Year: 2014

TROUBLE FOCUSING A LEICA RANGEFINDER?

Some great advice here on zone focusing:

“Leica’s aren’t meant to be shot wide open in street photography. You can’t constantly nail f1.4 shots of people moving. Furthermore bokeh shots in street photography tend to be cliche, and you lose context of the background and environment. To be frank, very few great photos in history were shot wide open.” Continue reading “”

THE OLDEST 901 IN THE WEST TURNS 50

Everyone loves anniversaries. Porsche first announced the 50th for their 911 last fall. There’s only one catch – that celebration was for a pre-production model shown at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, a car with a non-operational engine and a 356 rear suspension.

For the first complete 911s, named 901s, their golden anniversary has finally arrived. Coming soon to a newsstand near you is an Excellence Magazine feature on 901 #032, Dean Watts’ October 1964 build Porsche race car. This example is one of less than 235 made that year, and one of the very few that are actually 901s – because Porsche changed the model designation to 911 right after this car was built. Continue reading “”

REMEMBERING JACK BRUCE AND CREAM

Jack Bruce passed away today at age 71. He was a founding member of the influential British psychedelic power rock trio Cream – along with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton. In the two short years they played together (1966-1968), Bruce sang and co-wrote most of Cream’s singles, including the hits “Sunshine of Your Love”, “White Room”, and “I Feel Free”. Many consider him one of the greatest bass players of all time. Cream was the world’s first successful supergroup – a group that foreshadowed Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

(Photographer: Unknown)

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BELLEVUE CAR STUDIO GETS A MAKEOVER

The car studio space I moved into near Seattle has recently undergone a major upgrade. In addition to adding the option of either a black or white background, a 30 foot square white silk fabric has been mounted to the ceiling to reduce any unwanted reflections.

With seamless on the floor and 4000 watts of light either bounced off or through the silk, a uniform presentation has been created. The results are beautiful and will continue to just get better, making it one of the best auto salons in Washington state. Continue reading “”

ROGER GRAGO’S RIDE WITH JEFF ZWART

Roger Grago goes for a ride in his newly restored 1973 Porsche 911 with Jeff Zwart at the wheel. This RS/GT custom build with 2.9L MFI motor was filmed at the special event on Saturday, October 4, 2014. It all happened at Scott’s Independent in Anaheim CA. A big thank you goes to Jeff, Terrie and Roger Grago, Mike Sofka, Scott Hendry, Dan Reese, John Esposito, and everyone else for making this possible.

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THE RETURN OF ROGER GRAGO’S 911 RS/GT

A special party took place at Scott Hendry’s independent Porsche shop in Anaheim on Saturday. Over 100 people arrived to show their love for Roger Grago. It was simply amazing to see him and his friends celebrate this iconic freshly rebuilt (Hendry) and repainted (Esposito) custom 1973 Aubergine 911. Many people were involved in this labor of love for our dear friend.

With all the car clubs he has led, from DKP to R Gruppe, Roger is the man who made it happen for many of us. Thank you Roger, and thank you to everyone for sharing their stories. Look for an article and documentary film next year. Continue reading “”

2014 PCA PARADE COVERAGE

I had a great time in Monterey this summer, and the photos I made are now being published. Look for them in the September issue of PCA’s national Panorama Magazine. Along with a Porsche 959 cover image and photos of the record-breaking 2014 Porsche Parade, there’s a 2010 Cayman story I provided visuals for. This amazing car has a GT3 motor that owner Steve Lau and writer Pete von Behrens drove to top time of the day at the annual autocross. Continue reading “”

THE BEATLES IN MONO VINYL BOX DONE RIGHT

Apparently all the complaints from last year about The Beatles stereo LP box pressings got through to EMI. Optimal and analog tapes were enlisted for this new Mono box. Even Michael Fremer (and a respected mastering engineer) are saying good things about it on Analog Planet. I’m buying this John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr set on wax… Yeah, I’m a Beatles completist. Continue reading “”

PCA PNWR SPIEL COVER

September’s issue of the “Spiel” is out… Thanks to editor David Cook and art director Dean Holbrook, and all the officers of the Porsche Club of America PNW region. My cover photograph depicts a fleeting moment at sunset when waves were crashing against the idyllic California coast with a beautiful Porsche in the foreground. Continue reading “”