Pontiac Hood Ornament

Regular readers of this blog are aware of my propensity to photograph Pontiac hood ornaments whenever I encounter one. While I have captured this particular hood ornament at other locations in the past, the lighting and background conditions will invariably differ, necessitating new photographs.

I recently encountered this Pontiac vehicle at the Bomb Club’s car show at the Santa Anita Race Track. This venue is an ideal setting for a car show, provided the weather conditions are not excessively warm. We arrived early and captured numerous photographs of the cars awaiting entry into the grassy infield area.

This particular car was parked on the grass, providing a suitable background. This is not a macro shot; instead, I utilized my 135mm lens at f1.8 to blur the background. This is one of the telephoto lenses I acquired in used condition in an attempt to find a longer lens that combines close-focus capabilities with a large aperture, enabling the creation of aesthetically pleasing out-of-focus areas. This lens was originally priced at approximately $2000. I was fortunate to purchase it for around $350, which was a significant savings considering my doubts about justifying paying the full price.

 

Angel Number Seven - F/A-18B Hornet

This McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornet served the United States Navy in various roles. It is currently displayed at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino California in Blue Angel livery. The Blue Angels, the premier flight demonstration team of the US Navy, flew the Hornet for 34 years from 1986 to 2020. As you can imagine, the numerous high-G maneuvers performed during their approximately 60 annual shows took a significant toll on the jets. Despite meticulous maintenance, the jets eventually required replacement. Notably, some retired jets were donated or loaned to museums.

This particular Hornet entered service in January 1984 and was assigned to various Naval bases across the United States. It was eventually assigned to the Blue Angels in March 1991, where it was based in Pensacola, Florida. In February 2000, it was reassigned to El Centro, California, where the Blue Angels conducted their winter training. The Hornet returned to Pensacola from November 2001 to May 2008 and was officially stricken from active service on November 12, 2008. Subsequently, it was loaned to the United States Air Force Museum in 2012.

Hawaiian Gardens Blues

While attending the City of Hawaiian Gardens car show, I encountered a two-tone blue 1948 Fleetline that appeared remarkably familiar. The owner was seated at the wheel and, upon noticing my approach with my tripod and camera, promptly exited the vehicle and closed the door. I suspected that this might be the same car I had photographed at the Pomona Auto Swap Meet earlier this year and subsequently posted on my website. I swiftly located the post on my mobile device, presented it to the owner, and inquired whether it indeed corresponded to the vehicle I had previously captured. He confirmed its identity and expressed his admiration for the photographs.

To facilitate the owner’s access to the images of his car, I guided him to my website on his phone, enabling him to download the photographs. Once this task was completed, I proceeded to capture several sets of photographs of the car in its current surroundings. The owner then proceeded to share the photographs I had taken at Pomona with his acquaintances from the La Puente car club. The photo below is one of the shots I took on this day in Hawaiian Gardens.

 

The Show Before the Show - City of Hawaiian Gardens Car Show

During the LA Bombs car show in Santa Fe Springs, Kathy and I encountered members of the Compas car club. They extended an invitation to attend their car show, which would be held in mid-July in the City of Hawaiian Gardens. They also provided us with a flyer for the show and we agreed to attend.

We had previously attended their car show, which was exceptionally well-organized. In addition to inviting us to photograph the show, which was scheduled for a Saturday, they offered to allow us to visit the show location on Friday evening to capture images of the club cars that would be pre-positioned the night before the main event.

We departed on Friday evening after Kathy concluded work. Upon arriving, we entered the Fedde Sports Complex as the sun was setting. We located the club cars parked on the outskirts of the baseball fields and re-introduced ourselves to the club members we had previously encountered. After confirming our permission to photograph the approximately ten cars already present, we commenced capturing images.

The rapidly changing evening light due to the setting sun necessitated prompt action. I completed photographing the cars swiftly, while Kathy continued for a while longer. We had anticipated needing to have dinner, drive home, get some rest, and wake up around 4:00 AM to arrive by 5:30 AM the following morning.

Albert from the Compas car club generously provided us with media passes, enabling us to enter the show several hours early. This allowed us to capture our photographs without the presence of hundreds of people. While this arrangement benefits us, it may also be advantageous for the show attendees. By taking our photographs and departing before their arrival, we can avoid obstructing their view.

The photographs below were captured on Friday. Photos from the actual car show will be posted in the coming days.

 

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.

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.  

A6 Intruder - Classic Design, Might Need Some Work

This is not the first time I have seen this Navy A6 Intruder aircraft. About 15 years ago, I was wandering around the Yanks Air Museum's "boneyard" in Chino California and came across two A6's . I photographed them then and posted them to my blog and my flickr photo stream.  This past March, I visited again and was somewhat surprised to find these same two aircraft still sitting there waiting their turn to be restored. My uninformed guess is that they will still be there 15 years from now. Aircraft restoration is a long process once it gets started and these aircraft show no signs that any restoration is in their near future…

Low Slung Fun

At the same Montebello car show, we also saw this stunning beauty. Can anyone identify a modern car that is this stylish and beautiful? Sure the owner has modified this car extensively but if a single person can realize this vision why can't the big car companies? Probably because most people these days are only interested in boring, boxy SUV's. The world is a less interesting place because of this.

Earn Your Wings

Just a few posts ago, I was talking about style when it comes to cars. I really do feel that today's cars are sorely lacking in style probably because every design today is the result of a focus group and not the realization of a group of visionaries. I may be wrong but check out this 1959 impala! If this is considered bad design, well sign me up! I'm ready to earn my wings. 

I Got a Right to Sing the Blues

The first time I saw the US Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, I was 5 years old. At the time the team was flying the powerful McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft which were aptly nicknamed the Rhino. These huge twin-engine jets were unbelievably loud especially when all 6 of them fired up their engines simultaneously. The ground actually started shaking. All of this visual and aural stimulation was way too intense for a 5-year-old so after very little thought, I decided screaming and crying my eyes out would be an appropriate response. On the day this photo was taken at the Yanks air museum in Chino, California I was quite surprised to find this FA-18 aircraft wearing the Blue Angel livery. Unbidden, my mind flashed back to my first encounter with the blues. However, this time I was able to maintain my composure and just framed up my shot. I'm glad my response was a calm one. My wife would never have been able to scoop me up and walk me outside. It had probably been a decade since I had visited this museum and many things have changed including the fact that their aircraft collection has grown significantly.