Checker Cab
by James Howe on Nov.17, 2008, under Automobiles, Michigan
(Olympus E-500, 14-54mm at 54mm (2x crop factor), ISO 400, exposure 1/45 sec @ f/8.0)
A couple of years ago I attended my first vintage car show. It was the Orphan Car Show held annually in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Each year the show features a handful of ‘orphan’ cars, cars whose maker or nameplate has been out of business for 7 years or more. In 2007, the Checker car company was one of the companies featured.
This shot is a tail shot of a classic Checker cab. I don’t know the specific year. When I first worked with this image I experimented with the Orton technique to soften the image a bit. Recently I was experimenting with some other filters and decided to try adding the cutout filter to the image as well. I like the way it came out. It has a ‘pop art’ feeling that I really like. It also masks the water spots on the chrome! I think this would look really cool in a very large size. Shown below is the way the image look straight out of the camera.
Comments and feedback welcome.
Image and text Copyright © 2007, 2008 James W. Howe – All rights reserved
This image can be purchased.
New York Central
by James Howe on Nov.13, 2008, under Ann Arbor, Michigan
(Olympus E-3, 14-54mm at 23mm (2x crop factor), ISO 100, exposure 1/800 sec @ f/3.0)
This is a shot of an old New York Central Railway Pullman car which is part of Art Train USA. I really like the typography used on these trains, as well as their streamlined design.
Comments and feedback welcome.
Image and text Copyright © 2008 James W. Howe – All rights reserved
Please visit my gallery at www.jameshowephotography.com
Bus Depot
by James Howe on Nov.10, 2008, under Ann Arbor, Michigan
(Olympus E-3, 70-300mm at 202mm (2x crop factor), ISO 200, exposure 1/320 sec @ f/16)
This is a somewhat stylized shot of the Greyhound bus depot in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The depot is still functioning, but the sign has seen better days. When I took this shot, I wanted to focus on the details of the sign and it’s current condition. The sign used to have a nice blue background for the lettering. Now, almost all of the blue is gone. When I started working with this image I decided to give it a bit more of a pop art look to it. The filter didn’t really have much effect on the sign itself, but it made the building next to the depot a bit more abstract.
Comments and feedback welcome.
Image and text Copyright © 2008 James W. Howe – All rights reserved
This image can be purchased.
Brickwork
by James Howe on Nov.09, 2008, under Ann Arbor, Architecture, Michigan
(Olympus E-3, 70-300mm at 96mm (2x crop factor), ISO 100, exposure 1/60 sec @ f/14)
As part of a self imposed creativity session, I went out one Saturday with just one lens on my camera. I selected my 70-300mm because I wanted to focus on details, or get a compressed perspective. I use an Olympus E-3 which has a crop factor of 2x, making my 70-300 lens the 35mm equivalent of 140-600mm. The shot above is of a Catholic school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I had seen this building many times, but I never really looked at the details of its construction. The longer focal length really made me notice the details. The thing that really caught my eye about this building was the intricate brickwork. I really liked the contrast of the building against the blue morning sky. I was happy to have a few wispy clouds, but I think I would like it a little better if the clouds were a little stronger. Overall I’m pleased with how the image came out.
Comments and feedback welcome.
Image and text Copyright © 2008 James W. Howe – All rights reserved
This image can be purchased.
Clark Gable Duesenberg
by James Howe on Nov.07, 2008, under Automobiles, Michigan
(Olympus E-3, 70-300mm at 70mm (2x crop factor), ISO 250, exposure 1/160 sec @ f/9.0)
You are looking at the front end of a 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Roadster by Bohman and Schwartz. This car was one of many on display at the 2008 Concours d’Elegance held at Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan. This particular automobile has some interesting history. The car was a gift to Clark Gable from his wife, Carole Lombard. When she died, he abandoned the car and requested that it never return to California while he was alive. The car is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. It was restored several years ago and there are some videos on YouTube showing a master painter applying the pinstriping by hand. It’s a wonderful automobile.
Comments and feedback welcome.
Image and text Copyright © 2008 James W. Howe – All rights reserved
This image can be purchased.