01.29.10

I spotted this beauty pulling in to enthusiast auto the other day and literally almost wrecked gaulking over it. It REALLY does look this good. I'm usually REALLY against red cars, but somehow this thing just struck me like an aarow out of cupids bow. I had to see it, i had to shoot it, i had to feel if the paint was really as glossy as I thought it was....(ps...it is!)

I stopped in a few days later (because I hadn't seen it since on the lot) only to find out that the guys had been keeping this 'garage queen' in the back of their freshly built new garage addition. It only made sense, keeping this queen in their brand new MONSTER garage. I happen to have my gear with me and "convinced" them to let me take a few shots of it. They had seen my work, so I really had to twist their arm, haha.

The car is an 2003 imola red m5, with only 25k on the clock. The car has always been garaged (do the math, 2003 with 25k) never been in salt, snow, or even rain...I have a feeling me and the o/g owner would get along well. PDC sensors, mk4 nav, M audio, etc, this car has all the goodies, not to mention 400 ponies.

strobist: all shots were done with 2 300w/s strobes (fn300b's) with square softboxes. I'm really nervous about using those things anywhere other than indoors, and the weather is terrible outside so inside their new garage just looked like a great place to do it. Most shots were layered with a few different shots after moving the strobes around, camera tripodded with tamron 17-50 f2.8 lens. The floor is NOWHERE near as dirty as it looks, i literally had to doctor it up, because it looked way too clean. I wanted the look of a perfectly clean car in a shithole garage...well...it's not a shithole garage so I had to doctor it up a little bit, haha.

Hope you Enjoy! c&c welcome!

Thanks to eric and evan at www.enthusiastauto.com ! cruise over to their site and check out the fleet of M-cars they've got now!

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01.02.10

Happy new years attentive blog readers! Hope everyone had a safe new years and wonderful holidays. I forced myself to get out and shoot after buying myself a little christmas present and once my friend mike picked up his new 2006 Is 350 (IN WHITE! MY FAVORITE COLOR!) I had to shoot...even in the 26 degree weather.
So what did you buy yourself Dan?! I know you're asking! I have been wanting to get into some more powerful flashes, typically called strobes. Well WTF is the difference dan? Well, most flashes use AA batteries and typically put out around 50-100 watts per second. WTF is a watt per second? I don't know, but that's how they rate light power. The new strobes are 300 watts per second PER strobe...So that means, I am able to shoot in much brighter daytime light, and still "turn down the sky" while still using the flash powered lights to make the car "pop". As a side benefit, you are able to shoot at a higher aperture allowing for more detail, which is always a good thing. They also run on 110V wall power (ie, plug them into a wall), so how the hell do you shoot on location? good question. Basically you are carrying around a battery with a pure sine watt inverter, some extension cords, and a power strip to plug everything in. A bit more baggage on each shoot, but i think the results are worth it, and it's all about the results.

Speaking about results, here were the shots from mike's 06 lexus is 350 shoot. Daylight savings time is really killing me, not to mention this sub freezing temperatures, but I have been super excited to get out and shoot with the new lights, so we just said F it, and went out. Mike took a break from the NSX game and got back into the lexus scene. After some "convincing" from me he found a very clean white is350...nothing better than a clean white 4door.

Most shots were layered / tripoded as the lights aren't powerful enough to light up the entire car evenly, so two strobes were fired at the rear, then middle, then front and layered all together...my favorite way of shooting to make sure light is distributed evenly-- and I think it works. Check it, enjoy it, and lmk what you think!! If you are on flickr be sure to click the pictures and leave a comment.

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something tells me this won't be the last shoot with mike's is...but until the weather is warmer and he is back in town, this is it for now! enjoy!

12.14.09


Nothing beats a phone call from your long time friend asking for "a favor"...except a favor in 30° weather.

My long time friend Colt has been trying to sell his one of a kind custom fully built acura TL (see Colt's TL set). He struggled with finding someone wanting such a VIP style car in our retched town, but eventually found a willing candidate to trade for a sport bike, the all black 04 honda cbr 600rr.

Colt doesn't ride, (he's more of a 500hp v8 guy) but jumped at the opportunity to sell something a little bit more liquid, so he got the car to 'trade' value, removing his work vs-xx rims, bodykit, and other small customized pieces. I was the lucky one to help him pick up the bike, and he's pulled so many favors for me, I was willing...plus I wouldn't mind the opportunity to get out and shoot something. It's been cold, snowy, and the sun sets fast in cincy so I wanted to force myself to shoot!

While they were working on the title work, I snuck the bike behind a church and tried to grab a few shots. 2pm isn't exactly my favorite time to shoot but i made it work. I forgot my tripod and my g/f drove my flashes / camera behind me so I just had to make due.

Shots were done mainly with the tamron 17-50 f2.8 with an nd8 filter set in AEB mode. The first shot was set to sync at 1/200 and fire the flashes (3 staggered 420ez's @ full power), while the second shot was set to 1/500ish to get the sky nice and dark. If i would've had a tripod it would've been much easier but they layered nicely. A few other edits were done once behind the computer but I really liked how this set turned out, as I'm afraid to shoot black cars / bikes and also shoot at such a 'bad' time of day.

I called this set "face your fears" because of the many obstacles on different levels it entailed...riding someone else's bike for one, riding it in freezing weather, shooting mid day, trying to light up a black vehicle, and the headaches we entail while dealing with purchasing or trading a new vehicle.

hope you all enjoy!

if you are on flickr, please click and comment!


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until next time...

10.03.09

Hey Guys-
It's been a long month since I've posted anything up. I was out of town for a few days this month for some training, and have been working on a ton of new and exciting shoots. I wish I had the time to update this more often so I may just cover a few things, and save the "special goodies" for the next entry!

This past month, I was invited to a few different car shows, as well as an MMA fight night. Both were a blast to shoot, but this was my first MMA fight, and with the victory of my good friend Doug Keefe, it made the fight that much more exciting. I was honestly scared of what I would be able to get since there is a giant cage around the fighters, but I was lucky enough to have the angle to get some shots in. If you'd like to check out all 150 shots, check this out, but i'll just put up some of my favorites to give you a taste!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/btmlinedan/sets/72157622541626491/

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Lastly, i'll leave you with some shots from the few car meets I was asked to shoot...with a taste of what's next to come at the end! If you would like to check out the full car shoots, check out these two photosets!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/btmlinedan/sets/72157622434644293/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/btmlinedan/sets/72157622565269192/


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AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... I leave you with a taste of the future...






until next time...keep shooting!

09.17.09
I love it when a car just *pops* off the screen. This car does EXACTLY that...not to mention it's not just a flashy paint job.


Meet the TC Kline Custom Carbon Coupe...or TCKLCCC for short, haha. This is a custom 1 of 1 series all carbon fiber car with no detail left unspent. You can't go wrong with an M coupe, but when you pull the entire car apart, fabricate carbon fiber everything in effort to shave every pound possible, while still adding power and increasing breaking force...you've got yourself a force to be reckoned with!




Here is what TC Kline says about the car...



"The Carbon Coupe weights 2,740 lbs., has 342 hp and corners with 1.06G grip. Take a minute to soak that in. The CC weighs less than a Honda S2000, has the HP of a Porsche 911, and has wider wheels and tires than a Ferrari F430. Incredibly, the CC weighs almost 600 lbs. less than a BMW M3 while maintaining the same power, drive train, and suspension.



The Body; Like the CR, the entire skin of the CC is manufactured from Carbon Fiber Composites. The changes to the Z4 M Coupe bodywork are a direct result of the application of the principals of "form follows function". Walk around the CC and you will not find any body lines which do not serve as an extension of function. The Carbon Coupe body work incorporates aerodynamic performance enhancements with a front air dam, front wheel house vents, and side skirts. The body also has all four fenders flared to accommodate wider wheels and tires. The use of carbon composites to make the body reduces the weight of the CC tremendously while maintaining a strong durable skin.



Interior: TC Kline has contracted with Recaro to produce a one piece shell performance seat specifically for the CC upholstered in Custom Leather. These light weight performance seats feature cutouts for a driver harness and have exceptional support while maintaining driver comfort. These Recaro/TC Kline seats are similar to those found in the E46 BMW M3 CSL or the Porsche Carrera GT.



The Drive Train: The Z4 M Coupe incorporates the E46 M3 Drive train. The TC Kline CC is based on that car and shares its 3.2 liter motor, 6 Speed Transmission and M Lock Differential. TC Kline upgrades the drive train with an Aluminum flywheel for quicker throttle response, improved acceleration and lighter weight. TC Kline has also developed a thin wall stainless steel exhaust system for the CC. This exhaust system is significantly lighter than the stock system and improves horse power by 12.



The Suspension: KONI Double Adjustable Coil-Over struts and rear shocks valved to TC Kline Specifications are already accepted by the BMW enthusiast as the standard for street and track performance and directly contribute to the 1.06G cornering grip the CC develops. The VVS suspension springs for the CC are made in Germany from a light weight alloy steel and TC Kline has a variety of spring rates available which allow the owner to tune the CC to their personal taste. The CC front struts are topped off with TC Kline designed front Camber Plates for quicker turn-in and steering feel and Delrin bushings replace the standard rubber bushings in the front lower arms and rear trailing arms for quicker response and markedly improved feel. (TC Kline also offers suspension bushings in Monoball or Rubber to suit driver tastes). These TC Kline components significantly reduce the unsprung weight resulting in a more responsive suspension.



Brakes: Performance Friction Corp. has created extremely rigid and light weight aluminum MonoBloc calipers for use on the CC. The front caliper is a four piston design with four brake pads for superior modulation and high brake torque and the rear caliper is a two piston design sharing the same pads. The large floating rotors have aluminum hats for light weight. The front rotor diameter in 345 mm, and 321mm rotors are on the rear. The PFC Carbon Metallic Brake Pads offer exceptional brake loads for extremely short stopping distances. These ultra performance brakes also contribute significantly to reducing the unsprung weight of the Carbon Coupe.



Wheels and Tires: The CC uses a one piece forged aluminum wheel designed for the lightest weight and strength. The CC standard front wheels are 18x9.5" and the rears are 18x10.5". TC Kline has chosen 18" wheels to allow drivers to take advantage of a larger selection of ‘R’ Compound tires. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup is currently the highest performance tire available for the street. The standard sizes for the CC are 265/35x18 front and 295/30x18 rear. These Sport Cup tires produced 1.06 G cornering in a Car and Driver test driving a TC Kline Z4 using the same suspension as supplied on the CC. The Michelin PS2 Ultra high performance tire will be available as a no cost option. The PS2’s offer extended wear with less grip than the Sport Cup tires.



The TC Kline Carbon Coupe and Roadster will be assembled in the TC Kline Racing Shop in Columbus, Ohio. The CC will be available in all of the BMW Z4 M Roadster colors, and any special color can be accommodated for a small extra charge. The CC and CR will be limited by production capability to 100 cars. The final price of the Carbon Roadster is $95,800.00 and the Carbon Coupe is $98,500.00. For further information you can go tcklineracing.com, or call TC Kline Racing at 614-771-7744.




for more info, check out http://www.tcklineracing.com/coupe.htm or if you are feeling lucky and would like to purchase such a fine vehicle, check out www.EnthusiastAuto.com. ENJOY!


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until next time...keep shooting!