WHERE TO GO IN EUROPE THIS WINTER

Forget London and Paris, too cold. Same for the rest of northern Europe.

Here are a couple of getaway spots to view art in relative warmth. In Barcelona check out the Picasso and Miro museums. In Italy, well, you are spoilt for choice in art: Venice, Florence, or Rome. Finally, head to the islands off Naples, such as Procida pictured below, and be inspired for some R&R and photography. 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 “”

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.

Image of Bonnville Salt Flats racers in Wendover, Utah, American Southwest
Image of a tire detail at the Bonnville Salt Flats, Utah, American Southwest

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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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