Around the web today; November 14th, 2013

A cool shot of an epic Christmas tree destined for the Capitol in Washington D.C., being hauled across the country from Washington state by a gleaming 2014 model Mack Pinnacle:  http://www.overdriveonline.com/photo-mack-pinnacle-loaded-with-the-capitol-christmas-tree/



A time-lapse video showing the construction of a Transformer robot based on a 1988 Ford Fiesta, the creator's first car:
 http://www.rides-mag.com/videos/2013/11/watch-ford-fiesta-transform-transformer/
http://www.psfk.com/2013/10/ford-transformer-car.html



Chicago Tribune photojournalist Alex Garcia discusses the pros and cons of professional photographers using an image editing program like Instagram for their work:  http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2013/11/sitting-on-the-fence-with-instagram.html

Kenneth Jarecke offers a much less subtle critique here:  http://kennethjarecke.typepad.com/mostly_true/2012/10/instagram-the-devil-and-you.html



Photojournalist Pete Muller has shot a powerful series of images in Africa, focusing much of his efforts on the war-ravaged Eastern Congo: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/a-congolese-rebellion-routed-a-photographers-work-continues/



A surreal and somewhat amusing project from American photographer Nina Goldstein, showing her interpretation of what Disney princesses' lives might be like, following the 'happily ever after' endings of their respective fairy-tale stories: http://www.demilked.com/fallen-princesses-dina-goldstein/

The images are visually striking, ethereal and quite jarring, mostly because you're so used to seeing these characters in their sickly-sweet pretend Disney worlds. The photo of Rapunzel in particular is one that made me stop in my tracks. The picture shows her sitting on the side of a bed in hospital, bald, with her golden locks in a plait trailing from the bed and onto the floor, accompanied by an IV drip, implying she is having chemotherapy.



American photographer Chase Jarvis shows what happens on a commercial shoot for an Aspen ski resort's ad campaign: http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2013/10/exlusive-behind-the-scenes-aspen-campaign-photoshoot/

Around the web today; November 8th, 2013.

Chicago Tribune photojournalist Andy Garcia talks about photographing a famous local chef over the course of several years, who sadly passed away earlier this week. He sounds like a very nice guy, and a great subject to work with.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2013/11/photographing-charlie-trotter-an-appreciation.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-charlie-trotter-obit-20131105,0,1530510,full.story


On a related note, I had a call last week from the son of a truck driver who I'd photographed about 4-5 years ago, at the Wingfield BP truck stop here in Adelaide. He was a great character, and we chatted for a little while as I took some pictures of him. I was saddened to hear that he passed away a couple of years ago, but it was tinged with a note of sweetness, as it meant a lot to the son to find these pictures of his father that he'd never seen before.



A collection of highly emotion-charged imagery from the past century or so. Some of them may cause distress given the content, so be warned; the one that actually hit me the hardest was a photo of a wall. But not just any wall; it's the wall of one the gas chambers at Auschwitz, covered with fingernail scratch-marks.  http://www.boredpanda.com/must-see-powerful-photos/

I'll run through some of my thoughts about the other pictures as well:  

The scene in photo #3 is one that's quite familiar to me; it was shot by legendary National Geographic magazine photojournalist James Stanfield, and has been featured in several photography books, as well as the magazine. He perfectly captured the feeling of what the mood would be like after a marathon open heart surgery; the doctor looking exhausted but satisfied, with his patient on the operating table alive due to the successful surgery, and his assistant passed out asleep in the back corner of the room. Looking at the tangle of wires and tubes attached to the patient, to say nothing of the surgery wounds you can't see, it's amazing what the human body can recover from.

#4 is a nice family album memory, showing a father and son walking hand in hand in the yard in 1949. On its own, the photo isn't anything particularly special for the casual observer, but it's accompanied by another photo, showing the same scene and people, but 60 years later in 2009. In the first photo it's clear that the father is taking care of and looking after his son, who looks to be around 6 or 7 when the photo was taken. In the updated version, it appears that the roles have been reversed; the father is elderly, looking a bit frail and walking with a cane, while his now grey-haired son towers over him alongside.

#6 certainly catches your eye, being such an unusual scene; a lone Russian solder with a machine gun slung over his back is playing a piano which looks to be sitting in the middle of a forest. It's a picture that makes you ask questions, like why the soldier is alone, who put the piano there, and does it actually work ok?

#9 is a bit of a cutesy one, showing a CFA volunteer firefighter giving a koala a drink of water while holding one of its paws, during the lethal 2009 Victorian 'Black Saturday' bushfires. In a time of destruction, death and suffering, a light-hearted picture like this helped to lift peoples' spirits in a way;

#14, while nothing special in a technical sense, is actually kind of depressing to look at and think about, captioned 'alcoholic father and his son'. A young boy of perhaps 4 or 5 is trying to pull his father up by his shirt, who is partially slumped sitting on a gravel road. If this is what the boy is used to doing already- helping his publicly drunk father walk - his home life must be difficult. It has a very different tone to the father-son photo #4.

#17 depicts a scene which would appall pretty much everyone; a five year old Gyspy boy holding a lighter while smoking a cigarette. It was taken in 2006, so not a long time ago, and is quite jarring given the health implications of a kid smoking at such a young age.

#23 shows just a tiny segment of the utter devastation caused to Japanese towns from the 2011 tsunamis. Mangled metal, trees, houses and furniture are piled in heaps from the foreground to the horizon, with a distraught woman sitting on the road in tears.


This is a similar series of images, but all different to the ones in the first post. Again, you may find a some of the photos distressing: //www.boredpanda.com/must-see-historic-moments/


Two pictures of Walter Yeo, the first person to undergo facial plastic surgery with a skin implant in 1917, following the loss of upper and lower eyelids while fighting on a ship in World War 1:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2636507/Pictures-of-first-person-to-undergo-plastic-surgery-released.html


In local news, the Shahin family company Peregrine has purchased the Tailem Bend Motorsport Park land, reportedly planning to spend $40 million on the site to turn it into a world-class motorsport facility in the next year or two. http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/19731345/owners-share-plans-for-sa-motorsport-park/

It's quite far away from the city compared to the current drag racing facility at Adelaide International Raceway, meaning events would be harder to get to for many people, but it's certainly exciting to have something like this in the pipeline.

The driver of a stolen Nissan Murano in Chicago demonstrates appallingly poor car control after being confronted by the angry taxi driver he just rear-ended:

http://jalopnik.com/this-video-shows-what-not-to-do-when-you-hit-someones-1459678532

Out of my way, I'm a motorist! This Russian psychopath's driving is pretty shocking, driving up to people walking on the footpath and expecting them to scatter like pigeons before he runs them over:

http://www.carthrottle.com/this-crazy-russian-is-the-worlds-most-inconsiderate-impatient-and-immoral-driver/



A Toyota AE86 Corolla getting some serious angle drifting at Tsukuba circuit in Japan. Without a whole lot of power to work with, some enthusiastic Scandinavian flick entries are the order of the day, along with some clutch kicks to keep the wheels turning in 3rd gear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmpBtCwEuBk

A very lucky escape from serious injury for both these truck drivers, thanks to the quick thinking from the truck driver with the dashcam, who managed to only hit the front of the jack-knifing Kenworth with a glancing blow from his trailer, before navigating some pretty rough terrain and pulling up in time to avoid hitting a whole bunch of trees. Unfortunately, the accident pretty much put him out of business:
http://www.bigrigs.com.au/videos/truckies-quick-thinking-keeps-him-out-harms-way/20903/



Some very intimate and heartbreaking images of a woman's battle with cancer, with the journey documented every step of the way by her photographer husband: http://zengarage.com.au/2013/11/this-guys-wife-got-cancer-so-he-did-something-unforgettable/

This is a pretty badass pickup and boat combination; they even share the same 411 horsepower V8 motor:
http://jalopnik.com/now-your-boat-can-have-the-heart-of-a-ford-raptor-1459439357

Around the web today; November 6th, 2013.

Here's an artist's rendering of what a Shelby GT500 Mustang could look like as a wagon:  http://www.carthrottle.com/proof-that-a-mustang-gt500-shooting-brake-would-look-phenomenal/


It follows in the footsteps of the Ferrari FF production car, yours for only $683,000 here in Australia: http://www.carthrottle.com/reviews/ferrari-ff-review-stratospherically-expensive-monumentally-accomplished/
http://www.carsales.com.au/bnc/details/Ferrari-FF-2013/SHRM-AD-326417/?Cr=3&sdmvc=1&WT.z_cs_clicksrc=stock-listing


There's also a shooting brake concept rendering based on the wildly popular Toyota GT86 sports car: http://www.carthrottle.com/toyota-gt86-shooting-brake-the-86-youll-never-admit-to-wanting/
Here's some forum discussions on the subject: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=654027



This looks expensive and awkward; a truck driver in New York accidentally starts reversing over a Ferrari FF:  http://www.carthrottle.com/the-best-way-to-stance-a-ferrari-ff-is-by-backing-a-huge-truck-onto-it/




Nurburgring Nordschleife + fast cars + oil on track = Ouch: http://www.carthrottle.com/here-is-a-very-expensive-lesson-about-understeer/




Formula 1 racing drivers Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel burn some rubber after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend: http://www.carthrottle.com/vettel-and-webber-have-a-smokey-donut-off-in-abu-dhabi-gp/




Some good clean fun in the mud and snow with an old 4WD Audi Quattro sedan:  http://www.carthrottle.com/an-audi-200-quattro-is-perfect-for-alternative-off-roading-on-the-cheap/



A very cool series of pictures of decrepit old car factories around the globe: http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-most-unbelievable-abandoned-car-factories-1458743708

Around the web today; October 30th, 2013.

I've been busy and haven't had the chance to post anything for the past few days, so here's a whole bunch of links to make up for it:


A heavily modified Ford GT with 2000hp hits 278mph in only one mile, from a standing start:  http://www.carthrottle.com/witness-a-278mph-ford-gt-smash-the-texas-mile-record/



Car blogs and websites frequently post videos and pictures of exotic cars, usually of Italian descent, going up in flames. This time it's a video of a Ford Falcon ute, showing the tray engulfed in flames, which are quickly quelled with extinguishers by several other people nearby. He then continues his drive to work like nothing happened, which doesn't seem like the best idea:
 http://www.carthrottle.com/car-mechanics-ute-catches-fire-still-gets-to-work-on-time/



Some great footage of rally cars getting a whole lot of air on a jump in Switzerland. Competition level rally cars obviously have a lot of modifications to handle this kind of treatment, but I can't help but think that the brutal landings must have bent at least a few chassis out of shape upon landing:
http://jalopnik.com/this-is-a-jump-for-cars-on-the-side-of-a-cliff-1453411744



A 600hp Mitsubishi Lancer Evo ascending a treacherously wet and steep hill climb course in Switzerland. There are some pretty hairy moments when the car gets crossed up under power. I don't like the way Evos sound all that much in comparison to its most common rival, the Subaru WRX, but only in the sense that their engine and exhaust note tends to be rather flat and characterless. This particular example has a tough soundtrack though:
http://youtu.be/vdeW_VR8J9o



In stark contrast to the Evo's flat drone, this open-wheeler's 3 litre V8 emits a deliciously aggressive, high pitched howl as it blasts through the course, leaving a deafening roar reverberating around the hillsides in its wake. Turn your speakers up. Lots.  http://youtu.be/vdeW_VR8J9o


While your speakers are turned up, watch and listen to this one too; a great variety of cars, engines and noises. The Lancia Delta Integrale at 1:30 sounds particularly deranged:  http://youtu.be/mT2kNSOfXZ4



Some food for thought if you're not familiar with trucks and quite how much they cost to operate:  http://www.overdriveonline.com/5-more-things-members-of-the-general-public-dont-know-about-truckers/




This Tata Xenon 'Tuff Truck' is something a bit different. I like it. Looks tough, as its name suggests.
 http://www.themotorreport.com.au/57175/tata-reveals-australian-designed-tuff-truck-xenon-ute-concept




Well this is awkward. It would be embarrassing to stack your chopper anywhere, let alone in your own driveway, in front of your wife. At least it was a very minor incident compared to similar attempts I've seen:  http://blog.powerblocktv.com/husband-embarrasses-himself-doing-burnout-in-front-of-wife/




Red Bull is always coming up with cool ideas. Like racing a V8 Supercar against a plane on the beach in Queensland: http://blog.powerblocktv.com/v8-supercar-vs-airplane-race-on-an-australian-beach/




This certainly could have turned out a whole lot worse; a rally car barrel-rolling within arm's length of a crowd usually doesn't end well. The little hatchback rolls over so quickly it's almost impossible to count how many times it went over. The driver must have been awfully dizzy when the car finally came to rest:  http://jalopnik.com/watch-this-car-roll-over-about-47-times-and-somehow-not-1454270653




A dramatic and sobering gallery featuring images of the recent NSW bushfires taken by members of the Australian documentary photography collective Oculi: http://www.oculi.com.au/features/oculi-group-nsw-bushfires-october-2013-2/




Some ridiculously tight tandem drifting from two Nissan S13 Silvias in Japan:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M_mDbbIDlY




Some good advice from American photography guru Zack Arias about fear, in relation to both photography and life in general:  http://zarias.tumblr.com/post/65430999760/i-feel-paralyzed-by-fear-of-rejection-im-in-my-last



Some very scary footage of a Ducati high-siding and rolling before being hit by the following Yamaha R6 with helmet-cam, spraying fuel and bursting into flames during a race on a street circuit. Both riders were very lucky to escape with no injuries: http://www.epiccarnage.com/video-fiery-motorcycle-crash-footage/

Around the web today; October 24th, 2013

This 911 driver probably needed some fresh underwear after this close call. I had a couple of interesting moments yesterday on the roads, with a van and AMG C63 pulling out in front of me, but nowhere near as scary as this: http://www.carthrottle.com/witness-this-porsche-911-driver-avoid-a-huge-smash-on-a-french-autoroute/



An inspirational post from Jon Acuff, offering some food for thought about pursuing your dreams: http://acuff.me/2013/10/youll-never-make-money-doing-that/

I struggle a lot with the issue of work and income, having been sick for so many years and not physically capable, but having hopes, aspirations and dreams are important for your mental health, whether or not they're going to make you piles of money.



If you like seeing new Camaros in one piece, you probably shouldn't watch this video: http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1087300_hey-russian-camaro-guy-youre-doing-it-wrong-video



A tasty new Ferrari F12 shreds some rubber around Anglesey Race Circuit, piloted by Chris Harris, whose job is envied by roughly 99.5% of males who have a pulse. Skip the first 5 minutes if you're not interested in hearing about the car and just want to see a Ferrari being thrashed, the sideways shenanigans start at 7:50:  http://jalopnik.com/how-to-kill-five-sets-of-tires-step-one-get-a-ferrari-1450894562



This is a pretty cool wagon/boat trailer/caravan combo: http://bringatrailer.com/2013/10/20/two-tone-trailer-1952-ford-ranch-wagon-with-kom-pak-camper/

Fuel magazine launch #1

A few weeks ago, the publisher of Fuel magazine, Luke Ray, dropped into Auto Transformers in Adelaide, celebrating the launch of Issue 10 of Fuel, as well as a DVD documentary film.

I went along to have a look at some of the fine machinery gathered for the launch party, and here are some photos of the cool rides that showed up. It was a great opportunity to break in my my new Nikon D700 and 50mm f/1.4 combo.

While Fuel mostly focuses on hot rods and customs, there are always some motorbikes thrown into the mix, with a few tidy examples turning up, like this classic Ducati.

A couple of blue Fords with a few decades between them.

 One thing I love about hot rods is that quite often most of the engine is visible, something you can't enjoy in most other cars.

However, there's a plus to having a bonnet on your car, with plenty of interesting statuettes gracing the bonnets of American cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

As well as the hot rods, some clean and restored American classics lined up outside the workshop.

 

This 1930s Ford Anglia looked a bit menacing with its matte black paint and hefty rear tyres, and turned out to have a 327 Chev V8 in the engine bay.

It's not going to break any land speed records, but I really like the style of this 1920s Ford pickup, tastefully customised with whitewall tyres, pin-striping and open headers poking out from the engine black.

Buick certainly knew how to design beautiful cars, as this gorgeous 1951 coupe shows.

This custom Ford two door looked quite nice, with an antiquated car phone inside.

As well as the standard road bikes, there were a few heavily modified choppers and cafe racer style motorbikes amongst the cars and throngs of people.

I loved this Ford lakester style rod, very cool look with the red paintwork and white top.

While I was snapping photos of the Ford, this absolutely stunning Chev delivery van pulled in. Again, not exactly a speed demon, but one of the most beautifully restored and clean vehicles there.

I've always had a thing for 1950s pickups, and this tough Ford F-Series is a good example of the style.

While the cars attending were largely American hot rods, classics and customs, a few other nationalities showed up, like this Australian Ford Falcon.

From Europe, a funky looking BMW 2002 coupe.

Buicks certainly changed a lot between the 1950s and 1970s.

More photos coming soon in Post #2...

SMASA summer cruise

Just a few shots from Saturday night's Street Machine Association of South Australia cruise. Some very nice cars came out for a run, with a good mix of American muscle cars, hot rods, customs and cruisers in attendance.

I inadvertently came across a group of classic muscle cars on Port Wakefield Road in the late afternoon, and followed them down to the Gepps Cross shopping centre, where hundreds of awesome cars were filling up the parks.

It was hard to know where to point my camera, with so much tasty machinery rumbling past as the sun sank towards the horizon.

The final meet point was at West Lakes Mall, which is conveniently only a few minutes away from home.

My legs were aching after walking and standing around for a couple of hours at this point, so after snapping some shots of the cooler cars parked under the night lights, I headed back home.