Lead Sled - Slammed '60 Caddy

I spotted this slammed 1960 purple Cadillac at the Cruz'n for the Roses car show this morning. The owner closed the trunk and removed the entry paperwork from the front window so I could get a cleaner shot. He didn't have to do that so that was pretty nice. Unfortunately it didn't stop people from stepping into my shot of course but that's kind of expected. I was being patient but the owner was saying "tell them to get out of the way!" What great style this car has. Check out the bed-of-nails  grill.

Make Mine a '59

Make Mine a '59, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Even in the dark parking lot at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler, this amazing 1959 Cadillac shines brightly. This was another tough one to photograph. Lots of people walking right through my shot. Either people are unaware that I am photographing the entire vehicle or they're getting pretty rude. As a result I had to combine the tone mapped image with several of the individual exposures, masking away images of the people who walked through my long exposures. Oh well, I like the end result so that's cool.

Let it Burn

Let it Burn, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Here's another view of this slammed caddy. I have included an inset of the fifth of ten exposures that I took to create this HDR image. This is good way to compare what typical photography methods would capture when faced with a scene that has such a wide range of light. As you can see, the inset photo is lacking both shadow and highlight detail. Also I can tell you from personal experience that the inset image does not represent the scene as my eyes remember it.

Our eyes are amazing devices and much more suited to capturing both light and detail than any camera regardless of price. I get a lot of emails from people who hate HDR photography for various reasons. While I respect the opinions of others, I personally feel that this process is very empowering and allows me to capture the scene the way I saw it and even take it further if I choose to do so. What do you think?

Look at that Cadillac

Look at that Cadillac, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I was walking around the Ruby's car show and had 2 people tell me that there was a wicked red, slammed caddy off by itself and not crowded on either side by other cars. This is highly desirable when taking photos with a wide angle lens. By the time I found the car, the sun was going down and the sky was pretty spectacular. When I am faced with a scene like this, where the sky is super bright and I am essentially shooting right into the sun, I am so glad I shoot using the high dynamic range method of photography. Only HDR can pull off a shot like this!

Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

3 classic Cadillacs in a row at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler car show in Downey California. Check out those cool tail fins. Does it get better than this?