Wild Wednesday 2015

It's been a while since I've been to Grey Eagle, especially for a car meet. It was nice to see a different side of the local car culture here in Calgary. I'm used to seeing imports all the time, so being able to see a handful of American muscle and automotive classics was definitely a nice change in pace.

Apparently the meet started at around 6 but we ended up showing up at around 7:30 and by that time around a quarter or so of the cars were already gone.

So in advance... Sorry for the lack of pictures guys! I only had half an hour before something else came up but enjoy!

Started at the back of the lot and found these two tucked away in the corner. I've seen pictures of these two on Instagram, but never in person. I love the wheel choice and how flush they sit.

One of many examples where the paint is absolutely flawless. I love the attention to detail these cars retain.

You don't see this everyday. An older Corolla chassis swapped with the heart of an American muscle.

Massive rear tires on this Camaro. I can't even..

You definitely don't see this everyday either. It was cool seeing the owner crank the motor to get it started and to see him slowly drive away. I'd definitely pay good money to buy one of these... even if it meant I could only go down the street to grab the mail.

Jaguar, E-Type. One of the best at the show in my opinion. Smooth body panels paired with the chrome trim. This screams old school perfection to me.

One of the disappointing things that I usually see is spectators putting their hands all over the display cars. Of course, this is to be expected and can't be avoided. This meet was no different... except for the fact that I saw a group of LG's open someone's car and proceed to sit in it. Not cool.

Worst thing was, the boyfriend was leaning on the car at the same time. Shame on you. Don't let me catch you teeny boppers doing that shit at Driven.

Anyways...

A few imports were there was well. I spotted this Stagea in the back corner and I couldn't help but take a picture. Also noticed the change in rims too, very nice.

Couldn't help myself, I had to take another shot of these two.

It was cool to see so many different types of cars all in one lot. This past Wednesday was the "first" Wild Wednesday of the season so one of the local drag teams brought out their dragster for display. When they got the motor going, all you could hear was revving and back fire going off all in the span of one minute. Needless to say, I might need hearing aids now.

Hope you guys enjoyed, and if you've somehow figured out who I am and know what I look like. Don't be afraid to say hi to me at Driven!

Stay tuned for Driven 2015 coverage.

Toyota Chaser, JZX100 - Part Two

It's been a while since I've actually gone out to light paint. Looking back on previous sets, I realized this is only my 3rd time light painting. I remember the very first time I went light painting, It was just me and two other friends running around with a work lamp looking like idiots. I'm sure from a far we looked like coked out ravers lost, running around with a giant glow stick.

Ever since then, I've learned a lot.

For this set, it was just one of those nights where there was nothing better to do than to shoot pictures. It's always good to flex that creative muscle once in a while.

Setup for this set was a Canon 5Dc, 50mm f/1.2, Vagabond battery, and an elinchrom strobe with the soft box attached.

Despite it being a full moon that day, the location we were shooting at was close to pitch black. Of course, shooting at night comes with it's own perks. Such as, security driving by every 10 minutes giving you funny looks and then police showing up asking what the hell you're doing at midnight running around with a battery and strobe.

Besides that though, it was smooth sailing.

If you've seen the previous post, then you already know that this Chaser used to look like a Camry. Believe it or not.. the time between then and now was only a matter of weeks. Within a week or so he already had CR-Kai's sitting in the shop waiting to be put on.

Next mod was coil overs. As it sits right now, it looks gorgeous and I personally wouldn't have it any other way.

 Possibly one of my favorite shots out of the whole set.

I love the body lines of the car and how it flows nicely to the rear. This shot feels a bit incomplete, but that's because we only had two shots to go off of.. otherwise, we would've been run over (literally).

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the set. 6 shots may not seem like a lot, but I assure you... each one is a composition and NOT a single shot. If I could show you guys the process I would, but that's for another day.
Hopefully I can go out and light paint some more this summer.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next post.

Toyota Chaser, JZX100

Recently, I got the chance to shoot some photos of a new car for a friend of mine. As you can all probably guess from the title, it's a JDM Toyota Chaser.

We always joke about this car looking like an old Camry driven by a grandpa with it's Camry rims and all.. but in all honesty though, for what it is, it's fast as hell.

Since the car is currently stock, I thought it would be fitting to take some generic stock photos. Nothing flashy and special here, just regular old photos. It's a nice change in pace from what I usually do.

Anyways, enjoy!

After a quick ride along and a few pulls in the Chaser... I'm already hooked.

Anyways, keep your eyes open for the next set! (Coming soon...)

Trackday Tuesday!

Welcome to the first of many throwback posts..

Seriously, these have been sitting on my hard drive for years. I don't even know why I haven't cracked them open to post. But here they are!

Can't believe this was 3 years ago.. and to think. I shot these with such crappy gear LOL. Back then I was that one tool shooting with a long telephoto lens that extended like... 6 inches out. Now that I think about it.. I kinda miss shooting with such cheap gear.. my pockets were full back then..

Back then this was shot with either the Rebel XS or the Canon 40D (I'm not too sure). But man, does this bring back memories. I miss going to the track, even though it smelt like garbage (literally) out there hahaha. I feel like my panning skills are useless now that the track isn't here anymore. Rolling shots don't suffice!

OG

Maybe in the near future I'll post up pictures from drift days. I still think this shot of the Z is my best to date. Panning used to be something I got frustrated with, but after a couple thousand shots.. I've learned to love it.  

Bus stop!

Come to think of it.. I should post the ice driving pictures I took too.. Hmm... so many options hahaha.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this little update. If you guys enjoyed this post lemme know! I have a ton of shots I can dump onto here.

Catch you guys on the next post.

Brandon's ACURA RSX - Part 2

Seeing that the semester this year is going to be brutal.. I figured I'd put up the rest of this set now rather than later.

Since I did mention a second location... I felt it was necessary to post these! Haha. So after shooting at the first location, we decided to move onto the second up north. I initially thought the first location was going to be a fluke.. so this place was my backup.

With a few detours downtown, we managed to make our way up there. I'm sure you all know where this is already, but this spot is a pretty good backdrop if you're looking for the industrial/warehouse feel.

Simple.

When we got there, there were a couple of guys chilling.. flying their RC planes. Not gonna lie, it was actually pretty cool to watch... (Heck, I might just sell all my gear and start flying RC planes instead.. Who knows.)

If you look closely at the reflections.. you can see what car I drive hahaha

Lighting here wasn't as bad as I thought it was would be. Initially we were going to shoot a few pics in front of some parked cargo containers with shade. An alternative spot would be inside.. too bad we weren't able to sneak into the warehouse like I've seen other people do.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I actually laid flat for this shot. Felt like 2 years ago when I was shooting Daniel's S2000 hahaha.

I wish I had that plate..

About ten minutes in (actually right after I took this shot), one of the RC planes went kamikaze and smacked head on into the warehouse. First.. I saw it explode into pieces.. then came the delayed "sonic boom", like the ones you hear after explosions in cartoons. Seriously.. the direct air blast came first... then the secondary blast from the impact echoed through the dead air in the warehouse and back out through the walls. It's one of those moments where I look at you with a huge grin and say, "you should've been there". I don't know about you guys, but I thought that was pretty hilarious (at first). I felt pretty bad afterwards though, oh well. #yolo

Forgot to mention the absurd number of tires marks scattered all over the lot... someone was busy the night before..

That's a wrap! I promise I'll put up more stuff as the semester goes on! Hopefully at the end of this month I'll be over and done with my field school course. If my material runs dry.. you guys might just see a few #TBT here and there. Look out for those!

Brandon's ACURA RSX

If you've been keeping up with me on Instagram, then you all know whose car this is. Almost exactly a year ago I got the opportunity to shoot Brandon's car for the first time. Comparing his car back then to now.. you can tell a lot has changed.

So before school kicked into gear again, we decided to catch up and shoot some pictures.

2013

Fast forward one year to today, and you'll see that more than a handful of things have come and gone. Gone are the old iTR rims, and in it's place are a set of white Regamasters. Along with the lip and new sideskirts, it currently sits low but with a bit of leeway in between.

2014

Pigeons almost pooped on his car.. twice.

Gone are the stock seats and in place of those are a set of red Recaros. The stock OEM steering wheel is gone as well, replaced by a new steering hub and a Key's Racing aftermarket wheel. If you peer in through the rear hatch glass, you'll notice the rear seat delete. The rest of the rear interior has been gutted too, and in it's place is the rear strut bar.

Walking around the car, I noticed that he installed his new side skirts. 12 hours prior, he told me he wasn't going to bother putting them on. But on a last minute whim, he said "fuck it" and ended up putting them on in the middle of the night.

We ended up catching up on a lot.. but one story stuck out in my mind. He told me how he accidentally clipped a rabbit one night and it broke a piece of his bumper. If I recall correctly.. he described it to me as a "ball of white fluff exploding" as he looked back in the rear view mirror (hahaha). As terrible as it sounds, I found it somewhat funny, because his story immediately reminded me of this. Enjoy.

All jokes aside though, I've come to really appreciate the car that Brandon's got. The way he's got it setup is to be clean, simple, and nothing too crazy. This is how it sits... for now. Can't wait to see the changes another year from now.

Overall, it was fun shooting his car! I was afraid that the light that day was going to be a bit too harsh, but I think they turned out okay! I decided to keep the shots simple, nothing complicated or fancy. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this, and if you happen to see either one of us feel free to say hi!

I'll catch you guys on the next post.