Eat Your Art Out!

Recently the Angel City Derby Girls of Los Angeles, CA. held the 6th iteration of their annual fundraiser, Eat Your Art Out, with this years theme of "Creature Feature at the Drive-In".
A couple of friends and I headed out there, by way of Hermosa Beach, to support the team, see the art, eat the food, drink the beer and enjoy the night.
Of course I couldn't go without a camera, so I loaded my 1965 Canon Canonet with B/W film, and grabbed my Canolite flash unit.

Gourmet Hot Dogs, unique Ice-cream sandwich creations and gourmet burgers from mobile kitchens... ©Mike Vega 2013

Revelers, reveling... ©Mike Vega 2013

Giant 3-D "Space Invader". ©Mike Vega

The event was a great night out, if a lil' chilly. A good crowd, and lots of interesting things to look at and or bid on in the silent auction.

GeneviEvil of L.A.D.D. and Black Star Heroine of A.C.D.G. ©Mike Vega 2013

Live painting, that was auctioned off at the nights end... ©Mike Vega 2013

The packed main room of the event. ©Mike Vega 2013

A.C.D.G. Scarlets in damsel in distress mode, meeting and greeting the attendees... ©Mike Vega 2013

Ouija. ©Mike Vega 2013

Among the very cool pieces up for auction, were several "breast-casts" formed from Angel City skaters and decorated by various artists. The proceeds from these unique pieces went to the Keep a Breast Foundation. http://www.keep-a-breast.org/

Ambiance? "buzzzz-off buddy"... ©Mike Vega 2013

Sadly the one art piece that I was really into surpassed my self-imposed bid limit by half-way through the night... I came home empty handed, but others picked up some unique art and supported great causes while doing so.

BlackStar in distress? Say it ain't so! ©Mike Vega 2013

Dishing up the saltiest popcorn in all the land... and looking dapper all the while. ©Mike Vega 2013

Featured Creatures... ©Mike Vega 2013

"BROBOT". ©Mike Vega 2013

A costume so good, that not even her teammates recognized her. ©Mike Vega 2013

A.C.D.G. even thought to have a themed "photo-booth"! ©Mike Vega 2013

All in all, it was a terrific night and I am looking forward to the next event.

-Mike

Random goodness...

So far 2013 has been a extremely busy year. There has been a lot of work at work, that means overtime, and that means less "free" time... I have been shooting some, but I haven't had the opportunity to get out and "go shooting", so what I'm sharing today is random disconnected images from various places... Because don't we all feel a little random and disconnected sometimes?

Rock N Roll, Riverside, CA. Canon Demi 28mm 100 asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

This shot was actually taken just before Christmas 2012. This cat shows up to every monthly Riverside Art Walk, sets up in front of the Universal Unitarian church and hammers out covers of 50's Rock N Roll tunes to audiences of 0 to 20 people with equal passion. It was pretty cold this night and when we got to him I made a request of Chuck Berry's "Run Run Rudolf" as he started into it, he said "I just got a request, but I'm gunna play it anyway..." and proceeded to let it fly. I had my Canon Demi with me and took this with no flash using a very slow shutter speed.

Crowley tug boat. Port of Long Beach, San Pedro, CA. Canon Demi 28mm 100 asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

For my birthday, we took a day trip to San Pedro, CA. to tour the U.S.S. Iowa, the last of the World War II Super Dreadnought battleships. Of course while the Iowa is marvellous, there are always unexpected treats that pop up in almost any outing. This tug boat was one of them...

U.S.S. Iowa bridge com center. San Pedro, CA.  Canon Demi 28mm 100 asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

It was difficult to decide on exactly what aspects of the massive battleship to try and capture. I ended up focusing on the details of the ship that stand in contrast to what is the norm today, like this communications center detail from the bridge area.

Grinder Haven Route 66. Ontario, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

The Grinder Haven is one of those places, that when you first see it, you know that it's been business for decades because it's where the locals eat.

Hanger 57. Rubidoux, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

I love small regional airports, they are full of interesting people, planes, cars, buildings and sometimes the best coffee shops around. I was working at Flaybob airport recently and was able snap a few pics.

Flaybob airport, Rubidoux, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

I happened upon this wonderful twin-engine plane undergoing restoration. Having worked on my share of vintage automobiles, scooters etc. I can only imagine the magnitude and commitment of undertaking something like this...

Repeat Aircraft. Rubidoux, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

Repeat Aircraft has this great sign...

BNSF Northbound and down... Riverside, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

While leaving a job-site the other day a freight train came roaring by, I quickly grabbed my camera and was able to get a panning shot of this tagged transport car. Since the train was quickly passing, I had literally just seconds to adjust my settings and release the shutter. I chose a large aperture to make the most of the low-light (the sun was on the opposite side of the train) and ended up with a pleasant shallow depth of field that kind of draws your eye to the left side of the frame where the subject is.

Peppi's. Route 66 Ontario, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

I don't know how the food is at Peppi's, but I do know that the seating is vintage, and that the neighbors who live in the house behind the restaurant are sketchy as hell...

C&M Classy Mart. Pomona, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

Besides having a cool vintage arrow sign, the C&M Classy Mart on historic Route 66 is classy, well, because "classy" is right in the name!

El Rey Motel. Pomana, CA. 1965 Canonet 40mm 100asa B/W 35mm film. ©Mike Vega

The two things that weary travelers need to find in their preferred lodging... Color Television and Low Rates.

 I'll leave you with that, hopefully inspiring you to keep your eyes open to the the gems that still exist out there, often in unexpected places...

Cheers.

-Mike

Starting off right...

The first blog of the year!!! I've already shot quite a lot this year, though i've been using several cameras so I haven't finished all of the rolls yet... BUT here are some images from one that I DID finish!

Originally "The Ice Bowl", the now named Ontario Ice Skating Center opened in 1957.
Route 66, Ontario, CA. Tower 120 200asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

My wife and I took a little drive up to historic Route 66 to see what we could could come across and turned up some gems of vintage neon signs and a few interesting buildings.

The Grinder Haven, Ontario, CA.
Tower 120 200asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

Since 1958, The Grinder Haven has been serving hungry travelers along Route 66. One thing that I really liked was that sales tax is included in their menu pricing. A $1.00 soda IS a $1.00 soda! Brilliant.

Sensations "Love Boutique" Upland, CA.
Tower 120 200asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

I believe that if you drive far enough down historic Route 66, that you can find just about anything... Sensations (who's neon beckons in vibrant red at night) may be just what you seek on this storied road...

Vince's Spaghetti. Upland, CA.
Tower 120 200asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

Originally a 6 seat open-air French Dip stand, Vince's Spaghetti has been a Route 66 Staple since September 1945 and serves up to 1,500 miles of spaghetti annually!

Taco King. Upland, CA.
Tower 120 200asa B/W film. ©Mike Vega

While we didn't sample the "Burrito Special", we couldn't resist the neon sign!

The portion of Route 66 that we sampled this day ran between a pretty seedy area of San Bernadino and Pomona, CA. It is littered (literally sometimes) with motels, restaurants, car washes, empty fields and all manner of people. It can be hard to travel, to see the levels of blight, poverty and decay, but if you are feeling optimistic and a little bit adventurous, you can come across some interesting buildings, signs and pieces of Americana. With good company like I had, it can prove to be a nice day out and a reminder of how quickly today's dreams can become tomorrows eyesores, ruins and oddities.

Here's to the spirit of entrepreneurship that created this historic thoroughfare and all those who travel it.

'Till next time...

-Mike

That's a wrap!

It is Saturday 12/29/2012. The New Year is nearly upon us. The weather is cold, the holidays behind, and the future wide-open ahead. In a way...
While I love taking photos, trying "new" old cameras, different films etc. I am woefully (seriously, I am nothing if not full of woe) guilty of being un-organized when it comes to filing and storing my negatives, prints etc.
Sometimes even developing... As a testament to this last point, the color images featured here today were shot using my 1950 Kodak DuaFlex camera, in January of this year (nearly a full 12 months ago) and I just got around to developing them a couple weeks ago.

Burlington-Northern pulling out of Corona, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012

So for me, even with the new year ahead, I have film from this year anchoring me to the past. Sounds dramatic eh'? While melancholy it may sound, I know that when I do finally start getting things organized it will include much careful pouring over each negative, filmstrip or print, trying to recall dates, places, cameras, and details of each.

Dragon Ride and vintage Ferris Wheels. Parking lot carnival, Riverside, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012

I am making a resolution for 2013 to get more organized with my film and photo archives. Sleeves and binders will be purchased, time will be made, and the hard work of sorting and cataloging will be done. Make no mistake, with my other commitments, this will easily take the better part of the year.

El Rey Theatre (and moon)  Los Angeles, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012

I plan on working backwards through the material and I hope to post some of the images that I somehow skipped over when I originally shot and or developed them. 

As this will be the last blog post I do this year I'm going to include more photos than I normally do.

All that remains of what was once a home... Mira Loma, CA. Kodak DuaFlex 100asa Color 120 film. ©Mike Vega 2012

The black and white images featured here were shot in December of 2012 in and around Southern California.
Disneyland is at once, a favorite place and least favorite place to shoot. The scenes can be wonderful, the crowds can be unforgiving... 

The Tower of Terror. Disneyland's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film.

The Golden Zephyr. Disneyland's California Adventure, Anaheim, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film.

The above photo of the Golden Zephyr is a hand-held long exposure (approx. 5 seconds), using 100asa black and white film. Amazingly, this time it turned out exactly as I imagined it. This was the 4th attempt at this shot over 3 visits to the park. I really like it.

El Rey Motel. Historic Route 66. Fontana, CA. Tower 120 100asa B/W film.

I am always a sucker for old neon-signs, lit or not, still featuring the neon tubing or not...
In the mid-century when these signs became wildly popular, they were used as weapon in a battle for customers in the "auto-age" post WWII. 

Automobile vacations were the thing to do, and all those happy but road weary travelers would need lodging. One motel is as good as the next, no? Sometimes, it seemed that the only difference was the neon sign by the roadside.

Bono's Historic Orange. Route 66 Fontana, California. Tower 120 100asa B/W film.

The last photo today will be of Bono's Historic Orange. Even with it's two strange and uncharacteristic light leaks, I like it.

This particular "orange" was originally built in 1936. It was saved from demolition in the 1990's and moved to its current location in 1997.

These giant Oranges served as beverage stands in an age of non-air-conditioned automobiles. To learn more about their legacy, follow this link: http://www.parzanese.net/weird/location.php?location=134 .


While it is rare that I actually plan a specific photo outting (other than a general direction to head in with my cameras) I do have something specific in mind for next year that I am very excited about. It is going to take a bit of planning and if it goes well, I'll deffinetly be writting a blog post about it.

Thanks for reading.

See you next year!

-Mike

Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is more than a city, more than a county. Los Angeles is some kind of sprawling mess that has, since its humble beginnings, encompassed varied lifestyles and personalities. People from all over the world come here to imprint their identity onto it's landscape (sometimes literally), for better or often for worse.

Mural. Central Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

There are so many unique neighborhoods that make up Los Angeles, but all are tied together, bound by the network of concrete arteries that traverse the landscape.
It's when you dare to get off of these arteries and venture into the unknown that you can discover the gems of individuality that keep drawing people here.

First St. Pool Billiard Parlor. Boyle Heights, CA. Canon AE-1 18mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega 

Some of the attraction is steeped in celluloid history. So many images of this area, and more specifically, Hollywood have been seen by people the world over that when someone comes here for the first time they have an almost innate familiarity with the place.

Hollywood "Walk of Fame" star for legendary and controversial Silent Era Director/Actor Erich von Stroheim. Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

There are of course equal numbers of legions of people who despise Los Angeles as there are those who adore it. Often though, even those who claim to detest the place come here. They come for the weather, the entertainment, and sometimes it's the very audacity and restlessness of the city that draws them in...

Tourists on Hollywood Boulevard. Los Angeles, CA. Canon AE-1 28mm f1.4 100asa Legacy 35mm B/W film ©Mike Vega

With its jumbled mix of fame, fortune, poverty, fantasy and stark reality the city is alive to those who choose to step out of their cars, and walk the streets, turn the corners and be open to discovery. On virtually any corner in the city you may find an architectural gem, a work of art, a famous face, a scene of urban blight, or mess of humanity... Anything.

Capitol Records building (modeled after a "stack of vinyl records"). Los Angeles, CA. Tower 120 110mm lens 100asa Arista B/W film ©Mike Vega

Do I love or hate Los Angeles? Yes.
Spend any amount of time here and you'll find that it can simply not be one or the other. It is too complex a place to assess in such simple terms. Find a rock or a gem, a flower or a weed, it is up to you.

Mels Drive-In Diner. Los Angeles, CA. Tower 120 110mm lens 100asa Arista B/W film ©Mike Vega

-Mike

The Clarus MS-35

A couple of weeks ago I posted to my FaceBook page that I'd acquired a 1946 Clarus MS-35 coupled rangefinder. This camera is wonderful to look at, a brick to hold(!) and has a somewhat checkered past...

Clarus MS-35 rangefinder. ©Mike Vega

The Clarus company was based in and manufactured it's cameras in Minneapolis, MN. in the good ol' United States of America. The Clarus MS-35 was the ONLY model of camera the company ever produced.
Originally designed in 1940, it didn't go into production until 1946 due to financial difficulties. The camera features a parallax focusing system, a cloth shutter, no light meter, no ISO/ASA setting and, unusual for an early rangefinder, interchangeable lenses (35mm, 50mm and 101mm).

The Mad Hatter, Main Street U.S.A. Disneyland, CA. ©Mike Vega

Due to several small design flaws, the MS-35 quickly earned a reputation as an unreliable camera. That coupled with a price tag of $122.00 ($1,200.00 in 2012 dollars!) made for slow sales and ultimately in 1952, ended it's production run.

Sand and Sage Motel Pomona, CA. @Mike Vega

Due to it's dubious reputation, suspect quality and pleasing aesthetics, this camera has become a oddly collectible.
While all of that is fine and good, what matters to me is ultimately the images produced by the camera. So, what else to do but clean it up, run a few tests and load it with film! The above color image of the camera was taken using my iPhone. The black and white photographs were taken with the Clarus.

Travel Motel, Pomona, CA. ©Mike Vega

It turns out that while the optics are not bad (these are taken with the 35mm lens), the color is well faded from the parallax focusing system and therefore it is very hard to focus in good light and next to impossible in low light and/or darkness.

Tea Cups nighttime long exposure. Disneyland, Anaheim,  CA. ©Mike Vega

I love looking at the camera, and it was interesting to shoot with, but it's definitely not a "daily driver".
So, welcome to the family MS-35. You are an oddity among oddities.

Rubidoux Drive-In Theatre. Rubidoux, CA. ©Mike Vega

-Mike