Outtakes from LA Auto Show

Nov. 17-19, 2010

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show proved to be more frantic than last year, possibly because (as the NY Times reported) there were 50% more journalists there this year than last year. There just didn't seem to be enough time and space to get the more creative and interesting shots I wanted to get (or, in some cases, the basic shots that I needed) without other photographers in the way - and it seemed we were always in each others' way. After three days (two press days and the first day open to the public) I was exhausted; my feet hurt for a week. One journalist announced in the press room, "My pedometer says I've walked 14 miles today!" It took me this long to get to the task of finding my shots for the blog because of the sheer number of photos I took.

There were few surprises, least of which was the 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible.

I think the car I loved photographing the most was the Jaguar C-X75 concept. My camera loved its fluid lines. Just look at the way the cover hangs on it...

Yes, drool-worthy. Jay Leno apparently has one already.

Porsche was fun with models dressed in retro fashion. (Two other Porsches here and here.)

Here's a great example of what NOT to do when going in for a really cool reflective shot (of the 2012 Ford Focus) - get your Fiat swag in the picture!

_______________________________________^^white bag of swag

While this shot isn't perfect, I think it's my favorite shot from L.A. This is a detail of the back of the Dodge 2011 Charger. I wish the Charger plate was lit better and a bit brighter; this was the rare occasion where, for a few moments, no one got in my way at Dodge. They tweaked their interiors a lot, which is good - I was in the backseat of a rented Avenger from Dallas to Odessa, and it was a bit... firm.

Kia is always fun to shoot - yet another hybrid choice:

The Mazda Shinari concept was just as exciting as the Jaguar C-X75 to photograph:

Love that snake eye headlight:

Things were less rushed on the second day at Audi, and I was able to slow down and get some nice detail shots such as this one inside the R8 GT.

While waiting for the press conference to begin, I played around with the camera to try some unique shots of the event. I like to flex that creative muscle to keep things fresh, even if the shots fail in the end. There's something about this shot that I dig.

Before the show opened to the public, I had five wonderful minutes alone with the Boss 302. I had a list of about 15 different shots that I wanted. I couldn't get them all - the doors opened to the public way too soon.

Yes, kids, I'll be asking for a pony for Christmas too.

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All Photographs ©2010 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved. Do not download or otherwise copy without my permission.

Woodward Dream Cruise - 8.21.2010

This was my first year at Woodward, and while I expected a lot, I was overwhelmed. I was surrounded by (mostly) classic cars - I didn't even want to blink. In the minivan with the rest of the crew, conversations were never completed; in the middle of a sentence, one of us would yell, "Holy cow, look at that." Heck, we never even made it as far as Pontiac. In spite of the rain that persisted throughout the day, I walked around, shot, walked around some more, shot, watched the cars cruising, shot, was happy to not get hit by cars crossing the street because I was ogling another car, shot, passed a Chevrolet executive on Woodward, shot, shadowed the writer... shot... you've got the idea. Most of the hundreds of photos that I took were for the client, but a few outtakes that they didn't use follow.

A high performance Gremlin. Gremlin? Yes, Gremlin:

This guy likes his RAM Hemi so much he got the logo inked on his leg:
Overheard walking around some classics: "I wonder how much total horsepower is on this field today."
Yeah, every car blog got a shot of this '57 Bel Air stretch limo - but it's cool, so I'm posting it:
A Back-to-the-Future replica in the field of DeLoreans. (Thank you, rain, for the blurry blob in the middle of my shot.)
This Camaro is for you, Kim Larson. It's a '67, is that what you wanted?

Ingenious. Plus, you know you'd make fun of him mercilessly if he was on a Segway.
I was in love with this silver metallic '57 Bel Air:
There was a group of seven or eight Monte Carlos; there are four here, and the others were across Woodward. These men's cars were beautiful. After they finished drying their cars, the second part of their group drove across Woodward and they all pulled out together to cruise for the rest of the afternoon.
Detail of an engine on a classic 'Stang:

The whole classic Mustang. This car is very, very important. Why? Because this is the exact color that my Mustang will be when I get it. Minus the engine that I can't see over. The owner was nearby, and I dared not lick it. (C.E. Murphy, on the off chance you see my blog post, this one's for you. Well, it's for me... but I'll share it.)
Batmobile - need I say more?

Kaiser Darrin's Clara Bow grille:
Spectators! The rain didn't keep them away from pulling up chairs and watching the cars cruise by all day.
As Murphy's Law goes, the sun finally came out right before the day came to a close:

I think I'll go for the whole week next year. I have to go back - I want to make it to Pontiac.