If you had told me I would be doing this gig this time last year, I would’ve been floored. I’m writing this one year to the day I got my degree and walked across the stage. I started this January with no money, no job, a cameo on Roadkill and a new state to live in. Within a month I had the job at the parts store, and in short order the Parts Guy came to be. By June, Brian and Chad saw the …um, potential?…in me and decided that bringing me on board was a great idea. They might be reconsidering that choice after seeing all of the Steak n’ Shake receipts I turned in as “business expenses” but to say that this year has been a blast is an understatement. The daily writing gives me a chance to learn new things and research items for your reading pleasure, but without a question the one perk of this job is going out and shooting pictures at events. While I didn’t get out to as much as I wanted to this year, I still put my camera through it’s paces…and managed to only kill one lens in the process. It’s been a great ride so far and I’m taking the lessons I learned and putting them towards improving the quality of what I present to you, the readers. Thank you for your support, praise and criticism, and here’s to plenty more coming down the pike!
LS Fest: I got away with murder (and one of those stylish safety-yellow shirts) during the drift show. Certainly the guy with the drone trumped me, but having cars sliding by me WFO in close range is badass on a range I hadn’t expected.
SCSN St. Louis: There was so much win in St. Louis this year that I could completely and utterly write off every bad part of the show. This Nova had me drooling for ages.
Mark Beckett’s Hemi Daytona first appeared at the Mopar Nats and I got lucky enough to catch up with it at Somerset. Riding in this car is an awesome experience, and this was finally the first dark car I shot that I liked the pictures of.
My first accidental surprise came at the TS Performance Diesel Drags. I mean “accidental”…I didn’t intend on taking four-in-a-row pictures of this Dodge getting sideways after torquing itself sideways off of the line. I’m a believer in the power of diesel…I’m still wary of the diesel crowds, however.
I was way too close to this fire at the NPTA tractor pull. I’m pretty sure the hair has finally grown back, but whatever doesn’t kill you makes you extra-tasty-crispy.
Meeting Stacey David is cool enough, but touring his Rattletrap Productions studio and shop was icing on the cake. The Project Heavy Metal International was the most asked about vehicle, and I’m with you guys when I say I can’t wait to see it finished!
You have to start somewhere, and Jensen Masters’ “Two-Timer” Rambler at the Holley National Hot Rod Reunion was a great first feature.
Taking pictures is one thing, but taking good pictures is something else. This shot of my wife’s 1980 Mustang Ghia floored me when I got it onto my computer screen. Not bad for someone who is too computer-illerate to use Photoshop or Lightroom.
The lawnmower demo-derby I caught this summer was the strangest thing I’ve ever bore witness to. It’s like being in the audience during the taping of “The Jerry Springer Show”, but with small engine noise. This picture pretty much summed up everything in one shot…these two were kicking each other’s asses all night.
The Fontanel Cruise-In takes the beauty of the Fontanel Mansion in Tennessee and blends it with the best of an old-school show combined with the diversity of an anything-goes all-inclusive get together. I’m looking forward to the first show in the Spring to see what debuts there.
This year the National Corvette Museum had their 20th Anniversary and celebrated by opening up the NCM Motorsports Complex across the highway from the museum. Expect great stuff from the track next year!
Great pictures, Bryan. Keep up the good work.
You can never stand to close to fire when photographing when it decides to leave a engine or fuel system, good stuff Bryan
Great stuff! There’s alot of people who’d love to be in your shoes (self included) and be able to do this for a living. Keep up the good work!
Bryan, I am jealous as hell of your new gig. I could call you a lucky SOB, but it’s blatantly obvious Chad and Brian knew what they were doing when they brought you on board. Keep up the good work.