carnitas craving

1958 chevy impala

took me two and a half hours to get to whittier today. yay friday. at least it was payday. missing q-vo trunk n treat tonight...just done driving for the day.

better half worked a few hours overtime, and apparently just got home. i just walked uptown to the mexican cafe, which is suprisinly busy just now. so i've just ordered a couple of carnitas plates and drinks--i do hope he shows up. he just sent a text that he's on his way, and he walks fast, maybe he's timed it just right and food will be served when he arrives.

several car shows tomorrow. hoping to get to at least two, and that depends on whether the first one is worth staying for, after the sun comes up. thinking old memories pancake bfast to start. i think i went to this show a couple of years ago. was pretty good then, but hot--and its all asphalt parking lot. i do expect some exceptional cars to show, at least according to the instagram chatter.

the other would be the veteranos, over at the elks club. not far between the two, so that helps. too bad there is only one sunrise a day. i suspect after those, i'll have no energy for trunk n treat shows. i should take my car in for repair estimates too...already got a few tips on places to go.

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beautiful impala. deep chocolate paint job. this model year is good from the back end, but this little detail also makes it easy to identify, even for me.

better half just got here, so i'll stop.

yellow

i considered hitting four car shows today. some kind of penance for missing out on last weekend's shows. i didn't do anything wrong, and really, it wouldn't be any kind of punishment anyway. i decided two was good enough, then bought some towels at a nearby mall for my mother-in-law, and headed home. well that was random...

first stop was a small show over at st. gregory's the great church. i think there were more vendor booths than cars, and double that ratio for cars i want to shoot.

found this sweet yellow impala in the far corner of the show. owned by a very nice, older man, who chatted with me a bit while i took some pictures of the tail lights. 

he said at first, he was unhappy to be directed to this location, but after they cranked up the sound system, he was quite happy to be relatively far from it, and not going deaf. pretty sure the current top ten pop music isn't his favorite anyway.

and check out the awesome clouds that were going on this morning. hardly any later in the day, at a show in la puente.

anyway, i liked this car, and the owner was the only one that i handed a card to, so i hope he sees this picture.

some days i should have just stayed in bed

long day at work, as usual. i like being busy. i had a few days when there was actually very little to do, which is very rare, and i was just bored and falling asleep in my chair.

so the second day with this dog, was ok. took him for a relatively short walk after work. i'm out of shape, i could so feel it in my legs. and then that foot that is already screwed up wasn't too happy about it either. finally made it back home, and thank god my son had turned on the air conditioner. was so hot, and only supposed to get hotter this weekend.

went to the market, and got food for tomorrow. got home and tackled the bathroom, that apparently isn't part of my son's cleaning routine. i feel much better now that i won't be attacked by the slime monster that was living in there.

tried to get this picture posted last night, but first, the web site host was down, so it wasn't going to happen anyway; and second, soon after i figured that out, my computer decided to freeze up and i had to turn it off anyway. then, realizing that it was after eleven p.m., didn't bother to turn it back on to see if i'd lost my work.

apparently, the file was ok, as i'd saved it not too long before the crash. ain't it nice what overcast skies can do for a picture? my better half shot this car too, but from a different angle, and being on the main drag where the river of people walked by, his has quite a lot of people-related blur across the door. maybe he has another shot without so many people. must be the angle i got it, where i don't really see all the people walking behind me reflecting back in the paint.

one of too many other wonderful cars. not sure which one to do next. pretty much need to close my eyes and point at the screen.

and i gotta post the other shots of that pontiac...hopefully tonight. after the dog is thoroughly worn out and doesn't need my attention.

indeed

i'm tired, so just a quick pick tonight. another night at the drive-in, err, broiler.

don't remember seeing this one around before. seems nice from the front. went around to the back end. ok, but also seems to be a work in progress. just a little paint and it will be pretty swell.

little mermaid

i was just reviewing some of my older photos, looking for something i might have been keeping for a later point and forgot about. i think this one qualifies.

i posted the front end a couple of years ago, then forgot about it. it happens. i have a lot of pictures, as occasionally someone will comment on whether i have enough yet. well, no. i may be close to filling my hard drive up, but can you really ever have enough? i'm still learning and having fun with your cars and my camera.

this was from 2010, when the whittier uptown was still a decent show, overflowing in excellence of all types of cars, low riders included. while some of the lifestyles cars showed up this year, this one wasn't one of them. the few that were there had their hoods up, and had a crowd around them each time i walked by. in fact, i only shot one of them, and i'm not all that thrilled with it.

this one, i found early in the day, and far enough up the street from the main intersection, that there were few people in the way. though i did go back for more later in the day, and ya, more people.

the car is impressive. the paint finish is luminous on these candy cars, almost like you're staring into a pool of water, and you may fall in. interesting airbrushing and pinstriping on many of them, in interesting locations on the cars. liked the mermaid on the back end of this—wonder if its a portrait or just the typical fantasy girl guys wish they had.

baby got back

so my buddy ernie (i think that's his name) told me about this show over in paramount that they moved to mondays a few weeks ago. being that i only knew about one other monday show, and had nothing better to do, i drove on by.

he gave me a general idea of the cross streets, but i'm not familiar with the area, so it took me a few turns to find it, about a block down from where he told me. as is typical, i went straight from work, so shows are usually still pretty light on carage. depending on what's arriving as i whip through the cars that are there, and how hot and sweaty i feel, i don't stay long. strange really, after taking the time to drive all the way there, but the heat just makes me want to melt.

so, fortunately, this wonderful impala was already there, and was the first car i shot on this afternoon. actually took several, stalling to see what else would drive in. it was pretty warm, and only shot a few other cars before calling it a day.

i suppose i could go into the establishment and eat and cool off, but that's always a pain with the camera gear with me...hard to pull the bag and balance a tray of food and a coke.

i want candy

first up from this past weekend's whittier uptown show. i hope everyone got a chance to see the group of cars from the lifestyle club. they were parked up at philadelphia and bright. incredible candylicious colors, pinstriping and airbrushing. nothing like them in the whole show. just wow. this impala was simply stunning. i'll have to post the back of it sometime. apart from it's continuous curves, there's a mermaid airbrushed on the tire cover.

another thing i noticed that made me laugh, and one i just don't understand: i'm off with my tripod doing my thing early; there's another guy with a tripod, taking his pictures. i remember seeing him last year. i'm not really following him, i've just finished walking up and down the streets seeing what's there, and getting started actually shooting. just so happens i'm going in the same direction as he is, from car to car. i'm not taking everything, i'm getting pickier lately.

anyway, i notice i'm shooting the car next to the one he's shooting a few times. seriously, i'm not stalking him, i'm in my own world, but i notice as we get to an intersection, he turns to the right and practically runs. i decide to go the other way. i was at the show off and on for about 5 or 6 hours, and i never did see the guy again the whole day. am i really that threatening? a girl? my gear? what?

which brings to mind a comment someone made to me the other day, about competition. another photographer at a show, peddling his wares. "here comes your competition." did not realize i was competing with anyone. i assume other photographers are doing the same thing i am, practicing photography. but i don't think they do it for the exercise, sheer enjoyment of the cars, of taking the pictures, or making something beautiful.

i don't try and force anyone to buy a print from me, but when they do, well, bingo, it keeps this website going another month. i assume people will buy what they like, and/or if you like something here, make a comment, let me know...don't be the silent majority.

hey, if you don't like my pictures, then thanks for stopping by, and be on your way.