Features Hot Rod Highlights on Film

I'm with you on this car @J.Ukrop.

Ever since I saw it; I've loved the look of it. I'd be neat to build a similar one, and it would be cool, but this car has an honesty to it that you can't replicate.

 

Cool shot of Tom Sr.'s Cabriolet! He's quite a character.
(Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet up while you were here in Omaha.)

 

I am not a professional & take many lousy pics but I try to check the background in a picture. Such as long boards sticking out of seat & trunk ( smile ). Also like subject to fill entire picture without lot of extra stuff on the sides - closeups. Many pics I download to desktop & crop or cleanup can even change tints. Still u have great rods in those pictures ( another smile ).

 

Wish I'd known you were in town, I'd have given you a ride in my old rattletrap 34. I don't know how you did it Joey but when you clicked a photo of my car at the HAMB drags a few years ago, you managed to get the perfect angle that showed no welds, dings or anything. Must be a pro!

 

Digging your ‘lil roadster, Joey. That top looks terrible...in a GOOD way.

 

Love it Joey, thanks for taking the time to do it the traditional way which makes it even more special.

 

This is one of my Hot Rod highlights, took this pic outside my house in 2015.

 

That number 94 is really a "high boy"!!! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

“I find the whole process of shooting, waiting, forgetting and rediscovering exciting.”

Hello,

The idea of film cameras was a no brainer when we were shooting various hot rods and motorcycles.
Our dad got a very early Polaroid camera, several years after they came out to the general public. It was a fun thing to go around and get instant (after a minute for developing) photos. The resolution was not as good as his 4x5 press camera, but it was not waiting for a week to get the film developed, either. That was the key. For our family, the large format camera was for family photos. The Polaroid camera was a novelty.

We had received from our dad as a present, a later version called a Sx-70 Polaroid camera that gave us instant photos, too. We used it for our family photos, but, they were part of the photo story. It gave us what we wanted to see, but it was too expensive for each shot. We learned that in minutes, a ready photo angle was there in front of us.
SX-70 model
The final layout of quality 35mm film process and developed by Kodak if it was color, was a better image by all accounts. Waiting a few days for the results always felt like Christmas morning… the anticipation of the surprise.
35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic camera
This original 1966 Pentax Camera is still functional and never had to have a repair for anything. It has shot thousands of photos and is now sitting in a drawer waiting for another time in the spotlight. The Polaroid Sx-70 is now in the collection of our granddaughter and is displayed in her house for all to see.

We were on a long road trip in Northern California and we had some great moments taking photos of hot rods and motorcycles, scenery, the ocean when we got going down the coast for home. But, the key was trying to remember the shots of each different hot rod or motorcycle was going to be used for a feature presentation that met the stringent choices of the finicky editors.

A long road trip allows no developing until we got home. Then it was a few days to a week depending on the Kodak Color Services being busy or not. The black and white photo film was developed as soon as we got home and that same day, if I was not tired. I also, started the Black and White photo prints for the storyboard. But, the color photos became a waiting game.

Jnaki

Every owner likes color shots of his/her hot rod or motorcycle, even though it might be Silver or Dark Grey. So, a good color background was the basic choice for location to make the hot rod stand out despite the color of the car. This one was a Candy Apple Tangerine and the color was pretty good. But, the story as accepted by the editors came out in black and white. Who knows why? (color photo spreads in magazines are more costly for the editor/publishers, but more rewarding for the photographer, too.)

In cases like these, I usually sent or gave the stack of color slides to the owner for a big thank you. If he/she wanted color prints by themselves or mounted on a custom made antique wood frame, that was extra. I kept a few for my files, but over time, they became ghost slides lost in the many house moves since those 20-30 something days.

The key was presentation, the quality of Polaroids vs crystal clear 35mm or even the larger 2.25mm size prints had no competition. YRMV