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February 6, 2012 by emasterphoto

2012 Pittsburgh World of Wheels Pt. 3

For those looking only for the photo gallery, you can reach it directly here: 2012 World of Wheels Show

The final batch of photos from the 2012 Pittsburgh World of Wheels show have been uploaded. All are from the upper level of the show, and they complete a full set of 154. Just like before, below are some of my favorites from this batch; I hope you like them too!

Next event I will be attending is the 2012 Pittsburgh International Auto Show, Feb. 17-20, also to be held at the David Lawrence Center, same as years past. I expect lots of excellent vehicles to shoot this year, so I hope you’ll join me to enjoy the photos. See you in a few weeks!

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February 4, 2012 by emasterphoto

2012 Pittsburgh World of Wheels Pt. 2

For those looking only for the photo gallery, you can reach it directly here: 2012 World of Wheels Show

Running a little late with my blog post, but wanted to share that the second batch of 2012 Pittsburgh World of Wheels show pics were put up a day or so back and can be viewed in the gallery linked above. This batch completes the set of shots from the first level of the show; the second level shots will be posted shortly.

While you’re waiting however, here’s some of my faves from this batch. As you’ll notice, these were mostly from the rat and hot rod side of the level, which I’ve always found to be my favorite.  Cheers!

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February 1, 2012 by emasterphoto

2012 Pittsburgh World of Wheels Pt. 1

 

For those looking only for the photo gallery, you can reach it directly here: 2012 World of Wheels Show

It’s that time again, the first post of the new show season and as usual I’m going to start with the World of Wheels show at the David Lawrence Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

This is the third year that I’ve shot the show, and as always it was brimming over with a large variety of cars and exhibits to enjoy. Last year, I only had a short amount of time to shoot due to the weather and the AFC Championship, but this year the weather was fantastic and the Steelers weren’t, so I was able to make it to both levels. Needless to say, the extra work was worth it.

With any show, there’s always a mix of old and new, and World of Wheels is no different. As you go through the photos, you’ll see more than a fair share of return vehicles on display. That’s OK I think; I like seeing the repeats and many times they’ve been updated in some form or another, so it can be fun to follow that progress. On the flipside, shows this early also have a higher chance of fresh metal showing up for their first outing, so it’s exciting and fun to see what projects were under wraps through the winter and are just now coming into the light. It’s also fun that people love to talk about said new projects. After all, they’ve put in a lot of time and sweat, so it’s only natural to be excited to share that with the world.

With that said, I’ve included below some of the new rides I came across from the first batch of photos uploaded tonight. With big shows like WOW and the Cleveland Autorama, it’s easier to upload photos in smaller batches as I process them than to wait and post them all at once. This way I can get photos up earlier to share than I could if I waited to post them all at once. That’s better for the viewers and fans of the show, and also for me as it takes some of the pressure off of getting images out in the public eye. In any case, definitely hop on over to the gallery to see this first batch, while in the meantime I’ll also post a few faves below just to whet your appetite in case you don’t have the time to view the gallery now. Thanks as always for looking, enjoy!

First up, this incredible Corvette-themed trike. Unlike a ‘Vette, no fiberglass was used – it’s all hand formed aluminum instead. Powered by a ’69 Camaro 6 cylinder engine, I think it’s an amazing scratch-built vehicle, and it’s owner/builder should be proud.

Adding to the fresh metal, how about this beautiful vintage Vega funny car? If you keep your eye out for it you may see it run at a track near you this year.

And for something really unique, check out this custom bike made entirely of Knex. Yeah, it’s not a legit ride, but the amount of time and design that went into it is pretty impressive. Plus, I’ve never seen anything like it before at any show ever. In fact, the whole display was a real standout.

Nice mini-mural on the tail of this very clean Mustang.

Speaking of Mustangs, how about this pink beauty? I was told by the owner that this was an original limited edition color given to Playboy Bunnies. Dealers only got six cars – 2 vinyl tops, 2 std. hardtops, and 2 convertibles, and that was it. This one has has been in the family since its purchase.

And finally, a nice 5.0, just because.

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November 16, 2011 by emasterphoto

Season Closer – 2011 Back To The 50′s Cruise Night

Well, back in the saddle again it seems after a short hiatus from blogging. For today’s post, I have some photos from back in July that may pique your interest. These were taken in the evening on the same day I shot the 2011 Back To The 50′s show, which you can view here: 2011 Back To The 50′s Weekend.

After the show, I went home to drop off my gear, pick up my family to go out to eat, and also to grab my little Canonet rangefinder. After a long day’s shooting with the heavy gear I though it would be a relief to venture out in lightweight style for the evening. I also picked the Canonet because last year I shot the cruise night with film in my Konica Auto-S (see 2010 New Castle Cruise Night), so why not continue the tradition? With that in mind, we decided to go eat at a restaurant in the plaza where this year’s get-together was happening.

I won’t go into detail too much about the show, suffice to say that a lot of the same cars were there from earlier in the day. After dinner, we headed out to have a look, with the fam going off on their own and me taking my snapshots. I only got through a roll and then some before they came back and wanted to move on, but still it’s enough to give a bit of the flavor of the evening. My only regret is waiting so long to get the film developed – usually I’m not so lax, but in general I tend to let film sit for a bit and then have it processed in a big batch when enough builds up. In that sense, I much prefer digital because I know I can have it right away with little hassle, so I’m not nearly as lazy with getting into my pics and getting them done.

Below are a few of the evening’s attendee’s, but you can see the full set here, so have a look and enjoy. This is the last set of my show pics for the year, though I may still post some older sets that need attention over the winter months to keep things fresh.

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September 21, 2011 by emasterphoto

Random Shots

A quick post, this one is – a short set of photos of a couple of random car sightings I happened upon over the last month or so.

First up is a Nissan GT-R I found parked in a lot at the place my wife’s church group meets. Only the third one one I’ve seen in the wild around here surprisingly, considering the area.

Next are a few cars I snapped at a random show we ran across while out on the town. Would’ve shot more as there were quite few cars in attendance, but a storm was rolling in, so I only could get these three before we had to bail. Oh well, you take what you can get, ne?

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September 21, 2011 by emasterphoto

. . . And Now For Something Completely Different

Tonight a slight change of pace. I’m trying to play catch-up with a few short posts that are a bit out of the norm from my usual show posts and that I thought would be interesting to you for variety’s sake.

First up is a short serious of photos that I took at a festival we attended about a month ago near Lake Pymatuming in northwestern Pennsylvania. The festival had nothing to do with anything automotive, but while we were walking about I came across a small display of restored vintage tractors. Vintage tractors are a big thing in this area, mainly because it’s a primarily agricultural region and thus an interest in them is almost second nature for many folks. I’ve run across a number of tractor shows and displays over the last few years, but never really paid much attention. The similarity to auto shows is pretty obvious though, and it goes without saying that they photograph similarly as well. Perhaps from now on I’ll try and cover them to a greater extent because it’s a fairly natural extension of what I shoot anyway, and I do find the various designs and models rather interesting. If you do as well, then keep your eyes open for more over the next year or so. For now though, here’s what I took this time out.

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August 15, 2011 by emasterphoto

2011 Boardman Cars In The Park Show Pt. 2

Posted up the second half of the 2011 Cars In The Park show at Boardman Park in Boardman, OH. The main gallery is here, but I’ve posted some of my faves from this batch below for a quick look.

This next one is a bit nostalgic for me. Years ago, we used to have a ’77 Ford LTD II that basically had the exact same front end as this Ranchero and was like driving an easy chair with wheels. Fun car, but got beat to hell in Chicago winters and died an inglorious death from rust and age.

For the 80′s, Grand Nationals were totally bonerific, and they still hold their own today too, I think.

And finally, a Fiero GT! I remember wanting one of these so bad when I was in high school because it looked somewhat Ferrari-ish, but instead I got stuck with a POS ’73 Toyota Celica that was painted with house paint (the paint was in the trunk when we bought it), and started up in the middle of winter on the first try with only about a quart of oil in it and after having sat for nearly half a year in the same parking space before being sold. It was rough, but that car had character. Would love to have a restored one.

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August 11, 2011 by emasterphoto

2011 Boardman Cars In The Park Show Pt. 1

Posting up the first batch of photos from this past weekend’s 2011 Cars In The Park show at Boardman Park, in Boardman, OH.

For those that want to skip straight to the gallery: 2011 Cars In The Park Gallery

First show in August I’ve had a chance to shoot, and it was quite a good one. This is the second year that I’ve shot the show and both times I’ve really enjoyed the variety of vehicles and ease of access to them that this show provides. Last year, I shot it casually with a little Canon Canonet rangefinder film camera because I wanted to experiment a bit with a vintage camera and film. That was great fun, but this year I shot it like I do most shows with my D3, mainly because I didn’t have any film handy and also because I didn’t feel like ponying up for processing this time. Cheapskate? Nah, just had some other priorities that needed funding first (framing prints for a show).

If you’ve read my post for this show from last year, then there’s really not that much to add to it. What I like most about it is that there is a wide variety of vehicles to look at – everything from a 1909 REO to a 2010 Z-06, and they also have a habit of arranging the displays in groups of similar vehicles, i.e. Mustangs in one area, Corvettes in another. This makes for ease in shooting and also can give some clever group shots of similar vehicles that I can’t get at many other shows. Plus, on a non-photographic level, Boardman Park also has a fantastic playground for kids, so you can take the family too and they can go play while you take in the show at a more leisurely pace. The atmosphere is pretty friendly too, and most attendees seemed easygoing and truly enjoying themselves. Wrap all of that up, and add in the fact that there are a ton of restaurants, stores, and entertaiment spots nearby, and you have a winner.

Some highlights from this first batch of photos:

And finally, this handbuilt one-off roadster that caught my eye because of the somewhat longish hood and overall style. Gotta show respect to anyone who can design and build their own car.

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July 12, 2011 by emasterphoto

2011 Back To The 50′s Weekend Pt. 2

Posted the remaining photos from the 2011 Back To The 50′s Weekend just now. You can go straight to the gallery here: 2011 Back To The 50′s Weekend Gallery

Here are my picks from this batch. I luvz me some smokey burnouts, so that’s what you get this time ’round, plus a surprise bonus at the end. Enjoy!

And for today’s bonus – remember these?

 

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July 9, 2011 by emasterphoto

2011 Back To The 50′s Weekend Pt. 1

For those wanting to go directly to the gallery: 2011 Back To The 50′s Gallery

Posted up the first batch of photos from last week’s Back To The 50′s Weekend tonight. For those not familiar with the show, it’s one of the largest in the region typically spanning four days over the weekend leading into the 4th of July, and is held at one of the local parks here in town, Cascade Park. This year I heard unofficially that they had in the neighborhood of 900 cars, so it’s a show worth attending if you live in the region.

One of the nice things about the show is that it’s very consistent – the layout stays the same more or less from year to year, the participants contain a fair number of regulars, and there’s always a large contingent of quality vehicles to look at and enjoy. I have mentioned before that I like it when shows have a lot of turnover in vehicles because it keeps things fresh and interesting, but in the case of the BTT50′s show I’m not so bothered by the consistency because there’s enough cars attending that you get fresh metal each year, yet also have the regulars which give the show a happy family kind of atmosphere. There’s always something to enjoy on display, so it’s a good balance I’d say.

Regarding shooting the show, this is the 4th year I’ve done so, though last year I kind of only skimmed through it because it was so hot and the light so poor the day I attended. With so many cars on display, my typical approach is to shoot it pretty casually as I make a lap around the display circuit. Now, I suppose I could try to shoot every vehicle and give complete coverage of the event, but in truth it’d be too exhausting and I also only can attend for a day as I have limited time, so I tend to snap what catches my eye and go with that. I do this with other shows too to some extent, but here more so I’d say. I also make it a point to catch the burnout runs as they tend to put on a decent show and it makes for some great photos. I think it’s a club that does it because the cars are consistent from year to year, but not 100% sure on that.

With that, I guess it’s best to show some pics, ne? As usual, these are my highlight picks out of the batch that got uploaded. There’s often no rhyme or reason as to why I choose the ones I do, but mainly it’s cars that are a bit unique in some way or have some element to them that just appeals to me. I usually try to only post ten or so here due to space concerns, so definitely take the time to look through the gallery and find your own favorites.

This Merc only has 28,000 original miles on it, and with the original paint and interior too!

It’s a purple Nova, what more can I say?

Showin’ the love.

This is interesting. I didn’t catch it at first until it was pointed out to me. It’s a Chevy Panel Truck converted into a pickup, all steel, and with an HHR grill. It works, and quite well.

And finally, I like red.

More to come shortly!

 

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