Author: Randy Wells

LUFT 1O

Luft 10 is happening today at the Universal Studios backlot in L.A. For those who are new to Luftgekühlt (German for “air-cooled), it’s a Porsche event that celebrates a meeting place where new ideas can thrive in a focused, yet casual atmosphere surrounded by a curated selection of historically significant and intriguing air-cooled Porsches. Their motto at Luft is, “We thrive on unique venues, engaging people, and a hefty dose of creative expression. These elements are always at the heart of what we do.”

Organizers Pat Long and Jeff Zwart (above) made sure that every Porsche at Luft was matched to an equally iconic backdrop. For budding car photographers, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Look for my story in a future issue of Porsche 356 Registry Magazine.

PORSCHE CLUB OF AMERICA

As I prepare to receive the October issue of Porsche Club of America’s national magazine Panorama, I’d like to give you a taste of what I experienced at their annual Parade event as an assigned photographer and writer.

“My first stop in Birmingham, Alabama was to find a restaurant serving a catfish sandwich. The perfectly cooked morsel was served on a freshly baked bun at a hip brewery just a mile away from PCA’s headquarters for Parade week week. Everyone at the eatery looked happy. I was smiling after my first bite of the moist serving too, and came back the next day.”

It’s no secret that Alabama is known for its culinary delights, like southern barbecue, crab claws, fried green tomatoes, seafood gumbo, shrimp and grits, okra, and pecan pie. However, no visit to the South would be complete without a stop at the travel station named Buc-ee’s. With a beaver mascot, 120 gas pumps and several versions of pork sandwiches, this 53,000 sq. ft convenience store was an experience to behold. Of course, the 2024 Porsche Parade is not just about dining. Please see my words and images covering the people and cars that attended soon.

TIPS FOR BETTER PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

Study the classics – Great paintings can inspire you to try new lighting.
Shoot frequently and for yourself – Don’t care about what others think.
Live a life where you’re open to new ideas.
Don’t include too much – Choose your foreground and background carefully.
Eliminate distracting elements that don’t contribute to what you are inspired to portray.
Wait for a gesture, the best moment when the subject reveals themselves.
Technically, for tight close ups, a long telephoto set at f/5.6 to f/8 is the way to go. Cell phone photos in wide mode are horribly distorted for portraits.
Tell a story – Environmental portraiture requires even more forethought than a tight composition. With a moderate wide angle to normal lens, only include in your frame that which adds to the story you want to tell. Simplify!

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

Above is a great Panorama story title that wasn’t even mine (thanks, Jeff!). The current PCA magazine “Youth” issue tells tales of Porsche enthusiasts who have made a mark in their community.

Two of these stories are mine. Each one portrays a woman known for her upholstery and other handiwork. Both were proposed by me, yet they are quite different. Both include my text and photos. In my first story, pictured here, a father/daughter duo fully restored an award-winning Porsche Speedster together. It’s a heartfelt ode that keeps things real. Their Speedster is also pictured on the cover. In the second story, my images included some of my better portraits. They are not shared here, nor were they published on request of the subject. I look forward to recreating that magic and emotion with a new subject in a future article for the magazine. See both of these stories in the September issue of Panorama magazine!

Porsche Panorama Magazine

NEW COVER IMAGE

Thank you to Richard Baron, Creative Director at Porsche Club of America’s Panorama magazine, for picking this image of mine for the cover of the current issue. This cover photo is especially gratifying, as it was not easy to pull off. Thanks again to all at PCA for your continued support.

Porsche Panorama Magazine

9-19-24

JD Souther R.I.P.

One of the best country rock singer-songwriters, who worked with everyone from Roy Orbison to the Eagles to Linda Ronstadt to James Taylor, has passed. JD Souther is seen here live (no autotune) with James, along with the great Warner Brothers house band, “The Section”, minus Russ Kunkel who would become engaged to Carly Simon. It was a small town after all.

Image of Chad McQueen, son of Steve McQueen, at the Rennsport Reunion III at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida, American Southeast

CHAD MCQUEEN HAS PASSED

It is with great sadness that I write, along with many others, how sad I am to hear of the passing of Steve McQueen’s only son. Chad is survived by a son Chase, his daughter Madison, and their grandmother Neile. Steve Jr. is another son of Chad’s, and his wife is Jeanie. My condolences to all. I met him a few times, and he was always very kind to me. Chad would have been 64 on December 28. Godspeed.

PCA PNWR PORSCHE GRAND DISPLAY AT CARILLON POINT

Carillon Point in Kirkland, WA was the site of this year’s Porsche Grand Display in the Pacific Northwest. What fun it was to see everybody and their cars, while photographing with a 70-year-old Leica lens on a modern Canon R5!

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BEEN NAMED THE MOST LETHAL ACTIVITY AT GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

According to a report by NBC News, “National Park Service data revealed that there were 205 fatal falls across the entire park system in the U.S. from 2014 to 2019 — the most recent year for which data is available. At the Grand Canyon National Park, 14 people were killed in fatal falls in the same period. Photographing accounted for four of those unintentional deaths.”

Be careful out there! Don’t assume anything and don’t fall.

ALEX XYDIAS R.I.P

Another icon of the Bonneville Salt Flats has passed away. He was 102 years old. Alex Xydias was best known for driving the famous So-Cal streamliner in the early days of auto racing. In the late ’40s, he created the first version, made from a drop tank powered by a Flathead Ford V-8 60, built with the help of Dean Batchelor.

With assistance from Neil Emory, Rod’s grandfather, the car morphed into a version that won the Salt Flat Racing Association’s first Hot Rod Trophy at the 1949 Bonneville Nationals, with a speed of 193.54 mph. It would become the first to exceed 200 mph. Alex also opened the So-Cal Speed Shop in Burbank, one of the first of its kind in Southern California. I had the good fortune to meet him once at the Dean Batchelor MPG awards.

COLLATERAL

Twenty years ago, one of director Michael Mann’s finest crime drama films was released. Written by Stuart Beattie, Collateral was nominated for two Academy awards. It tells the story of a hit man (Tom Cruise) and a taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) driving around L.A. contemplating life while Cruise does his business while trying to avoid the cops (Mark Ruffalo). If you liked Heat you will like this one too.

8-19-24

HAPPY WORLD PHOTO DAY!

BONHAM’S FERRARI 330 GTC SELLS FOR $692,500 AT AUCTION

I recently photographed this Ferrari 330 GTC for Bonham’s Quail Monterey auction, along with some other collector cars for Bring a Trailer.

This is one sweet looking ride.

(Photographed with Canon R5 camera and RF 24-105 mm f/4 lens)

FASTER THAN 400 MPH

There are only 13 people in the world who have driven faster than 400 mph in a piston-powered car. George Poteet did it more times than the other 12 combined. The King of Amateur Landspeed Racing, who said he never got a speeding ticket, has died at 76. He topped 400 mph at least 55 times, in a carbon-fiber-clad vehicle called “The Speed Demon”. -TWSJ

(Photo: Mark Gewertz, The Wall Street Journal)

8-11-24

LIFE 2.0

It’s a feature of mine that is gaining a lot of attention for its soulful and encouraging message. It’s a story about a PCA couple who reinvented their lives to version 2.0 with two Porsches, a GT4 and a Boxster GTS. Check out the online version of PCA Panorama.

8-5-24

OVER-TOURISM IS AFFECTING RESIDENTS ADVERSELY

It’s been going on since I can remember, but the increase in tourists and snap shooters in the past ten years has become unbearable in certain locales. Just last summer, I saw it happening in the National Parks, Paris and London, and this year it has reached a breaking point as many flock to the Olympic Games in Europe. From idyllic settings like Santorini, Greece to Hallstatt, Austria, residents are protesting, occupying roads of entry, barricading “selfie” spots, and taking over the beaches. I don’t really blame them. It’s part of the reason I switched from being a travel photographer for a dozen years to an automotive filmmaker in 2004. I was seeing the changes and realized that I was part of the problem.

(Photographer: Unknown)