1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Coupe

Immediately preceding the United States’ entry into World War II, the automotive industry witnessed a surge in stylistic expression and fervor.

During the Pomona auto swap meet, I had the opportunity to encounter a remarkable 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe Coupe that epitomized this stylistic expression. This vehicle was exhibited at the show courtesy of the Memories of El Monte Car Club.

I was fortunate to locate this exceptional vehicle relatively early in the morning, before the parking area became excessively congested. Later that day, several additional members of the car club parked immediately adjacent to the coupe. I generally favor uncluttered backgrounds whenever feasible. 

Miss Judy

Here is a Lensbaby Sweet 22 image of a P-51 Mustang located at the Yanks air museum in Chino, California.  I acquired this lens when Lensbaby first offered it at a substantial discount. The lens exhibits a small area of sharp focus surrounded by well-rendered blur. I am still exploring the optimal usage of this lens. I recently discovered that the lens can be tilted to relocate the sweet spot within the captured area. 

Wet Dream

Kathy and I were strolling through the Chino Corn Feed car show when an unexpected downpour commenced. Seeking shelter, we found refuge in the covered parking lot of an abandoned motel. We engaged in conversation about the show, the vehicles we had captured, and observed the rain’s descent. As previously mentioned in another post, despite their high cost, our cameras and lenses lack waterproofing capabilities. Once the rain stopped, we returned to our initial location before the deluge began. In my case, my intention was to resume photographing a green 1951 Chevrolet truck. Upon returning to it, I discovered that it was covered in thousands of minuscule water droplets. While its appearance remained aesthetically pleasing, akin to a dream car, it guess it could be considered a “wet dream car”.

Back to Mac

Over the past two years, I have been seeking a macro lens with an extended focal length but have been unable to find one at a reasonable price. Consequently, I have purchased two high-quality telephoto lenses to use as alternatives. While these lenses have performed satisfactorily, I decided to utilize my dedicated 100mm macro lens on this day at Chicano Park in San Diego to photograph a hood ornament.

My macro lens, dating back to the mid-1980s, not only exhibits exceptional sharpness but also possesses the remarkable ability to render out-of-focus areas in an aesthetically pleasing manner. As I commenced composing the shot, I noticed the vibrant and intricate background. My extensive experience has taught me that this frequently yields favorable outcomes. I took approximately eight exposures and selected the most suitable one to post today.

To expedite capturing images, I typically do not employ a tripod for my macro shots, even when I am capturing those images in low light conditions. Instead, I enable Auto ISO, allowing the camera to automatically adjust shutter speed as necessary to preserve sharpness and avoid motion blur. This is accomplished by adjusting the camera sensor’s sensitivity. While this approach may result in a grainy image, Adobe Lightroom’s AI-driven denoising technology enables me to obtain a perfectly clean image without compromising the image’s details.

Achieving the optimal outcome—an ideal situation indeed!

Overpass Gathering

Chicano Park, situated beneath the freeway overpasses leading to the Coronado Bay Bridge in the Barrio Logan neighborhood of San Diego, holds a rich history. After occupation and protests by the residents of the neighborhood, the site was reclaimed from the city. Today, the park is adorned with numerous murals and artworks that proudly showcase the unique cultural heritage of its inhabitants.

On car show days, the overpass transforms into a vibrant gathering place for automotive enthusiasts, where a multitude of exquisite vehicles converge beneath its structure. This spectacle visually embodies the duality of a hidden space that simultaneously serves as a sanctuary. This duality is particularly poignant given the contested nature of this land.

In the 1970s, simply driving a lowered car, like those displayed at the car show, was sufficient grounds for law enforcement to detain the occupants, suspecting them of committing an unknown crime.

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This image is a composite HDR vertorama composed of four sets of images, each containing ten high dynamic range exposures for a total of forty images. During the initial photography session, I experimented with both horizontal and vertical compositions. However, the horizontal shot failed to capture the overpass entirely, even with a wide-angle lens. Conversely, the vertical shot provided a glimpse of the overpass, but excessively cropped off the cars which necessitated the creation of a vertorama.

While capturing forty 61-megapixel shots did consume a significant amount of hard drive space, the I feel the resulting vertorama is worthwhile in this instance.

Reflecting on a '39 Chevy

Kathy and I attended the 2025 Chino Corn Feed car show in Chino, California, in late April. We arrived around 6:15 AM and parked my car under stormy skies that appeared highly threatening. I estimate that there were already approximately 100 or more show cars parked on the main street, which is a significant number considering the imminent threat of rain. Show car owners typically invest considerable time in preparing their vehicles for display at a show, and experiencing rain would be undesirable. We commenced photographing the cars and proceeded down the main street. We were compelled to seek shelter on several occasions due to the intermittent rain. Our cameras and lenses are of high value and not waterproof, so it would not be prudent to damage our equipment. Therefore, when rain began, we placed them in our camera bags and sought shelter. Later in the day, we decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant. The restaurant was approximately four blocks away, and as we were walking, rain began to fall again. By the time we arrived, the rain was coming down heavily. We attempted to eat slowly to wait out a change in the weather, but soon, there were other customers waiting to be seated. Consequently, we decided to depart. We donned our jackets and resumed our walk back to the show site.

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We first saw this 1939 Chevy in a local business’s parking lot. The recent heavy downpour had left big puddles on the ground near this car. Kathy and I both had the same idea. Let’s shoot some photos of the car from a low angle to capture not just the car but the reflection of the car in the water. We met the owner who had been following Kathy on social media. I asked if he would be willing to reposition the car and turn on his headlights and fog lights to better show up in the reflection. He readily agreed. We took quite a few photos. Kathy kept her camera mounted on her tripod and I took several shots by holding my camera about 1 inch above the water.

Early Morning Bombero - 1938 Buick

Kathy and I were happy to once again to attend the Chicano Park car show in San Diego, California, last week. We arrived very early, prioritizing securing a parking spot in close proximity to the event. Despite arriving at the early hour of 5:00 AM that Saturday morning, more than 50 cars were already in attendance.

In my opinion, this 1938 Buick stood out as the most impressive vehicle at the show. Its exceptional quality was evident even among the other exceptional cars on display that day. The paint job was particularly striking, characterized by its deep, lustrous appearance. The miniature murals adorning the vehicle’s sides were also noteworthy.

We are looking forward to attending next year’s show.

Out for Delivery

Last week, Kathy and I embarked on a trip to San Diego to attend the annual car show held in Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park. The car show was to take place on Saturday, we were in town from Friday to Sunday. During our previous attendance, we arrived at the park around 6:00 AM, which proved to be an a little too late, as we encountered difficulties in securing parking. To avoid a similar experience, I informed Kathy that we would depart from our hotel at 4:30 AM, which we diligently adhered to.

To ensure my car’s timely retrieval, I utilized the QR code we were given to request the car be retrieved for pickup, but unfortunately, our request was not responded to.

Undeterred, we proceeded to the hotel lobby and walked outside to the parking valet kiosk. The parking attendant was nowhere to be found. Given the early hour, we had not anticipated any significant delays.

We returned to the lobby where we observed the parking attendant engaged in animated conversation with a young lady behind the guest registration desk. We interrupted their conversation and requested that the parking attendant retrieve my car. This he promptly did and we loaded our camera bags in the car and departed.

By 4:45 AM, we had successfully arrived in the Barrio Logan neighborhood. However, due to Kathy’s apprehension that our car would be towed if we parked immediately adjacent to the park, we opted to park a few blocks away. The walk to the park was somewhat sketchy but ultimately uneventful, and we arrived without incident.

Upon our arrival at the park there were already a considerable number of cars present. Without wasting any time, Kathy and I unpacked our cameras and tripods and commenced shooting.

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One of the initial vehicles I captured was a stunning 1939 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery. It was slammed and exhibited an exceptionally flawless paint job. I came to a complete halt when I noticed it. While Kathy favors the 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline (which I also admire), this particular vehicle is essentially my dream car. Unlike later in the day, there were relatively few individuals present as I approached and set up my camera. A gentleman did approach and informed me that the delivery version of this car is quite rare in contemporary times. I informed him that I had never encountered one before and proceeded to take several sets of photographs from various perspectives. This was merely one of several hundred cars I captured at the park that day. This car show, which typically sells out almost immediately, appeared to have ample space for additional vehicles by the time we departed. We learned from third-hand sources that a new car show steering committee had made the decision to hold the car show on Easter weekend. This alone may have deterred some individuals from attending. I am uncertain whether this was accurate, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Kathy was also having a pleasant time until her well-worn tripod, which she had been using since 2018, broke. She spent some time attempting to reattach the leg segment that had detached. I inquired about the situation and offered a few suggestions, all of which were promptly rejected. She appeared agitated and somewhat irritated. I decided to keep quiet for the time being. Ultimately, she was unsuccessful and the tripod would not rise again “Lazarus come forth!”. I offered to lend her my tripod and ball head, fully anticipating that she would decline the offer given her current state of mind, but she remained silent. Long experience told me that this silence could indicate contemplation or acceptance. I took a chance and removed the L-bracket from my camera and attached it to hers. She simply observed without uttering a word. I mounted her camera on my tripod and she tentatively adjusted the controls. After a few moments of loosening the drag adjustment dial which was inexplicably jammed, she was back in operation. She decided to photograph a few Chevy bombs that had just arrived and I proceeded on my own in search of breakfast. All in all a great and fun day.

Light Show

About a month ago, one of my nephews mentioned that he was going to attend the Pomona Auto Swap Meet to be held on a Sunday in early April. I told him I intended to go as well so we made a plan to meet up. Generally speaking, he travels to Pomona from central California to look for car parts while I go to take photos of the classic cars. I let him know I intended to arrive at 5:00AM and that he would find me near the drag strip grandstands where the lowrider and Chevy bombs usually park. 

The day before the event, Kathy and I got our cameras and gear together, I cleaned my camera sensors and made sure the camera batteries I intended to use were fully charged. I was also going to be using a new 10” external monitor for the first time so I made sure the batteries for that were charged and also ensured I put any required cables in my rolling camera bag.

The day of the event, I got up at 3:00AM to take a shower before we left. Kathy was going to get up at 4:00AM and was already on the move when I walked downstairs. She wasn’t feeling well however and was vacillating on whether she should go or not. She ultimately decided to stay home and go back to bed. Once I was sure she would be OK, I left about 4:15AM. It was still very dark as I walked to my car, loaded up my camera gear and jacket. I didn’t see the sun until well after I arrived in Pomona about 36 miles away. While it didn’t rain during the event like it did last month, it was a foggy drive and when I arrived, there was enough moisture in the air to create the light beams from the headlights of the Chevy Fleetline pictured below. This is the same car I admired and photographed last month. I chatted with the owner who once again was kind enough to turn on his headlights for my photos. 

I had been taking photos for about 30 minutes when my nephew and his wife walked up to me. They were primarily dressed in black and seemed to materialize suddenly out of the darkness that surrounded me. As always, it was great to see them and we chatted for about 45 minutes before they departed to walk around the swap meet and look for stuff to buy. I got back to shooting more photos and had a great time.  

Wild Horses - The Mustang

This particular P-51 Mustang has been in the Chino California Planes of Fame Museum's collection for several decades. I remember seeing it in the mid 1990's. They seem to take very good care of it as it still flys quite regularly. My close up view of the aircraft reveals her glossy and smooth appearance.

One of the truly wonderful things about being newly retired is that I now have the long dreamed of freedom to visit these museums during the work week and avoid them during the weekends. This means I am typically visiting during slow times and I don't run the risk of getting in the way of other visitors and vice versa. I just setup my tripod and quietly take my shots. As usual I draw the attention of the museum docents who are curious about what I do with the photos I take. Not many visitors seem to show up with tripods and professional cameras. When I show them examples of the aviation photos on my blog they show a little sign of recognition but don't say much other than "Looks like you "Photoshopped" that photo". The truth is while I once used Photoshop extensively, I rarely open the application these days. I ingest and catalog the photos using Adobe Lightroom and use Luminar Neo to merge my exposures into one HDR image that I then occasionally lightly post process them back in Lightroom.