CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME
Since I no longer watch the news, I’m playing a lot of music. Half of Blind Faith is better than none and as good as anything else. Hope you like this one.
AMERICAN TUNE
Paul Simon performed this song at the pre-inaugural concert for Jimmy Carter, held at the Kennedy Center, the evening before Carter’s swearing-in as president. That was a long time ago, and the signs were already there. By 2014, the die was cast. I hope today is not the last chapter in the book on America.
All THE WAY TO RENO
This is for all those kids out there trying to stay true. R.E.M. can grow on you. Be sure and vote when you are of age.
ANALOG MAN IN A DIGITAL WORLD
Here’s my airport security tray shot… Apparently this is the coolest thing to post on the web since your meal: Stuff in a gray bin that you think people might like.
I’ve always been different. My motto is to do the opposite of what everybody else is doing. You can probably tell I don’t follow fads, since I’ve been using one of these Leicas since 1984, and my cellphone is not made by Apple.
My tray is filled with stuff I’ve owned for years that I actually use. These cameras cover the film days to digital to the good enough cell phone camera. To be honest, I’ve never sent all this stuff through airport security on the same flight, but they’ve all been around the world.
FREEWRITE ERNEST HEMINGWAY SIGNATURE EDITION TYPEWRITER
Oh oh, I’m in trouble. The next thing you know it will have built in AI Hemingway-style writing.
R.I.P. CONTANTINE MANOS
Constantine “Costa” Manos passed away peacefully at age 90 last week. He was a brilliant pioneer of color photography and a member of Magnum Photos. Along with Ernst Haas and Alex Webb, his color work influenced me deeply.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Here’s is a holiday celebration at something called the “Porsche Effect” in the Petersen Museum in L.A. a few years ago. Porsche’s open-tail design on the 917-30 is the background. Have a good one!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Paul and Ringo in London last week. (Photo: Unknown)
12-19-24
ORIGINS – SEARCHING FOR THE BEGINNING OF PORSCHE HOT ROD HISTORY – A PERSONAL VIEWPOINT
Congrats to Dan Macdonald for his feature in the latest issue of Panorama. It was a pleasure chasing his 1957 Porsche Speedster around the hills of Marin, California. The photo shoot went exceedingly well with lots of possibilities for publication coverage. What makes this Porsche special is its history of being the 1968 E Production Regional SCCA Champion during the “Speedster Wars” of the mid to late 1950s and 1960s.
Before the early 911 hot rod club R Gruppe, a Porsche 356 crew was founded in the Oakland area called the East Bay Grease. Several members were followers of something called “The Speedster Wars”, a mostly west coast phenomenon that paid homage to driving stripped down, hopped up versions of the Porsche Speedster to and from airports and temporary tracks where they would compete for how well they were driven that day.
PERSONAL WORK 2024
Followers of my blog know that at the end of each year I post a series of three personal photographs made at a non-assignment single location. Here’s a selection from one evening last month on the east side of California’s Sierra Nevada range.
PRO BONO WORK
It’s important that I do at least one pro bono assignment a year. It’s always for a non-profit organization or a worthy cause that cannot pay my standard fee. Like volunteer work for a local food bank or trail club, it helps me feel as though I’m contributing to my community. Look for some photos I made for the PNW region PCA magazine Spiel featuring a TechEd session with my friends Rod Emory and Cameron Healy.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE
Every so often I get an inquiry from someone I know who has a friend who wants to be an automotive photographer. I like to help others when I can, so I usually start with something like this:
Success means something different for everyone. For me it means being paid well for doing what I truly believe I was meant to do.
As you know, I have been and continue to be very fortunate working non-stop in the automotive media business. That doesn’t mean I am any less compassionate to those starting out. Here’s why. Continue reading “”
11-11-24
R.I.P. PAUL CAPONIGRO
A famous photographer who was under-appreciated has passed away. I own three of his signed prints but never met him. In my opinion, Caponigro was the Ernst Haas of B&W photography.
(Photo: Galaxy Apple by Paul Caponigro)
RESPECT
Being respectful of others whose ideas are different than your own is a part of a mindful life. Actions are even more important, as is being mindful that some choices acted upon can be hurtful to others in a negative way. For myself, I alway remove my shoes after asking the owner’s permission when photographing car interiors. It’s just the right thing to do.
BRAINWASHED
Released in November 2002, George Harrison’s last album Brainwashed has some great songs on it, including “Stuck Inside a Cloud.” After 22 years it still fits.
STORYTELLER, NOT MYTH MAKER
With social media being what it is, there are all sorts of myth makers out there. Facebook and other platforms were never meant to be journalistic. Unfortunately, people begin to believe what they see, read and hear on a constant basis.
Building community enthusiasm for a worthy cause is one thing, but providing misinformation or engaging in flat out deception for personal gain whether it’s on social media or in print is another. You will never find that coming from me as an automotive journalist. When people ask me why that is, I always reply “I’m from Alaska.” It’s become a bit of an inside joke.
(Photo of Randy: Andrea Wells)