HOW TO TELL IF SOMEONE IS SELF ABSORBED
A common condition in today’s busy world, here’s a test:
CAMERA SUTRA
Every once in a while I read a blog post site that makes me think. Here’s one from Blake Andrews. Continue reading “”
I BROKE ALL THE RULES
“NEVER shoot a car on a parking lot with stripes.”
“NEVER shoot a car in hard light.”
“NEVER shoot a car with just a rangefinder camera.”
Yup, I broke all the rules and still got published. Excellence Magazine #225 will arrive this month featuring a story I wrote and photographed on a DIY Porsche 912 project. Jason Thrupp is the owner, a New Zealander who relocated to Santa Barbara – two of my favorite destinations. Continue reading “”
IS THIS THE BEST 35MM DSLR COMBO OF 2014?
Based on Nikon’s D810 groundbreaking 36MP sensor and Zeiss’ Otus lens quality, I’d say yes. In terms of image quality, there is no equal. Although they do not offer AF, the recently released Zeiss 55 f1.4 and 84 f1.4 Apo lenses are already legendary, and more Otus lenses are sure to follow. Continue reading “”
R.I.P. Ian McLagan and Bobby Keyes
Two of the best sidemen for Faces and The Rolling Stones passed away in the last two days. Bobby Keyes, saxophonist, was 70 and Ian McLagan, keyboardist, was 69. Continue reading “”
PERSONAL WORK – 2014
Each December/January I post a personal work series – what I consider my best three images from a non-assignment single location during the year. It is an entirely subjective process, unlike my edited commercial work. Last year I posted three low key photos captured within a few days in Cabo San Lucas.
EMORY LEGACY: THE ORIGINAL OUTLAWS
Normally I’m not a huge fan of eight minute car culture clips, but in this case it’s not just cuts and fluff. Continue reading “”
MORE JULIE KOMAROW OUTTAKES
I love this new automotive photojournalism, where we explore the person behind the car. Bringing the owner’s personality to light in photographs and words is very rewarding to me. Here are a couple of shots from Julie’s farm made at the end of the day with a Leica rangefinder and 35mm lens.
JULIE KOMAROW DRIVES IT HER WAY
Panorama Magazine #692, with Ada Lee Halofsky writing, just featured an article on a PCA member who survived breast cancer with her 430,000 mile ’84 Porsche Carrera and farm filled with cats, chickens, goats, llamas, and dog Ben.
FAMOUS CINEMATOGRAPHERS TALK LENSES
There is much to learn from these masters.
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)
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.
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 “”