A lecture by the Canadian photographer Richard Martin inspired me to start photographing rusted junk cars. So far, I have found subjects near Santa Fe; on a workshop with Martin near Kingston Ontario; Berkeley California; and Colfax Washington, and near home. Some of them are of cars owned by a man called Fatdog, who has a guitar shop in Berkeley and, when he saw me shooting a truck in front of the shop, invited me to his ranch near Sonoma, CA. Others are from Willard's Car Ranch near Garfield, WA. I believe that Ernst Haas was the first to see the possibilities in cars like these. More of these images can be seen by downloading the Junk Cars slides-to-music file. There are also a number of images of similar unconventional subjects that I have found in various places, so this is no longer restricted to cars.
This was a bit of a schoolhouse wall on Kitava, in Papua New Guinea. I think it looks like an anglerfish. I don't confine myself to cars.
This is a bag lying in the street at a construction site half a block from my house. I pumped up the colors a little.
I really liked this car at the junkyard and spend several hours shooting details of it during the Richard Martin workshop.
I really liked this car at the junkyard and spend several hours shooting details of it during the Richard Martin workshop.
I really liked this car at the junkyard and spend several hours shooting details of it during the Richard Martin workshop.
I really liked this car at the junkyard and spend several hours shooting details of it during the Richard Martin workshop.
A section of blue (handicapped) curb across the street from Pete's on Fourth Street in Berkeley. Evidently repainted at some time
Made on 5th St. in Berkeley while I was waiting for my wife to get her hair cut. The sun was very bright, but the RAW conversion in Photoshop did a good job. I did have to tone down a lot of bright spots.
On a trip to the Palouse we found this wonderful rusted combine and got some great shots of details
I found this behind a chain link fence on a side street in San Miguel. There were three busses in the field but this was the only fairly clear view. I couldn't get any closer.
At least I think it's a canna. On a patio of the Casa de Cultura in San Miguel de Allende
I went hiking with my son Ed in Muir Woods on Fathers' day and found this drinking fountain, which works perfectly well.
From a truck on 5th St.in Berkeley. I had to move some of the spots to make the composition tighter
Found on Cedar Street in Berkeley. Owned by a man called Fatdog, who moved it a bit so I could get a good shot from the front.
Made in the salvage yard during the Richard Martin workshop. I'm not sure how much this composition is due to me and how much to Stephen Patterson.
On a truck parked on 5th St in Berkeley. The fender in the foreground needed a lot of darkening
Our Council's awards luncheon was held at the Irish Cultural center in San Francisco this year, and when we arrived I noticed a door with some interesting patterns on it. This is one of them, showing a handle and lock.
Our Council's awards luncheon was held at the Irish Cultural center in San Francisco this year, and when we arrived I noticed a door with some interesting patterns on it. This is one of them.
This shot, part of a car in Guanajato, looks kind of like a Scalare angelfish to me, except that the colors are different
I was again waiting for my wife to get her hair cut on Fourth Street in Berkeley, and I saw a brightly-colored pile of large beanbags or something similar. When I got close to them I saw that they were reflected in the side of a black Jeep. This was chosen as August 2006 PSA Picture of the Month.
New shot of a bit of a junk car on 5th street in Berkeley. It is about 2 inches high. I think it looks like a kachina doll
During Richard Martin the workshop we spent a day in an automobile junkyard - which might be considered a trademark of our instructors. This is one of my shots there
I spent a few hours wandering San Francisco Chinatown exercising my shutter finger and this is one of the results.
