Purely Ornamental

Purely Ornamental, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Lensbaby macro shot of this cool hood ornament I found in the back lot at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler car show. Very often the show is so busy that a lot of cool cars end up parking out back.

Let it Burn

Let it Burn, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Here's another view of this slammed caddy. I have included an inset of the fifth of ten exposures that I took to create this HDR image. This is good way to compare what typical photography methods would capture when faced with a scene that has such a wide range of light. As you can see, the inset photo is lacking both shadow and highlight detail. Also I can tell you from personal experience that the inset image does not represent the scene as my eyes remember it.

Our eyes are amazing devices and much more suited to capturing both light and detail than any camera regardless of price. I get a lot of emails from people who hate HDR photography for various reasons. While I respect the opinions of others, I personally feel that this process is very empowering and allows me to capture the scene the way I saw it and even take it further if I choose to do so. What do you think?

Exothermic Reaction

Exothermic Reaction, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I didn't catch the make or model of this car but I don't think this is the original paint! Often car owners remove all manufacturer logos and model name plates. This makes it tough for uninformed people like me. I think this is very cool whatever it is.

Look at that Cadillac

Look at that Cadillac, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I was walking around the Ruby's car show and had 2 people tell me that there was a wicked red, slammed caddy off by itself and not crowded on either side by other cars. This is highly desirable when taking photos with a wide angle lens. By the time I found the car, the sun was going down and the sky was pretty spectacular. When I am faced with a scene like this, where the sky is super bright and I am essentially shooting right into the sun, I am so glad I shoot using the high dynamic range method of photography. Only HDR can pull off a shot like this!

The stars only come out at night

The stars only come out at night, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Another pretty sunset at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey. With the weather gettting warmer, the Wednesday night car show is getting busier. Parking was very hard to come by but the selection of cars to shoot was great. This night I forgot my tripod mounting plate so I was limited to using my monopod and just shooting 3 shot HDR's while the light held out. I did boost my ISO as it got darker but that introduces a lot of noise into my images.

La Bandida

La Bandida, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Kathy, Manny and I all met up at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler for the weekly Wednesday night car show. La Bandida was there too.

Oscar's Nomad - Plate 2

Oscar's Nomad - Plate 2, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Another image of this amazing 1957 Chevy Nomad.

Oscar's Nomad

Oscar's Nomad, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This 1957 Chevy Nomad was my absolute favorite car from the Uptown Whittier Car Show for 2 years in a row. I had never been fortunate enough to meet the owner but I did drop my business card in the car which features an image of the car itself. I had to work late on Friday so I ended up meeting Kathy and my nephew Santino at the Rubys Car Show a little late. After sneaking up behind me and kicking me in the butt, Kathy told me that the Nomad I liked so much was at the show. After having a quick bite to eat we walked over and met the owner who was very cool. I got a few more shots and this one of them. I'm sure I'll be posting more soon.

Keeping up with Kathy

Keeping up with Kathy, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Ok so I've noticed when my wife Kathy and I go to car shows together, she gets her camera setup, mounts it on her tripod, attaches her off camera shutter release, gets her expodisc looped around her neck and has finished photographing her first car before I even start opening my backpack. Now, I'm not implying she rushes around taking snapshots. Far from it. Her images are amazing. See for yourself. I just think she's way more efficient than I am when making images. Realizing this, I decided to challenge myself a bit. I took my Lensbaby Composer with me to this car show. It requires that I manually set the focus and exposure before taking the HDR sequence. I think this helped me concentrate a bit more and I ended up shooting more cars than I usually do. Unfortunately due to that concentration I met fewer people which is a bummer. I'll have to learn to strike a balance!

Sundowners

Sundowners, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Another Wednesday evening at the drive-in. The sun was going down fast by the time I got a chance to make an image of this amazing car. The owner walked up and asked if I was "filming" his car. I said no since I was making images. He jumped in and left almost immediately afterward.