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.  

In Her Element - Kathy and the '57 Chevy

I frequently get asked about my image-generating process. I’ve detailed it before, but for newcomers, I not only unapologetically post-process my images but also use a tripod during capture. I take between 9 to 11 exposures to capture the range of light I desire, especially when ambient lighting is low and long exposure times are anticipated. Holding my camera perfectly still for a 30-second exposure would be impossible.

In this image, I’ve captured Kathy in her element: a cool overcast morning, a classic car (or truck), her camera mounted on a tripod, and her camera bag. She’s wearing her hat with the words “Close your fucking hood” pinstriped across the brim. Kathy knows what she likes and, while quiet and reserved, isn’t shy about expressing her opinions with a fiery delivery.

I approached the truck just as the owner was parking it and asked if he’d leave the lights on for a minute while I took a few photos. He happily obliged, initially leaving the parking lights on and then turning on the headlights. Seeing this, Kathy joined me and took a few shots as well. I moved my tripod back to avoid appearing in her photos, knowing from experience that she might ask me to “move my fat ass out of the shot” or make other endearing comments. After 17 years, we understand one another. While I greet car owners, Kathy captures the best images and writes compelling stories. I enjoyed chatting with the owner about the truck and was glad he braved the intermittent rain. Kathy gave him a business card so he could see the photos we took of this beauty under stormy skies.

'48 Pomona Blues

Toward the end of our visit to the Pomona Auto Swap Meet last March, I strolled along the drag strip grandstands and stumbled upon a striking two-tone blue 1948 Chevy Fleetline. Usually, I skip through the cars in this section because their hoods are raised, and for-sale signs are prominently displayed on the windshields. However, this car was different. It wasn’t for sale, but its paint shone brilliantly, reflecting the light even amidst the intermittent rain showers and threatening skies overhead. After taking several photos with my camera, I snapped another one with my phone and sent it to Kathy, letting her know about the car and its location so she wouldn’t miss it. I’m not sure if she’s ever seen this particular car before, but I’m certainly glad I added it to my digital collection.

 

Black Fleetline Under Stormy Skies

Kathy and I decided to go to the Pomona Auto Swap Meet at the Fairplex in Pomona, California once we learned that it wasn't supposed to rain until later that morning. Kathy's older brother and his wife happened to be in town, so we asked if they wanted to join us and they agreed. We picked them up around 4:00am and headed for Pomona. The drive to the event was uneventful with the exception of encountering a police car weaving back and forth across the freeway lanes ahead of us for a short time. Once we arrived, we saw that the line of cars waiting to enter was fairly short. I think many exhibitors and visitors decided not to show up due to the impending storm. When we arrived at the show area there were only a handful of cars for us to photograph but more arrived as time went by. One of those cars that arrived was this 1947 Chevy Fleetline. The owner was kind enough to leave the lights on for me while I took my shots. It began sprinkling as I took these photos and it wasn't until I moved to the rear of the car that I realized that the sky had become quite dark. We continued shooting lots of cars until it became obvious that we should go get some breakfast.

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.

A Face Full of Grill

Kathy and I decided on a whim to attend a car show in Montebello being held at a park. There were lots of cars in the adjacent parking lot and several more lined up curbside across the street. This is where we found this black 1938 Buick. I was immediately drawn to it due to its beautiful paint job and extensive amount of chrome gleaming in the sun. It was a hot day and Kathy was already feeling the effects of it. Not long after we photographed the cars adjacent to this one, we called it a day and walked across the street, bought a couple of water bottles and headed back to my car for the ride home in the cold air conditioning it can produce. 

Gumby

I saw this clean, slammed, two toned chevy truck at the 2023 Riverside show & go car show tucked away on a side street. We had walked around all morning taking loads of photos and we were nearly ready to return to the hotel to check out and head home. Glad I got few shots of this beforehand.