SKEPTIC PHOTO: SERENDIPITOUS CLASSIC CAR RALLY

In wandering around urban Milwaukee last Sunday, I stumbled onto a classic car rally in a vacant lot on what had been the Schlitz Brewery campus to the northwest of the downtown area, which has been undergoing transformation to a mixed use commercial center. Some of the cars in the show were in the process of being taken away, but there were enough left that I got some OK shots.

I found the show to be interesting for a couple of reasons. First, most of the cars were older, pre-1960 models. I find that I am not particularly interested in what have become popular classic cars in the modern era, the muscle cars of the late 1960s though the 1970s. Even though these cars are popular with baby boomer collectors because of their nostalgic quality, personally, I do not find the lines of those cars to be particularly interesting. Second, the cars in this show varied between those that had been fully restored or even modified and those that looked like they had undergone no restoration as of yet.

Here is a sampling of what I got.

First was what I believe is a 1957 Plymouth which had been very nicely restored.

The distinctive features of this car, as with all the Chrysler Corporation cars of the late 1950s, were the iconic fins. So here my goal was to emphasize those features by moving as close to one of the fins as I could using the widest angle available with my lens. In retrospect, I might have tried to take the shot from a lower angle, to give the fins an even more dramatic appearance.

And here is a shot of an Imperial, another late 1950s Chrysler product, which unlike the Plymouth, had undergone no apparent restoration. Note the car is sporting only one of its original four headlights.

I liked the following (I think Cadillac?) that was also in need of further restoration.

I loved the name, Scum Bum, as well as the vanity license plate. Here is another side shot that highlights the taillights and fins.

Here are a couple more detail shots of Dodge and Chevrolet nameplates of trucks that were in the process of being restored.

Following are a couple of shots of another vehicle that I found interesting. The shots demonstrate how using different focal lengths can significantly affect the appearance of the subject. First is a shot taken from a greater distance and with a relatively "normal" (66mm) focal length.

The second is a similar shot taken at closer range but with a wider angle (24mm) focal length.

Note the apparent differences in the curve of the fenders in the two shots. Also note the apparent positions of the two cars situated behind the subject vehicle. And here is a close up of a portion of the car's grille that I thought was interesting.