Sprocket Rocket in Alaska

...because I can never shoot with *just one* camera: I brought along my Sprocket Rocket too.

All Photographs ©2011 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved. Do not download or copy without my permission.

Astoria Garages, 3.13.11

I wandered down to Shore Blvd., and P., the '55 Bel Air owner, drove by and said he was going to Serino's. So off we went. Serino Hot Rod is a shop in Astoria that has been around since 1935 - this is the 3rd generation running it. Beaters in various phases of restoration lined the street; it was car and photo heaven. They were kind enough to let me poke around, uncover cars, and shoot at will. I'm feeling a little sick of digital, so here are a few Holga shots... I plan on doing another post with the digital shots.

All photographs ©2011 Megan Green, All Rights Reserved. Do not copy, download, or screengrab without my permission.

Shore Blvd, Astoria 2.27.11 - Early Signs of Spring

Sunday was bright, sunny, and slightly above freezing in Astoria. Since it was a brutal winter, I had an inkling that some car people would be anxious to take their hot rods out of the garage and cruise a little. My intuition proved right. There were some later model muscle cars sunning along the river as I walked, but I didn't see anything that truly caught my eye until I backtracked and walked north - and spotted a '72 Charger. I took a few shots, and then the owner came along and had to take off. I kept walking, and got to a '55 Bel Air just in time to take a picture of *it* driving off! I watched it drive away... then I backtracked, and it was parked again. I started chatting with the owner, and he let me have the run of it - get inside, open the hood, the works - and then as luck would have it, the Charger came back and parked. Yes, spring is hopefully in the air.

'55 Bel Air:

'72 Charger:

For all you Mopar people, his 440 engine:

Note the sticker: right here in Queens, the Connecting Highway is legend in street racing. Check out the history here.

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.

_______

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

Shore Blvd., Astoria, 11.14.2010

Way back in April, I tagged along with a friend to some garages in Astoria. We first stopped into the garage of a family friend, and while they chatted, I poked around and took photos of the garage, parts, and then the owner's 1970 Nova in the process of being restored.

Today, I headed down to Shore Boulevard to see who was hanging out with their cars. I didn't see anything, but then on the way back, I saw this Nova parked by the war memorial. I crossed Shore and headed over. When I got close, the car owner called out - "Hey! You're Taso's friend! You took photos of the Nova when I was working on it! Thanks for the photos, I really liked them. What do you think of the car now?" It's gorgeous - a metallic caramel with black stripes. The interior isn't complete, but he promised me the photos would be great when he redoes the interior. We even tried calling T. to see if he would show up with his newly restored Firebird, but I guess that will be a post for another day.

Here are some shots of the Nova before, in the garage:

The Nova this after noon, after partial restoration. As I was photographing, I realized I had never recharged my flash batteries after SEMA, but I managed to get a few decent shots:

Passers-by weighing in:

After I finished, and we were both about to head home, he asked me, "Why do you have a Pontiac on your t-shirt?" Yeah, it happens. It was my Woodward t-shirt.

I know, I know, I know... SEMA shots! I have to get those up.