mistakes

drove up to a small fundraiser by the vintage ladies last week, memorial for jerry shepard.

added to the donation box, sorry for their loss. could have had the food they were serving in exchange, but we had come for the cars.

better half bought himself a camera online, and wanted to see if it worked. told him about the show, and decided to head up. got there about eleven.

he was having fun shooting cars, trying to avoid getting in my shots, mostly failing, as it was just a small lot, and he was usually on the car next to what i was working on.

in between, he was chatting with folks and handing out my cards, as he hasn’t gotten around to printing up more of his own.

i stopped to wait for my better half to finish shooting the car next to this pontiac—that’s his tripod sticking out behind the kids.

i had a conversation with the owner, seeing that he was taking pictures as well. asked if he’d gotten any good shots. he said something to the effect that he wouldn’t know a good shot if it bit him. i handed him one of my cards, if he was interested in seeing my pictures. then he asked me to take a picture of his kids in front of his car.

i knew this wouldn’t be the best shot of my life.

• kids don’t like to pose for strangers, and i’m most strange.

• i wasn’t really set up to shoot a portrait.

• avoiding my better half’s shot, here i am on the wrong side of the car, shooting into the big fireball in the sky, hence that big ass lens flare on the tire.

• did not shoot the same picture with and without the kids in it, to fix any mistakes in exposure.

• i should have waited and moved them to the other side of the car, but then they’d be squinting into the sun and have my shadow on them. or just plant them in front of the car, but i’m kinda partial the three-quarter view. and i love pontiac indian hoodies.

it’s an ok picture of a moment in time, of brothers, who seemed already bored to be there, especially the younger two.

like the little dude’s avenger shoes, with iron man on them.

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been working ten to twelve hour days this past week. deadlines piling up. it’s not sustainable, but there are others that can help me out. they’ll make it up to me with a day off at some point, but probably not until next month.

so i’m a little bit slow posting pics from last week, or any other week for that matter. patience, grasshopper. never is enough time.

rumor has it

1954 chevy bel air

i really should get back to posting more often. just noticed i hadn’t posted since i was sick with covid. can only imagine what my friends are saying, with me not writing, not being a quiet fixture on the edges of the car shows, my camera perched on the tripod.

apart from just enjoying the company of my better half, have been busy doing some home improvements, and slowly turning into a potato (potayto, potahto, tomayto, tomahto). i guess i have some lingering symptoms from being sick, and get tired quickly, and often enjoy getting dizzy, like a listing ship, when i walk. not really conducive to taking pictures, carrying equipment.

we have been going to the mall, trying to get my better half to his ten thousand steps a day, in air-conditioned comfort, since it’s been averaging about ninety degrees outside lately. some days, i get around one lap, before i get parked in the food court, while he continues on for an additional three or four rounds.

also down to the last few weeks, waiting on the arrival of a second grandkid, this time supposed to be a boy. that will put me out in temecula in august…maybe i’ll finally get out to vail headquarters—i believe i saw a flyer for an evening show.

whatever.

if i can get over the dizziness, i am thinking about driving up to some of the friday evening shows, in whittier, garden grove, etc. my company is giving us half-day fridays, so i would have time to get to where i’m going before weekend traffic gets started.

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for now, i only have pics that are, at best, several months old. so flipping through them, here’s a chevy in a nice yellow on a relatively gloomy day out at a park in norwalk. pretty sure i had a quick chat with the owner, since he is in the other pictures i took. he was sitting behind me when i took this one.