the paint job on this was awesome. wished i had a ladder to show the detail on the hood better. can't remember if there was more to see on the roof. actually, the shots before this, there were some kids standing next to it, that wouldn't get out of the way, so i really didn't get close enough to look.
they finally moved their little asses. no, that isn't their body outlines in chalk on the ground, though i kinda felt like kicking their little butts outta my shot.
this was a very nice hot rod ford at the run whatcha brung show in rialto. the owner was a very nice gentleman, that told me a bit about how he'd fixed it up. he seemed especially proud of the skull details he'd added. this one was made from a belt buckle; others were from lighters and other found items, and put onto valve stems, door locks, etc.
i liked the purple in the flames and the purple of the flowers...oh how i hate those little flowers. they fall on my car, and they make my high heels slip when i have to walk on them...but they do frame a car nicely from this angle.
i don't know exactly what you'd call this thing, but i don't see one every day, so i stopped and took a couple of shots. i think mainly i liked the mascot out front, between the front wheels. there really isn't much car to look at, being so sleek and stripped for speed.
how the heck does the driver see around that engine? i'm pretty sure they didn't drive it here. wish it had been parked somewhere besides this lovely alley, but it wouldn't fit in a standard parking space, now would it?
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does it bother you too, when kids purposely spell things wrong? i have some relatives that seem to be incapable of spelling stuff correctly on their facebook pages, though they have brains the size of the universe...IQs off the charts. maybe they think it makes them more cool and more gangsta — though they're the milkiest white gangstas you'd ever see...i think it's the environment they live in. i think it just makes them sound stoopid. yo yo yo...boyz.
what is it with the ghost flames/color on color i see too often? they're there, but they're not, which is the whole point, i guess, but what a pita they are to photograph. even with a little bit of sparkle thrown in the mix, it's difficult to catch the light on them just right. the glitter throws the light all around and messes with my camera focus.
found this one in cypress. first time i made it there this year. i have pictures from last year, but i didn't remember it quite this flamey. gotta be the sunlight hitting it. i need to start carrying a little step ladder, not only to get the details here, but i'm seeing highly designed and airbrushed roof tops, that are just a shame to not be able to see from my height. i'm gonna take to leaping small buildings or standing on top of other cars or something. so aggravating when i see those and am too short to aim the camera, should i attempt to fully extend the tripod legs. guess i could just wing it and see what i get.
how the heck are you all this memorial day? don't forget those you loved who are no longer with us, and those who served our country and gave their lives so you can enjoy yours today. oh heck, thanks to all the veterans and enlisted too. hug them, while they're still here; time flies too fast as it is.
hey dad, both my bros, my sister-in-law, and to all my my relatives that have served in the navy – thanks for all you've done and still do.
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this car i found in riverside. beautiful old buick. the lady that owned it said it had been her husband's pride and joy. it will be a year ago, july 4, that he passed. she said he hoped she would still take the car out to the shows. well, she does, and puts a big poster in his memory in the front window, but took it out for my shot. thank you.
ok, this one is definitely a mercury. says so on the back bumper.
i'd been at the fuddrucker's show for maybe about 10 minutes. there were plenty of cars – an additional row had been made available. problem for me was that, either i'd already shot the car before, a good number of them were muscle cars (yawn) and/or the hood was up. i try to at least shoot one car, to make it worth the stop at the show.
i'd settled on an old ford, and rattled off several sets of shots. wandered around again, nothing interesting. i approached a very rusty 1928 ford of some sort. mostly original rickety bits. i was going to shoot it, when the owner popped up and opened the engine compartment to show it off to some other dude. oh well.
so i proceeded to my car, capped the lenses, packed it up, and got into the drivers seat. i sat for several minutes, checking phone messages, email, etc., all the while keeping an eye on what was driving in. more muscle cars. (yawn), newer corvette. (eh), chevys i'd already shot.
i was about to leave, when this baby drives in. always happens...just when you're about to leave, a good one shows.
since i'd been watched packing it up by some guy in a van nearby, i decided to move my car to another lot, and pretended to leave. i didn't feel like hauling all my bag and stuff out, so i just grabbed my wide angle set up, and the tripod. i felt a bit nekked without the whole bag of fun, but it was much quicker.
walked back to the lot, hoping he'd been forced to park on an edge because of all the muscle cars. happily, it was parked along the curb on the edge, so i had a bit more access. of course, because it was so different, it had attracted a crowd. i had to wait a bit for people to move, and then just ended up shooting anyway. the sun was getting ready to set, and it was casting long shadows, so that limited what angle i could shoot from as well.
different days, draw different crowds. sometimes the regulars are friendly, sometimes indifferent, and other times, they might as well be on the rag. grumpy old men. young teenage posers. frumpy women. overdone girls. lol. just kidding. but not really. can never tell if people will be polite or not. and this particular show, they seemed to be a bit more pushy, and in the way. haven't really had a day that their cumulative attitudes turned me off from a show yet, but one or two, almost.
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so this is not a merc, as i originally thought, but a ford (thanks for the correction gary!). i do have a hard time with id when there's nothing but the bumper and wheels to go by. i'll get the next fer sure merc up tomorrow or the next day.
as i said previously, i keep seeing flame-painted low slung cars. seems to be all the rage, or cliché, but at least there are lots of variations in how they can be presented.
i've seen more than a few flamey mercurys (mercuries?) lately. why is that? i suppose because they're awesome that way.
it was hot and extremely windy when i took this shot a few weeks ago in riverside. it was the glitter painted flames that stopped me first, and that it had a hood ornament – bonus. almost gave up trying to get a shot of it, there were too many people around.
i am at the point where, i figure, screw the people milling about if they're not in focus, just get the car. otherwise, the best cars just can't be captured. i hate the ones that i let get away in the past because people wouldn't move. fortunately, the majority of the time, if you whip out a tripod, people will move, same way i try to stay out of someone else's shots. i have some patience, and i can wait.
anyway, i think i'll hit you all up with a short series of mercs. why the hell not. i keep seeing them, so why shouldn't you?
taking a break from work and from the showlows cars...i'll get back to you guys tomorrow, probably.
busy weekend. spent many hours in riverside. i had a few hours to kill on saturday, and it just so happened they were having one of those 3-day car shows in downtown riverside. the type of show that i normally would skip as being to crowded and busy. but it was late afternoon on the second day, after the awards for the day supposedly were given, and i figured most of the mess would be gone.
that may be so, but there were still lots and lots of cars to see, and many that i would have like to have shot busy cruising and never stopping. several blocks were closed to traffic, except for cars in the show, which were allowed to cruise along several blocks in a circuitous route.
and damn was it windy there. had to hold onto the tripod to minimize the shakes, and it did nothing for my hair, but really it was more annoying than anything. my hair blew across the camera as i was trying to frame up the shot. it flew all around my head as i walked down the street. it took on a life of its own, until i just really didn't care what it was doing, which is what it does best anyway. i probably looked a fright. i probably should just cut it short again and be done with it. i digress...
while there were many people, they mostly stayed out of my way once i set up my tripod. i never did see anyone else with one, so i'm sure they didn't know what to think of me. couple of owners inquired if i was a professional, but only the owner of this hot rod bothered to really ask about what i was doing, looked at some of my pictures, and took a card. this one was off the street in a parking lot of a business, thus no one really getting in the way. not the best location, judging by the background, but the other angle just was going to be some garage doors and building frontage, so...imagine those are time capsules on the right side.
i took lots of shots, so i will post a few more soon.
so i'm sitting here in the airport in orlando waiting waiting waiting to go home. spent a few days in business meetings at our office in south florida, then a visit to a vendor.
built in one day to hit an amusement park, so i went to universal islands of adventure. i highly recommend the harry potter ride that goes through the hogwarts castle, it is really cool. there are a few roller coasters that are pretty good if you're into those as well.
anyways, i didn't bring my camera for a change, and only saw a couple of cars that i made me wish that i had it with me. i suppose where there are more old folks, there are more possibilities of seeing old cars.
this flamey car has been out on my flicker page since last year, but seeing it again made me think of what it's like standing in lines at the park all day yesterday.
i think the first show at foothill starts monday, so i plan to check it out, if, of course, i don't have to work late.