Magazine Profile On Yours Truly! ! ! Part II (out takes)

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AMA vs. Photoshop !

What is this world coming to?!?!? Since when does the AMA try and dictate to me as a photographer which tools and equipment I am allowed to use? My god, what is wrong with this country? Does the AMA and other bleeding hearts whose rallying cry “Think of the Children” know anything of the history of mankind?

The ancient Mayans used to put their children’s heads between two boards when they were toddlers to elongate their skulls, because they thought it looked beautiful. Certain tribes in Africa have been altering their bodies for millennia because they think it looks beautiful. Ancient Egyptians like Cleopatra wore make up and eyeliner to alter their appearance, because they thought it looked beautiful. Modern women use push up bras, nylon/silk stockings, corsets, wigs, hair dye, lip stick, boob jobs, liposuction, nose jobs and piercings the list goes on and on.

Before Photoshop existed, advertisers used makeup artists, air brush artists and lighting experts to make a women look glamorous. It’s nothing new since the first caveman drew pictures of his girlfriend on the cave wall with big boobies, mankind has always sought to enhance our looks.

We now have warning labels on everything! Cigarettes (remember when the AMA doctors used to endorse cigarettes as “good for the throat”) Music CD’s and even ladders! Now they want to put warning labels on photography.

How has the Gore family mentality taken hold of this country? Remember tipper Gore and her crusade against the music industry? Now we have warning labels on music. Al Gore and his crusade against the internal combustion engine (while he flies across the country in his private jet and owns a fleet of SUV’s) and now the hypocrisy of the AMA, an organization of doctors that used to endorse tobacco companies now wants to tell me what tools I am allowed to use or not use in my photography. I say to them the words that Jesus once said “physician, heal yourself!”

PS. Am I helping to destroy America's youth by using Photoshop to crop, and adjust light and color in these photos? Let me know.

Gasser a go-go

The Blues Magoos are wailing away Tobacco Road as the hi-fi system drowns out the sounds of the shutter. For two seconds between tracks, the world is silent and the shutter can once again be heard snapping and popping like a bowl of Rice Krispies. The Hives explode from the speakers “Here We Go Again”, strategically placed strobe lights are exploding and filling the room with their luminous flux, bleaching the eye sockets of those who dare to stare. All the elements have combined for this moment in the garage, the music, the cool night air, the model, and the resurrected Chevrolet were all deep in the fuzztone groove. An authentic pair of 60’s go-go boots, a real A-line mini dress that somehow survived the last 40 plus years and of course the straight axle Chevelle it’s real Americana on America’s birthday. Happy 4^th of July to America! May we as a people trudge through the deep trough of shit we are currently wallowing in and have a future that is as prosperous as our past. One can always hope and dream.

El Mirage

It’s a fever, it’s a disease, it’s an addiction…It’s a lifestyle! I’m talking about land speed racing, racing on the dry lakes of the southern California desert or on the salt beds of ancient Lake Bonneville. Yes, I guess I have to admit it is a lifestyle for me.

When summer time rolls around most folks dream of taking vacations in an Exotic Island location, a distant shoreline, or some overpriced theme park where a rabbit mouse siphons’ money from your wallet! I dream of heading for the hostile parched climate of the dirt or salt to watch purpose built cars go really fast in a straight line. I’m not alone in this affliction thousands around the world are hopeless victims as well, there is no cure other than looking forward to the next race. I have now passed this affliction onto my two sons. I’m surprised that they will willingly spend countless hours in the desert sun watching roadsters move along at 250 mph!

This June the weather was perfect at El Mirage! A great time to take photos!

Film

Do you remember film? How about slide film? I remember just 10 years ago when I would go to the Bonneville Salt Flats to catch the races, and besides a case of my favorite cold drink, I would have a case of my favorite film. Usually it was Fuji Velvia. (Yes….I did keep the film in the Ice chest till I was ready to use it.) The brilliant colors of that chrome film are still unparalleled today. Here’s to the good old days.

Today, I have about five rolls of unprocessed film sitting in a cabinet just waiting. There’s no close places anymore to get medium format rolls processed! It used to be that a couple miles in any direction you could find a lab to process your film. Now the nearest place is twenty miles away! Twenty miles there and twenty miles back. Then you got to go pick up the film in a week so there is another forty miles tacked onto the trip. Add $4 dollar a gallon gas into the mix and a vehicle that only gets 15 miles a gallon. It gets expensive. On display are a couple of frames from a roll I took about 11 or 10 years ago on good ol’ fashioned Fuji Velvia film. It’s fun to reminisce isn’t it? Were the good ol days really that good? I have to admit I love my digital camera when I think of the instant gratification of photography.

Working on the Book!

Ok, I'm excited about this one. The proofs to the coffee table art book arrived from the publisher yesterday. I'm going through making the final corrections. More or less here is what the cover will look like. This will be my first book. Never mind the magazine biz (which I still dable in) this will be my first book! Of course I don't think it will be available for sale till the end of the summer.

1949 Mercury Revisited.

It doesn't happen very often...well, to tell the truth it does not happen at all. But I received a request to post more pictures of the 1949 Mercury. Not just any request, but a request from a man in England who is having the said Mercury shipped over to him. He found this blog quite by accident and found the pictures of his Mercury on here. So, here you go Mr Steven, these pictures are for you. I hope that Mercury looks just as good cursing the London streets as it does the Los Angeles streets.