don't usually shoot trucks like this one. i just don't find them that interesting. i guess i just liked the light at the time. and there was a little bit of pinstriping, which i do find interesting most of the time.
i do like the truck behind him, so that was no doubt, the next stop.
finally broke down and went to costco to buy a new backup drive. membership had expired too, so a few hundred dollars later, i'm home trying to open the thing.
if you're not familiar with these things from costco, the packaging is practically non-destructable. i suppose it's to prevent theft, but sheesh. i'm over at my mother-in-law's, and the best i could find to open the thing are scissors that seem built for a kindergartener to use. they're actually full-size kitchen scissors, but cheap as hell.
tried a steak knife, but then thought better of it, and went back to the crapscissors.
found two of those pieces of crap, so between stabbing and cutting motions, followed by a two-scissor maneuver, i somehow managed to free the box from the bullet-proof plastic.
currently have the thing plugged in, and i guess i need to try moving some files on to it, in case i need to take it back.
would they take it back, when the packaging is all shredded and thrashed?? hopefully, it will work, and i won't have to find out.
------
this master deluxe was beautiful. burnished golden in the sun, i was quite envious of the owners, as i left, heading back to my stupid, generic honda.
i should say, burb.
saw this one back at the whittier uptown show last summer. shiny, isn't it?
waiting by the hotel, in the staging area. they always seem to open the show for entries late, so people get out of their cars in staging, leaving the cars alone, and i take advantage of the opportunity.
slept in, instead of going to pomona, my bad. apparently, my better half was really looking forward to going; but then i said i wasn't, he didn't want to go by himself.
he then felt inspired to go climb that big hill that i stare at from the window, while here playing with my pictures. i've been here eight years, and it was the first time up there. nice view.
then, my younger brother is town for a couple of weeks, so we went to take my parents and him out for lunch. fun time.
my better half really enjoys when my brother and i are in the same room, says we both are cut from the same cloth. our sense of humor is twisted, and once we get going, everyone will be laughing. we enjoy making mother shake her head, and ask herself where she went wrong...
one more busy week, then i'm off work for two. so yay, and prepare to spike the football...
really liked the color on this chevy. so polished, the sky reflected and it seemed to really glow. that tower of power behind it almost seems to be frankensteining it, amping up the color from a dingy brown, to a more vibrant sienna with copper undertones. maybe it's just my eyes.
------
turkey day. family. no kids. they've grown up and have other plans. better half at home with his mom, i'm here with mine. his sister was supposed to come down from northern cali, but weather and other drama changed those plans.
my sister and her daughter coming for dinner here later. her daughter just got a new job and will be moving to japan soon, to teach engrish or some such thing. languages are easy for her--she can read, write, and speak japanese and spanish--so yay for her.
my son missed passing the bar by about forty points. he was really bummed for a few days, then got the written results. he knows what he needs to really study now, and feels positive he can pass next time. at least he scored better than his friends. he'll be having dinner with his fiance at his dad's, along with a zillion relatives. not really missing that part anymore...long ago, and lost in memory.
took a long walk at lunchtime. stopped at the atm, pulled some cash. was intending to not exactly feast at taco bell, but nope, closed. so, walked even farther, thinking maybe weinerschnitzel, since usually there's crap food open for half a day on thanksgiving somewhere, but nope, closed. carwash on the corner was open for business, with the guys waving their towels when finished. the mickey d's next door was open, and starting to get faint, settled for that.
have not been in one in a very long time. this one has been remodeled a few times since i was a kid, and since my kids were little. drive thru was hopping, but no line inside. big mac sucked, same as always, but at least you know that going in. filled that grumbly rumbly space in my belly anyway...take that stop growling.
thought about taking a really long way back, but the clouds overhead are really awesome, and when they blocked the sun, totally looked like rain coming.
so here i sit, all downhearted...
no computer, already read all the magazines, guess i'll watch youtube stuff or netflix on my ipad, and wait for turkey.
going home tonight, drive safe everyone!
i've been staying at my parents' house the last couple of days, because it's closer to where i work, and i just didn't want to sit in holiday traffic, and enjoy everyone's holiday "cheer" on the freeway.
plus it rained in the middle of the night, last night. and it got slightly weird.
i get up for work before sunrise on weekdays. i had my alarm set for four-forty a.m.
so the alarm goes off. i do my usual inner argument about how nice and comfy the bed is, versus how cold and dark it is outside, so i would probably be better off staying under the covers, and hiding from state taxes. that took five minutes to convince myself to get up, i checked the time again.
into the shower, scrub, scrub, wash everwhere, and rinse off. thought i heard someone outside the door. my dad is a bit of an insomniac, so i am not too worried.
wrapping the towel around me, i peek down the hall. the light is on in my parents' room, which is unusual, since my mom is not an insomniac, goes to bed around midnight, and doesn't wake up until eight or nine most days.
i hear my dad downstairs. he had been installing a new kitchen faucet when i went to bed last night. i hear drilling and the sound of metal wrenches being rifled through in the toolbox.
i go into my parents' room, to find my mom, in curlers, fiddling with her hair. i asked her why she was up so early.
she looks at me strangely, and asks me why i'm awake so early. she'd been helping my dad with the sink, and putting everything away, and was just getting ready for bed. she says it's only almost two a.m.
what the actual fuck. i go back to my room and check my phone. yup two in the morning, and i've just taken my morning shower.
was i dreaming that i'd heard the alarm, had my inner argument, and checked the time again?
fuck.
so, i dry my hair, and go back to bed. change the alarm to five-forty...already took care of shower time. then, i can't go back to sleep. rolled around for an hour or so, and just drifted off to sleep, when the real alarm did go off.
at least it was a short day at work. at least i hadn't gotten fully dressed, had bfast, and driven to the office way too early.
still, what the hell? so, so weird.
i liked this car. a little difficult with it half in shade and half in sun. not really sure why the shoes are sitting there. i'm going to say they're more stylish and subtle than your typical chock block.
wandering through a car show presents some challenges, at least as far as seeing a good picture. cars packed in closely, people wandering between the cars, overhead wires, open hoods—all things that bother me, and sometimes distract from the focal point of a picture.
so, when i see a car off by itself, i take advantage of the opportunity. open space. room to look around, see the car from all angles.
spotted this truck from the entry alley. shot those first, and hoped it would still be sitting by it's lonesome by the time i got to it. it was.
behind me, a parking lot with a few cars, and the raffle desk. from here, overhead wires, and a pop up. decided this was better.
only took this one shot. felt like i got the one angle worth getting of it.
as i was walking out, a guy stopped me to ask who i shoot for. i asked which car was his...none. he had driven in as a passenger in this truck. lucky you.
went to la habra today, to get lunch. well, first to stop by the classic oldies toy drive, then to lunch.
found them hiding back behind the businesses, with the entrance lined with the members' cars...fleetmaster, master deluxes, deluxes...all chevys. knew i made the right decision to drive out.
and it didn't seem to be like some other toy drives i've been to, where cars were just passing through, dropping off a toy; it really was a show, with raffles. it is a bit early in the season, so maybe there wasn't another show they needed to make an appearance at either.
overall, i liked it a lot. mostly cars i love, lots of representation from many car clubs. my only issue was that it turned out to be a hot day, not windy, like they (the weather dudes) promised. good for a show, not great for me.
after a couple of hours in the sun, hauling the bag around, i had to leave. remember, i said i was going to lunch...ya, so i was getting a little wobbly, and my side was bothering me, so i had to leave, even as more cars were showing up. :(
probably should have brought the water my better half told me to, as i walked out the door, but, i just don't have anywhere to put it in this bag. maybe i'll go back to the old roller bag. liked it better anyway.
up and out way before my body wanted to be on a weekend. stuff like this makes getting there early totally worth the effort. i like it when i can catch the sun just kissing the car, warming it up just so. and no one around. almost like a thief, stealing this shot...did anyone else see it? am i bogarting this all for myself? no, trying to share what i saw here.
------
so at work they're thinking of doing their portraits in-house. tired of paying the go-to guy five hundred a pop. probably have another in-house guy do the shooting. they're thinking of getting a canon camera. pfft. whatever.
they know i do photography, so they're asking me for advice. why not; i'll end up working the files anyway, so might as well try to minimize how much work needs to be done with them. mostly asking if i can help them with lighting. i reminded them i do cars. at car shows, in natural light. where i can move around to find the best angle and lighting.
i've never done portraits, at least besides family. i suppose i could do it. i guess it would be the opposite of shooting a car, having to move the lighting around the subject or shifting them around to find the right angle. but it does miss one of the reasons i shoot cars...they don't look back, i don't have to talk to them or tell them what to do.
i sort of offered to do a shoot out—their canon against my sony. it would be sort of fun to see if i could get the big cheeses to crack a smile or ask them to do strange contortions to bend the light to my will. i've sat through classes, watched videos, read books. aside from getting the equipment, the only thing required would be to just do it, just like when i started going to shows and shooting cars. worse that could happen is getting some average pictures.
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?