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The Great Marques by David Simm FSWPP - part 3 of 1 2 3 4 5

by Dave Simm Published 01/08/2009

Working at 160 ISO to get the smoothest, noise-free image with huge expanses of monochromatic paint work, I found myself working around 1/60 at F5.6, sometimes getting up to 1/125, then at worst I might be down at a 1/30 wide open. The good thing about one of the cars, it had neither a soft top nor windscreen wipers, because the designer, American product designer Brook Stephens drew this one to be his own, a vehicle he personally owned and drove for sixty five years and it never went out in bad weather. That was the beautiful white Cord, an American classic from yesteryear built by Errett Lobban Cord (1894-1974) of Duisenberg and Auburn fame among other holdings were American Airways latterly American Airlines. The museum is also home to other Cord's, Auburn's and Duisenberg's; along with Stutz and Packard, there are even a few I had never heard of before. One car that really amused me was the Paige, a two seater open top that had a mother-in-law seat on the outside of the cockpit. That was one of the vehicles I had to shoot where it stood, even though, in spite of their ages, every vehicle in the museum is a runner and most of them sound better than many brand new cars, this was just too far inside to manoeuvre out. I have to say that the S2 coped very nicely with the hostile lighting indoors, (mercury vapour and fluorescent) I was wishing I still had my old Gossen Sixtycolour Colour temperature meter, but really I needn't have bothered, the file was just stunning.

Before anyone starts thinking 'Ah old men and their mid-life crises', no I don't run some exotic sports car, I am a typical working dad, with a mini-van to run round all the kids events, I got rid of my snazzy wheel's passion as a young photographer and yet I was so amused to see one of only two English cars in the collection, one an American-built Rolls Royce (new one on me), the other an Austin Healey 3000. Why amused? - it was one of my all-time favourites and I had a Healey way back when - and I still love them, sadly that's the kind of mid-life crisis I just couldn't afford, the shear cost of these restored beauties.

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1st Published 01/08/2009
last update 21/07/2022 08:46:25

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