OK, I’m back to my normal light-hearted self. Whoever said being an artist is not always easy was right.
“Do not paint the sleeve, become the arm.†– Andrew Wyeth Continue reading “”
Author: Randy Wells
I DON’T KNOW (AND THAT’S A GOOD THING)
Rolling Stone bomber cover? Zimmerman made-for-TV trial? Royal baby? Uhhh… OK.
Detroit going bankrupt? Now there’s a real story. While the Dow reaches record highs, people in Michigan are living out of dumpsters. What a disgrace…
JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE
Steve Winwood turned 65 recently. As a singer and musician, he’s received many honors for his solo work. However his greatest accomplishments may be as a leader of two bands influenced by folk, jazz, and blues: Blind Faith and Traffic.
Of all the albums Traffic released, one remains my favorite, 1970’s John Barlycorn Must Die. Steve is the sole survivor of that band whose other members were Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi. In 2011 he remastered a deluxe edition double CD with alternate takes of their great songs: “Glad”, “Empty Pages”, and “Freedom Rider”. If you are an LP lover, a clean UK Pink Island original is to die for. Continue reading “”
159 MPH SHOPPING CART
Congrats to Nick Stenn on his Excellence magazine feature in the latest issue #212. Driving, photographing, and telling the story of his Slant Nose 930 was a blast. He took his highly modified turbocharged Porsche to Bonneville, made it into the 150 MPH club, and now uses it for hauling groceries! Continue reading “”
MENTORSHIP
A forum thread got me thinking about mentorship. Much of what I’ve learned in my career has to do with my being lucky enough to have two amazing photographers/teachers as mentors. I am deeply indebted to them for helping to guide me on my journey: Ernst Haas, whom I studied with in Japan in 1984, and Sam Abell, whose Santa Fe Photographic Workshops I attended in 1992 and 1993.
WHERE TO GO IN JULY/AUGUST?
If you happen to live in a climate that gets a bit too hot in the summer months, perhaps Europe is a destination for you. Weather is ideal for vacationing and photography, and if you like automobile racing the Formula 1 calendar is just getting started over there. The Great Britain Grand Prix is this weekend, followed by Germany, Hungary, Belgium, and Italy. Ciao! Continue reading “”
SUMMER’S HERE!
There are two things that car photographers love about summer in the PNW: track days and car shows. I was fortunate enough to be at each of these this past weekend. During a break in my assignment schedule, I taught at a PCA drivers education event and photographed a local classic hot rod display. Think I’ll try to make it to the Redmond meet to see more Ferraris and maybe find another Buick “Godess” hood ornament. Continue reading “”
PORSCHE 991 GT3 WITH CHRIS HARRIS
Here’s the latest video that’s circling Porschedom. Chris Harris produced this short on the just released and extremely capable PDK-only GT3. You can read more about this somewhat controversial new Porsche in the May issue of Panorama magazine. Continue reading “”
TLG AUTO
It’s good to be home after a busy May. A California road trip in my 1972 911 with friends was a great adventure. The early 911 Porsche club, R Gruppe, held a fantastic gathering near the central coast where some of the best driving is. Marco and Tony Gerace of TLG Auto in North Hollywood were there to help me get to a track day at Willow Springs when my car developed a small transmission leak. Those guys are the best. Look for my feature on Tony and his car soon in Excellence Magazine! Continue reading “”
THE LATEST DEVALUATION OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The Chicago Sun-Times fired all 28 of its photographers on Thursday. Yup, 500 years of experience, including a Pulitzer Prize winner, were expunged from the newspaper in one day. The corporation is now reportedly offering lessons in basic iPhone photography to its reporters.
This is the latest blow to the arts in this country and another sign of the continued cheapening and dumbing down of photography. Like many, I’ve learned to accept cataclysmic change in my profession, to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, and to try and grow from it. Continue reading “”
LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
Exhausted, George Harrison entered 1973 on the heels of The Concert for Bangladesh, the first multi-artist fundraiser in Rock. It turned out to be less of the charitable event than he had hoped for, even with multi-million dollar sales from the subsequent film and album. Continue reading “”
THE RUBBER BUMPER 911 BOUNCES BACK
Congrats to Nathan Cocozza and his 1974 U.S. Carrera for their feature in this months Panorama Porsche magazine. It was fun to write about and photograph this rubber bumpered “mid-year†911. (Yes, it’s Olive colored in the original photos).
Despite long held beliefs to the contrary, the 1974 Carrera can almost be seen as a separate model. It’s a unique transition between the ‘73 and ‘75 types and is no longer underappreciated. Today it’s considered not only desirable to own but also a lot of fun to drive. Continue reading “”
EXILE ON MAIN STREET
Here’s an album released by The Rolling Stones 42 years ago that still has people talking…
In the spring of 1971 the Rolling Stones left Britain evading taxes. Mick Jagger settled in Paris, and guitarist Keith Richards rented a villa near Nice, France. The other members followed, along with the band’s mobile recording truck (and some unknown substances). They chose Richard’s chateau basement to record this double album that summer, widely regarded as the group’s best release. Continue reading “”
PHOTOGRAPHY – A LOOK BACK
I posted these tips on a forum recently. Hope they help:
I started shooting with a Kodak Brownie camera as a kid, won an award from Kodak when I was 12, hitchhiked around SF in the summer of ’68 for two weeks as a teenager with a Canonet, then put away the camera for eight years during pre-med and graduate school.
Eventually I bought a Canon AE-1 in 1976. After learning B&W, I graduated to Kodachrome 25 and a Canon F-1, which was used religiously for the next five years. Then moved to Leica and Leicaflex, Hasselblad, and Pentax 6×7 for another fifteen years. Now I primarily use a three Canon digital SLRs and various lenses from 14mm to 500mm for assignments and a Leica M9 rangefinder for personal work. Continue reading “”
OUT OF AFRICA
100 years ago Karen Blixen asked her lover’s brother to marry her and travel from Denmark to Kenya to start a farm. Seventy years later Sydney Pollack made a film about the story starring Robert Redford (who played Denys George Finch Hatton) and Merryl Streep (who played Baroness Karen Blixen).
Critic Roger Ebert described the resulting 1985 Acadamy award-winning film this way, “Out of Africa is a great movie to look at, breathtakingly filmed on location. It is a movie with the courage to be about complex, sweeping emotions, and to use the star power of its actors without apology.†I agree. Continue reading “”