Big Red Riviera

The most recent addition to my on-line art gallery is a photo illustration of a 1965 Buick Riviera.
The '65 Riviera is one of the most beautifully designed cars to ever come out of Detroit. If I were able to purchase a dream car, that particular model would be near the top of my list. Purchasing one however is simply not in the cards, so I have to be content with capturing an image of one and then doing a bit of digital work to create an exciting version of my own.
After shooting several images from different angles, I settled on the one above as the best bet for my digital customization job.Retouching was the next order of business to minimize the more obnoxious looking reflections without compromising the reflectivity of the sheet metal.

Next, I created a separate background element to impart a feeling of speed and motion which was combined with the retouched Riviera. Cropping the image was the final step prior to posting to my gallery. Although I have a methodology for my illustrations, there is also a certain amount of experimentation during the process depending on the look of the car and the overall composition. A photo illustration takes many hours over several days but it is something I truly enjoy which makes it time well spent.

The Mystery of the Ansel Adams Negatives

When is an Ansel Adams print not an Ansel Adams print? That is the million dollar question as the Adams Trust has sued a California man who is selling posters and prints made from negatives he claims were shot by Adams. With the filing of the suit the story has re-surfaced of how the glass negatives, supposed to have been destroyed in a Yosemite darkroom fire in the 1930's, were purchased at a Fresno garage sale ten years ago. My question is how did the negatives make it through the fire without Adams' knowledge and then survive more than sixty years only to wind up in someones garage? The bigger problem for the company selling prints and posters from these negatives may be copyright infringement. Even if the negatives are the real thing, and I have my doubts, the Trust may argue that only they have legal right to authorize production and sale of Ansel Adams images.

The Trust brought up a statement made by Ansel Adams likening a negative to a musical score, while the printed photograph is the performance. Adams was a meticulous photographic craftsman whose method encompassed the exposure of an image in-camera, processing the negative, exposing the negative onto photo paper and finally processing the paper print. Each phase contributing to the quality of the finished photograph. Today a print may be made from an Ansel Adams negative, but it is not truly an Ansel Adams print. Which is why those original hand crafted Adams photographs command six figures in auction.

Close Up on Cruisin'

I have attended every Dream Cruise dating back to the late '90's and have always enjoyed checking out the cars as well as photographing them. However, I have never been very satisfied with the "big shot". You know what I'm taking about - the photo taken across multiple car-loaded lanes of Woodward. Other than being a record shot of having attended the Cruise, the image of the car-clogged roadway isn't one I necessarily feel the need to take year after year. In fact, for 2010 I went in the exact opposite direction, opting for the close up, very close up! On a suggestion from my wife (have to give credit where its due), I shot a series of hood ornaments from classic cars of the Thirties and Forties. These decorative hood emblems are small works of art in and of themselves, and they represent an aspect of car design that is long gone. If GM really wants to attract attention to their electric Volt maybe they should consider adding a big chrome hood ornament - Zeus tossing a lightning bolt perhaps?

Woodward Cruisin'

Mustangs, old and new, on the move down Woodward.
"Officially", the Woodward Dream Cruise takes place each year on the third Saturday of August. For car owners and car fans, unofficial dream cruising begins with the warm weather of late spring. Things really heat up in the week prior to the official cruise date with classic cars speeding (up to the posted limit of course) up and down Woodward with impromptu car shows held in parking lots large and small along the M-1 route. With the abundance of good old American iron on display, I take the opportunity to record favorite vehicles photographically as reference for my digital car illustrations (the link to my on-line gallery is at the top of the page). Earlier in the week I headed down to Woodward for a pre-Cruise evening to take a series of panning shots of the moving vehicles. A slow shutter speed(typically around 1/30) is the main requirement for panning shots. You need to follow the moving subject with your camera in a smooth motion, hitting the shutter release (hopefully) at the exact moment the car is centered in your frame. This is one of those photographic techniques that requires a lot of attempts to make a few good shots. When it is successful, panning conveys a feeling of movement. And when the subject is cars, you want to see them on the move!

Rockin Rods in Rochester

In spite of the sweltering temperature and intense sunshine, car lovers were out in force Sunday August15 for the annual Rockin' Rods in Rochester event. There were plenty of cameras in evidence as car fans captured images of colorful sheet metal and chrome. It is a testament to the work of the Big Three that custom cars, hot rods and muscle cars of the past still evoke such tremendous interest and emotion from people of all ages and walks of life.

Black and White Adventures

The other evening while channel surfing I came across the 1940 Errol Flynn adventure film The Sea Hawk on Turner Classics Essentials series. It was the first time I had seen this particular Flynn swashbuckler and it was one of the most colorful - even though it was filmed in black and white! Director Michael Curtiz and cinematographer Sol Polito made the most of the B&W medium using contrast and shadow to convey mood. In a climactic scene, Errol Flynn engages one of his antagonists in a sword duel (big surprise). As the scene stretches on, rather than simply focus on the duelists, Curtiz places the actors in the foreground while conveying the action with their large cast shadows on the wall. A really fun moment. Watching these classic films of the 1930's and '40's I appreciate more and more the outstanding use of black and white photography and find new inspiration for my own work.

This restaurant sign appeared in an earlier post in color. For this version I utilized Photoshop channels, converted to monochrome and played with the image to reach the desired contrast - more on this methodology in a future posting. In many ways black and white helps to enhance the image's old school feel.

Wandering Aimlessly Again

Here are a few more shots taken while wandering about downtown Rochester. I often have a specific image or goal in mind when heading out with camera in hand, but this was one of those times of simply walking about (actually biking) grabbing shots here and there of whatever happened to catch my attention. And that is not necessarily a bad way of approaching things either. It is always a nice surprise when one of these quick grab shots turns out better than expected. The main thing is to not impose limitations on yourself, but simply get out there and stretch your artistic muscles.

Save The Giant Chickens

Nothing says "good eats" like a giant chicken sitting atop your restaurant. I have often admired this over-sized piece of advertising while driving through downtown Clawson, in fact I appreciate any form of store signage that utilizes unusual sizes or shapes to lure in prospective customers, especially when highlighted with chase lights or neon tubes. Unfortunately, in the modern world of malls and downtown development authorities the more outlandish signs are shunned. Occasionally you may still find these relics of 1950's America in older downtown areas that have not yet been homogenized by planning committees. It is incumbent upon us as photographers to preserve images of these odd bits of Americana before they are wiped away completely from our landscape. As always, photography is one way to preserve and protect our past. Remember it is up to you to save the giant chickens... and any other unusual objects or signs that recall a seemingly more innocent and yet more colorful time.

Old Camera Equipment Never Dies.

If you were taking pictures back in the 20th century you may still own film based camera equipment. The picture above was taken with my old reliable Nikon FM, which I no longer own, and that is what I am here to discuss. I owned enough old equipment to fill a couple of shelves in our basement. My mistake was hanging onto the stuff too long after the world made the switch to digital. I honestly thought I might need one of those cameras someday, after all they produced beautiful negatives. "What's a negative, you ask?" Well there is the crux of the problem. Not many people are interested in those old beasts that need film loaded into their bellies for picture taking. I finally had to admit that I would never use either my 35mm or my medium format cameras again. And so, after careful consideration of my options, I decided to sell the whole kit and kaboodle to an on-line dealer. No fuss, no muss. They made me an offer on the equipment, I accepted, and the hardware shipped off using their UPS account. My check arrived soon after. The drawback - I received pennies on the dollar. Equipment I paid thousands for, sold for a few hundred. My advice - if you have old camera equipment, sell it now before it loses anymore value. Or, if you are the gambling type, hold on for a couple of decades and sell it for antiques.