time. some guy told me they hadn't pulled a permit, and made friends with the nearby shops. said it got out of control, people double parking, drinking, etc. somebody turned off the lights in the parking lot about eight, and the cops came around and made everyone leave.

figured i'd get my shots and be gone before that, before too many people got in the way, before the light faded. i used to go to bob's big boy, and be shooting in the dark, long exposures. fewer people walking through the shot.

well, that guy also told me that there was nothing else really going on for a friday night, so no worries, there would be plenty of cars to show up.

he was right.

got a lot of pictures in before the real crowds showed up. and even then it was fun. i could see how it could make the officials nervous. better half said cops and firemen were at the dj booth threatening them for all the code violations happening. it was dark by then, about eight. too many people, and lots of cars showing up and moving through the aisles, looking for parking.

lost sight of my better half. had to call him on the phone. music was loud, but fortunately, he's taken to wearing wireless headphones when he goes to shows with me. somehow they play from his phone, so when i call, he hears it in his headphones.

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i'll just post this shot, not only because i love the cars that parked in front of it, but as a shout out to frisco's and thee unknowns car club. thanks for being host to the show. hoping they'll have more there. haven't heard that they shut it down, so one can only hope.

if only the thirty-nine had kept the wings folded down.

cry baby

1948 chevrolet fleetline

pretty little fleetline. passed it by early on, because these kids were busy posing in front of it. waited a bit, but they took too long, and there were plenty of other cars to shoot.

right after the mom finished with her picture, the kid on the right started to cry. not sure why. didn't see the older kids pick on him or anything. he sucked it in pretty quick, but i saw it. tough times when you're young.

came back around to shoot it on the way out. there was some dude passed out asleep inside, mouth hanging open, head up against the side. some other dude was taking a picture of that, but it seemed a little rude to me, so i settled for just the car.

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.

party time

harley davidson

niece is having her first birthday party behind me. so i guess it's time to go eat cake.

posting this quickly from last sunday's unidos show at walnut high school. i'll write more tomorrow.

hope it was a good friday for everyone.

Update

on 2016-03-27 00:21 by kathy

we bailed out of the azalea festival show, just after noon, just before the sun came out. better half wanted to get lunch and maybe check on his mom. he worries when we leave her alone, before the sun comes up, and she's still asleep.

i offered to drop him off, that i was going to stop briefly over at the unidos show in walnut. he compromised by giving his mom a phone call, and we stopped for lunch first, at the subway near the show, where we usually go after. 

i think this was the fourth year i'd been to this show. not sure my better half went last year.

sun was out in full force, and it had really heated up. really sucks, being that this show is on the pavement in the high school parking lot. i was not prepared, no hat, no sunblock.

better half wandered through the cars at the front, i headed to the back lot, and worked my way back. i did end up skipping a few rows...just didn't see anything i wanted to shoot, and i was in a race with myself...how long i could stand the heat.

finally packed it in, when i started feeling my skin tingle with that feeling like bacon frying in a hot pan. i was only slightly pink, but it felt worse.

shot a few bicycles, lots of the old chevys and buicks, but only this one motorcycle at this show. i think the color and the light just caught my eye.

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.