“The best way to learn how to photograph cars is “Practice, practice, practice.”—Joe Farace

Since there isn’t always a car show scheduled so why not shoot your own car?

On any given weekend pre-pandemic there was a car show or Concours d’Elegance happening somewhere. And that seems to be changing for the better, You can also find information about local shows in newspapers, enthusiast publications, and the Internet.

Lately, Mary has been finding local shoes on the Colorado Cars & Coffee group on Facebook. We found out about the group when we happened upon a small show at a local McDonald’s—nope, didn’t have a camera with me. But we met some nice people including the owner of a flawless 1957 white Susan Sommers Thunderbird and saw some great cars including a beautiful Bayside Blue Nissan Skyline and a charming 1930’s Ford pickup truck.

These kinds of impromptu shows are a growing phenomenon within America’s car culture and are not associated with a special event or organization but occur on a regular basis at a local donut shop or burger joint. These kinds of gatherings can be harder to find but make the effort because they are smaller in size and attract a different kind of enthusiast and cars. In addition to social media, visit shops that cater to cool cars, such as tire and wheel stores, upholstery, or paint shops, in short anyplace where you see interesting cars parked outside. Ask about upcoming shows, including those informal gatherings.

How I made these shots: The photograph of my now-departed Jaguar XJ-S at top was shot near Denver’s Mamie D. Eisenhower Park. It was made with a Pentax K-100 and smc Pentax-DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED lens at 200m with an exposure of 1/350 sec at f/8 and ISO 200. One of the oldest tricks in the car photography book is to wet down the street to create reflections. I didn’t have permission or a hose to do that here so the water you see was added in post production using the wonderful plug-in called Flood from Flaming Pear Software. Download the trial version and give it a try,

The photo of my wife’s (former) low mileage 2006 Mercedes 350 SLK was made at a nearby lake using an Olympus E-M5 Mark I with Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II R lens at 29mm. Exposure was 1/125 sec at f/6.3 and ISO 400.

You can see more of our old cars by using the blog’s Search feature and searching for “our cars.” 

In early 2015, my partner Cathy and I were informed by our German friends, Barbara and Wolfgang, that during their visit to the US they would be stopping in Niagara Falls, New York. Given that we could drive there in just over an hour from our Toronto surburb, we made plans to meet and enjoy the view of the Falls from the US side.

After spending a relaxing day by the Falls, they suggested we go back to their hotel and walk to the famous Anchor Bar to sample the best chicken wings ever. However, as we parked our cars both Wolfgang and I were very surprised to find a rare and unique collection of cars in the parking lot. They were competitors of the 2015 Trans-America Nova Scotia to San Francisco Rally and had parked their vehicles in the same lot outside of the hotel!

Initially I thought this was a remake of the classic movie Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies starring Tony Curtis. That is, until I did some research on this event and their participants. It turns on out that one team consisted of a 97-year old mother with her son driving a 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III. They would finish fifth overall!

The cars ranged from a 1927 Bentley to a 1977 Triumph Stag. There was even a 1967 VW Beetle. Competitors were from the USA, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Malaysia. Unfortunately I did not have an opportunity to meet any of them but it was a real treat to see the collection of cars in the parking lot. If you would like to see the results of the event, please click here.

All of this already has me thinking about competing in similar events in the future; Hey, does my 1988 Mazda Rx7 qualify to enter? I’m not sure that the rotary engine could survive the event…

John Larsen is located in the Greater Toronto Area, whose PhotoGraffics website contains samples of motorsports and hot air balloon photography from numerous Canadian balloon festivals.

In the spring I happened across a story about the annual Grand Prix Festival at Watkins Glen, NY. I mentioned his event to a fellow photo club member and he raved about it as he had been there a few years ago with his Lotus. I registered my partner Cathy and I for the Roadster Rally in my 1988 Mazda Rx7 convertible. Our group of Roadster Rallyists was limited to two-seater convertibles only—if you had a t-bar roof you need not apply! There were other rallies available to other car types and even motorcycles.

We met at a park in nearby Montour Falls. As we were greeted by the other members of this particular rally, I was struck by the distinct display of cars. Peter and his wife Gerry were parked beside us in their Miata which they won in a raffle. John and Sue were behind us in a 12 cylinder Jaguar E-type with more chrome under the hood than I’ve ever seen on a Jag. He bought it on eBay from photos without seeing the car. Beside them was the father and son duo of George Senior and Junior in another beautiful black Jaguar. I’m not sure which had more variety: the cars or the people!

During the meeting we quickly realized that this was a navigational rally of sorts. I have participated in my fair share of rallies, but Cathy and I had not entered a navigational rally for almost thirty years. I was hoping for a “follow the leader” event here. After all, my car has an odometer that was in kilometers and not miles. My plan was to simply follow the bright yellow Pontiac Solstice in front of us. The organizers had outsmarted me however as the route map had both miles AND kilometers on it! It is a good thing too because within 45 minutes you could see participants scattering in various directions. I thought of the bumper sticker “Don’t follow me-I’m lost too!”

The highlight of the day was to drive two laps of the original Watkins Glen course used in the late 40’s to early 50’s through downtown which included crossing the train tracks and Stone Bridge . The pace was slow and safe through the town as an estimated 20,000 spectators lined the sidewalks. Once we were out of town on the back part of the circuit I had a quick look at my speedometer and I am sure that it was higher than the posted limit!

After we parked and settled into Watkins Glen, a selection of racers that were participating in the US Vintage Grand Prix at the nearby Watkins Glen International racetrack did a run through town. Ahh, the sights, the sounds, the smells. As we were leaving the track on Sunday and we shared a final wave with George Jr., I was reminded of something our bed and breakfast host had said months before when we made our reservations, “This is better than Christmas!”

Senior International Travel Correspondent, John Larsen has created a photo magazine documenting the 2016 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival. You can preview a copy of the magazine and purchase either a printed or digital version by clicking here.

I want to thank everyone who came out to last Saturday’s show, especially those hardy souls who brought along memory cards and were able to shoot the new full-frame 36-megapixel Pentax K-1 that I brought to the show and that was used to make all of the images you see here.

Look for an in-depth review of the Pentax K-1 on Shutterbug magazine’s website in the near future.

This monthly event is held from 8-10 AM on the First Saturday of the month, during the summer moths, The time is limited, I guess, because the nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods opens at 10AM and they need the lot space. Nevertheless, this seems to be the best hand-down Coffee & cars event in Colorado. There are a lot of different kinds of cars and lots of nice people with interesting stories to tell about their cars.

In addition to all the local automotive beauties we will also feature a host club each month. In June, 2016 it’s the Pikes Peak Little British Car Club, so I’ll be sure to be there. Hope you can make it. At this present time we are considering having a Coffee & Cameras event at a nearby (and really nice) Starbucks after the June show.

• Date: Sunday, September 20, 2015,
• Location: Oak Park, 64th Place and Oak Street, Arvada, Colorado.
• Time: Registration (for entrants) begins at 8:00 am, Voting (by spectators) ends at 12:30 pm

A gathering of over 500 English vehicles (cars, 4WDs and motorcycles) is the largest in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States.

It was first started in 1983 as a joint effort of the many English car and motorcycle clubs in the Denver area. The Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Lotus, MG Car Club, MG T Register, Morris Minor, Rolls Royce, Sunbeam, Triumph, TVR, Rocky Mountain Vintage Racing and British Motorcycle Association clubs will all take part in the planning and promotion of this annual event.

The purpose of the Colorado English Motoring Conclave is to further the operation, preservation and owner participation of the great British marques. You’ll see a wide assortment of British marques, learn of sources for specialized services, enjoy food, fun and entertainment in the park and visit local vendor.

This is a big sprawling show so there won’t be a formal or informal PhotoWalk but please say “Hi!” to Mary and I when we see you at the show.