New Automotive Works are the First from the D2X

With the addition of my new Nikon D2X to my artist’s tool box, I have already put out three new works in my Automotive Collection. The first two image are from a 57 Pontiac sitting outside an old metal diner in Sevierville, Tennessee. "Flight Deck" is a mixture of the actual photograph and my "painted over" technique. This hood ornament had so much detail and clarity in the original, that I had to leave it as it was, but I did want something to tone down the windshield and hood.

Also from the other end of this Pontiac comes a work titled "Apollo 57". The tail light section just reminded me of a rocket, that I aptly named it after a series of Rockets from the 60’s. Although there was no mission 57 for the Apollo Program, I added one of my own.

I decided to go with my painted over technique on Apollo 57 since the details of the car especially the chrome were not in pristine condition. So by adding in some brush strokes and softness, I was able to cover up the pits and bad spots in the chrome and the aged plastic of the tail light lens.

On the next day of test shooting with the new D2X I came across several cars that were here for the upcoming "Shades of the Past" weekend in Pigeon Forge. The first works created from that session is from a 49 or so Ford. "Cabernet Sauvignon" aptly named due to its rich burgundy color, was at first painted over once, then again with an optional technique, but in the end the straight up photo image was the result. The details in the chrome and the richness of the burgundy paint was just too incredible to not display as a straight photograph.

After the similar experience with the 57 Pontiac, I think that a lot more of my new works will be back to the basics… straight up photography. This camera is so incredibly sharper than my D100 and certainly any film camera I have ever shot with. I would step out on a ledge and say that this camera produces a sharper image than my old medium format Mamiya 645 I had many years ago.

With the Fall Grand Rod Run Car Show coming up the following weekend, I think I will be able to grab enough new images to last me quite a while. Between that and the Shades of the Past show, I will surely boost the total amount of images in my "Automotive Collection" quite a bit.

Available as a Ltd. Edition Giclee on Canvas in sizes up to 22×28. Also available in a limited number of Giclee Prints on Fine Art Paper. Look for more new pieces to be added to the ?Automotive Collection? soon. Visit the Black Bear Art Gallery at 170 Glades Road, Shop 14, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.