These photos really don't need captions. They result from hours of walking around the fairgrounds, looking for interesting faces and personalities.-
When I get 'em back to my computer, it's there I crop out the non-interesting parts, like people bending over the vehicles. Sometimes the people and crowds are integral parts of the picture and the overall flavor, but when I'm shooting coupes and ragtops for my own pleasure, it's really just about the cars themselves and the vibe I'm picking up from the sculpture and the color. It's personal. But I do apologize for the tight crops.
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Many of my friends cruise the fairgrounds with cameras. I often wonder what they see--are they picking up on the same personalities? Do they see
the same car faces I see? In a future blog, I'm hoping to share some of the photos ROCKIN's designer and art director, Brent Rector, has taken at shows like Paso Robles. He has a viewpoint all his own, and being an active gearhead with his '59 Caddy, maybe he sees things I don't pick up on. But that's all part of the fun. I'll say this--the person who first brought me to car shows, artist Darrell Mayabb, was both encouraging of my naivete but also a somewhat stern professor--not everything you see, he often told me, is real quality, real innovation. Another dear friend, Tom Snook, who taught me about antique toy vehicles, often said that he (and then I) should be able to walk into a show of 10,000 toys and be able to pick out the top 50. It's a matter of both sensing what's subliminal, and also having the knowledge to make choices and select the very best.
the same car faces I see? In a future blog, I'm hoping to share some of the photos ROCKIN's designer and art director, Brent Rector, has taken at shows like Paso Robles. He has a viewpoint all his own, and being an active gearhead with his '59 Caddy, maybe he sees things I don't pick up on. But that's all part of the fun. I'll say this--the person who first brought me to car shows, artist Darrell Mayabb, was both encouraging of my naivete but also a somewhat stern professor--not everything you see, he often told me, is real quality, real innovation. Another dear friend, Tom Snook, who taught me about antique toy vehicles, often said that he (and then I) should be able to walk into a show of 10,000 toys and be able to pick out the top 50. It's a matter of both sensing what's subliminal, and also having the knowledge to make choices and select the very best.
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The license plates are funny moments. Just like mine . . . ROCKMUS. Overall, they add flavor to the experience, but they're really non-essential. Novelties. If you've done your work right as a customizer, or as an owner, or as a gearhead, then your creation speaks for itself.
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There's at least one more blog to come outta the West Coast Nats for this year, and it has to do with the odder things I saw. Hope you're continuing to enjoy. I love the self-imposed challenge of getting the captures down right.
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Oh, and by the way, I hope all readers of this blog know that you can click on each photo and see it enlarged.
