I’ve written a lot of articles over the years, but this latest one means a lot to me for a lot of different reasons. It’s in the latest issue of World of Rods, and it features my friend Adam’s dual ’63s.

I first met Adam about 10 years ago, when we were both in the same car club. He had an Astro van at the time and so did I, so we bonded. He lived in Las Vegas, while I was in Phoenix, but we’d chat on the phone every so often. His most recent child also had a few medical issues that required a specialist, and the only one he could find in the area was down here in my neck of the woods. I was working nights at the time, so I’d pick up Adam, his wife and his kid at the airport, take them to the doctor’s office, then take them back. That lasted a few months, but I certainly didn’t mind. He was a friend and a fellow club member, so I’d do anything for him, just like he would for me.

I was there when Adam first looked at the ‘63 Impala wagon pictured to the left. It was a little rough, and a full-on lowrider, but Adam saw potential. He traded straight across for his Astro and got building.

He was there for my first SEMA appearance, with my 2000 Ford Focus Wagon, although technically, it was more of a SEMA-adjacent appearance.

He was also there when I left that car club, and he was one of the few people who stayed by my side during that time. He really is a good friend.

Over the years, Adam and I have spent a lot of time together. Whether he’s down here or I’m up there, we hang out a lot – to the point where some people asked if we were brothers (although you could make the argument that it’s because we’re both chubby guys with shaved heads). We’ve both had some roller coaster times, but we’ve made it through regardless.

When I decided to go full-time with the writing and photography, Adam was one of my first calls. I figured that if I was able to round up at least 4 or 5 features in a particular area that I could fly out there, get the shoots done and fly out while still making a profit. It meant getting a bunch of features under my belt, and it was a good way to get the business started, although there were risks with weather and time schedules. I knew that Adam knew everyone in Vegas, so I asked him if he had any buddies who wanted shoots. He lined up 5 or 6 of them, and that was good enough for me. By the time I was done, I had 6 features ready to go for my trip.

I quit my old job on October 2nd, and on October 4th I was on a plane, headed to Vegas. I shot several features out there, but the one that really was important to me was the one pictured above, of my friend’s ‘63 Impala wagon, and his ‘63 Buick Riviera.

I’ve been anxiously waiting for this feature to print, and today, I stumbled upon it at the grocery store. There it is, 8 pages and the table of contents, all of Adam’s cars. The layout turned out better than I could’ve ever hoped, and it all turned out really, really good.

This article marks a number of firsts for me. It’s the first article I’ve ever shot with two cars. It’s the first article I’ve ever had published at World of Rods. It’s the first 8 page feature I’ve ever had.

The big one though, is that this is the first article I’ve had printed that was started and turned in once Whipps Industries was formalized. Seeing that picture above reminds me of that October day in Vegas. I was cold, wearing shorts in 50 degree weather, and scared out of my mind. I had no idea if I was going to be able to make it as a writer, no idea if my business would ever work, and no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I had to use my camera to get the best shots I could of my friend’s cars. And I did.

I don’t often ask people to check out my work. But if you happen to be at a newsstand sometime soon and see the latest issue of World of Rods, I’d really appreciate it if you picked it up.

You know, I do more than just write for magazines. I also write for websites. The past few months I’ve been at Apple Gazette, and just recently I started at Forever Geek. I really enjoy writing for the web, as it’s such an immediate medium that allows me to be more personal and express myself.

Want to check out my work? There are two places you can go.

Apple Gazette

Forever Geek

I’m always looking for other blogging opportunities, so if you have one, or know of someone who does, send me a note and we can go from there.

When I go out to do a shoot on a car or truck, I often get asked, “How do I get a copy of these pictures?” That’s an awkward question to answer – or at least it was, until recently.

Every picture I take for a magazine is getting sold to that publication. Until the article runs, I can’t sell a single one of those pictures to a customer unless they want to pay to compensate for the shoot. Once it runs however, I’ll sell a CD of the final product to them for a fair price. The grey area happens when the article hasn’t run yet and it’s been a long time since the shoot. Until the magazine has signed off on it, I can’t do anything with the pictures. They just sit on my server until my editors make a decision.

Now, that’s going to change. I’ve been spending some time recently establishing an account at SmugMug, where soon I’ll have some of my favorite shoots available online. Soon you’ll be able to hop onto whippsindustries.com, head into the shop area and buy prints of any image I’ve put online. From wallet sized to 30X30 box-framed posters and everything in between, it’s all there. Better yet, it’s affordable.

See that guy in the upper right corner? His name is Dino, and I’ve shot several of his trucks in the past few years. The first few galleries that I’ll be putting up are of everything of his that I’ve put in front of my lens; my favorite pics of his many rides. I could fill the site with his trucks alone – trust me, he’s had plenty – but as I do more shoots, I’ll put up selected favorites for customers to purchase. Consider them reserves that don’t go to the magazine, but will be available for prints just a few days after the shoot.

Of course, not everyone wants prints, and I understand that. In those situations, I’ll still offer a CD or DVD of the images from the shoot, but only once the article is published. Sorry, certain things I can’t change.

Although this is for my customers, I do have a selfish reason for this new addition. I’ve taken some shots that I’d love to have framed and hanging on the walls in the office, but local print shops want a small fortune for them. Now, I’ve got an option for myself that’s not only affordable, but the quality is amazing as well.

The way I see it, I just might be the shop’s best customer.

Born at 3:45 pm. 8.2 lbs, 20.75 inches long and healthy.

I’m ecstatic.

I got a call from a good friend of mine the other day, about shooting a truck for one of the magazines I work for. “They screwed this article up royally,” he says to me. “I wasn’t even listed, and neither was another guy. You should shoot it for another magazine and make sure we get the right credit.”

I’ve been in this situation before, and it was a tricky scenario. Back then, I was a young photographer, just trying to make my way in the business. Now that I have a bit more experience however, I know the way this should go down.

Chances are pretty high that there’s a reason why my friend’s credits weren’t given in the tech sheet. Either the owner wasn’t happy with the results, or maybe someone else had to be paid to redo the job. Regardless, the owner doesn’t want to give certain people credit, and as the guy who possesses the vehicle, it’s his right to do so.

This puts me in a weird situation. I want to shoot the truck because I think it’s a great vehicle and I’d love to put it out there. But if I do that, I have to choose between satisfying the owner, and satisfying my friend. Either way, someone is going to get ticked off.

What’s the answer?

I put the truck on my “do not touch” list. It’s not a very long document or anything, but from now on, I don’t touch the truck or anything the owner builds. That way, I don’t risk irritating anyone along the line. Sure, that does rule out me shooting anything he does in the future, but more often than not, I photograph the cars of first-time vehicle builders. Chances are pretty good that I won’t be asked to shoot one of his trucks again, and if I do, I’ll politely decline.

Sometimes it’s more about being political than anything. It’s not a great situation to be in, but by avoiding it entirely, I also avoid the potential problems down the road.

Sometimes shooting a feature vehicle is a bit like playing tag.

Take today’s shoot, for example. I first saw this SUV at the Goodguys show in Scottsdale a few months ago, and I couldn’t find the owner. The event comes and goes, and I’m hunting for this SUV everywhere; I’m checking with my friends, looking at car shows, and I find nothing.

As it turns out, I’m on another shoot a month ago and the owner of said vehicle happened to know the owner of the SUV. See, this guy is a mailman, and he delivers the mail to the owner. After a few missed connections, I finally get in touch with the owner and we schedule a shoot.

30 minutes before the shoot, I get a call: “Kevin, I’m sorry, but the truck won’t go in reverse. We have to reschedule.” so we did just that, for today at 4:00.

I get a call today at 2 p.m. He was going to fly into town today for the shoot, and he missed his flight. So he decides to drive to Phoenix from Las Vegas, just in time for the shoot. It’s 4:22 now, and he should be here in about 10 minutes.

It’s taken a lot of hunting, gathering and researching to find this vehicle, and I can’t wait to finally shoot it. Then once the shoot is done, it’s back to the office to start the search for the next ride to feature all over again.

UPDATE: A sample from the shoot is above. Turned out great.

My first child is scheduled to come just one week from Sunday, and the wife and I are very excited. This does mean a little bit of downtime for the business however, so I’ve taken some extra steps to get thing ready for the big day.

I’ve been banking articles recently, doing photo shoots without doing any editing or writing, so that I can get dome work done from the hospital. Let me say too, that these are some awesome cars and trucks that I can’t wait to get out there. Come February 10th, I fully expect my MacBook Pro to be whirring away, sending files up to the clients via FTP.

As for local work, that just doesn’t seem to stop. I have a shoot for a good friend of mine come the 14th, which should be a lot of fun. Then sometime soon I’ll be heading off to Dallas, where I hope to get a few shoots in as well. That, and hopefully buy that dually I’ve been talking about.

I’ve also worked out a deal with Splashpress Media, and next month you’ll be able to find my work at both Apple Gazette and Forever Geek, which I’m very excited about. I hope to do even more blogging work I the future, as opporunities present themselves.

Don’t worry though, because even with a child on the way and lots of work to do, I’m always looking for new opportunities. Should you have one, send me an e-mail and we can talk it out.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blog, and look for pictures of my son in the future!

The other day, I was interviewed by OWC Radio to talk about Apple products, photography and trucks. It was a lot of fun, and a little bit different to be the guy answering the questions, and the result was about 45 minutes of solid back and forth. If you’re interested in giving it a listen, check it out here:

OWC Radio

OWC Podcast Link

Well, it’s taken some work, but I’ve been making some progress on the website. After some discussions with my programmer buddy, he got some of my portfolio things sorted out and now we just need to get the tech sheet online and we’ll be good to go.

Right now, the site is pretty sparse, but these improvements are going to help a lot. It only took me 10 minutes or so to update one of my past projects – the Makin’ Waves Ford Focus Wagon – and in the coming days I’ll be adding pictures of my Civic, my ‘04 Silverado, and my latest project, a ‘95 Silverado named Dumb Luck.

I am looking for a new project as well. I need something that can tow, but I also want something that will be very functional for me and my impending family. I’ve decided that I want a 1995-2000 Chevrolet/GMC 3500 crew-cab dually, a big truck that I can’t wait to buy. Pictured is my buddy Erik’s ‘94 model, which sits on the frame on a 22-inch semi wheel. It was built by my good friend Todd at Lowboy Motorsports, and when I pick one up, eventually it will be a good four inches lower.

My plan is to build a truck that’s functional but looks good as well. I want to paint it a dark gray color and put the company logo on the sides as well as the tailgate, so that it’s tasteful but looks modern at the same time. Inside, I want to make it a mobile command center for the business, with a laptop mount, backup drive and everything else I’d need to take the truck across the country and process shoots on the road. Out back, I want to fabricate a removable mount for driving shots, and then a tool box that can securely hold my camera equipment with no fear of getting stolen. I’m even looking into mobile internet and TV, which would top it off.

Why something so big?

I love duallies. In fact, in the background of the picture above is my old dually, an ‘87 squarebody Chevy which I sold to Erik around the time of this picture. They’re big, roomy, and can pull a house off the foundation, which is good enough for me. My ‘95 project will be going to paint in New Mexico sometime this year, and having something to pull it with would make my life a lot easier. It also means that I can take my family anywhere I go, with room for the baby and all of our stuff. But since it has a bed, it’s great for photo shoots as well. For me, it’s the perfect vehicle. Now I just have to find something in my price range with low miles – not a small feat.

Keep on the lookout for some new pages in the coming days, with my portfolio being updated, as well as the project pics. And now that things are a bit more modern, I can post from the road as well, so I’m hoping to show you a different side of the photography world. There’s a lot of stuff going on here, so be patient, it will happen soon.

When I first started Whipps Industries, I knew that my wife was pregnant and that I had a few months to plan for the impending birth. We’ve spent the past few months purchasing all of the little things that you need for a newborn, and  I’ve been planning out my schedule so that I can have a little bit of time to spend with the little one. I promised myself a while back that on January 17th I’d have all of my major photography done so that just in case something happened, I’d be able to drop everything and take the wife to the hospital. For the most part, that’s exactly how it’s been working out, but recently I came across some really cool opportunities that I just couldn’t pass up.

For example, tomorrow I’m interviewing a technological giant for one of the publications I work for, and I’m very excited about the opportunity. I’ve also interviewed a professional skateboarder and a MMA fighter in the past few days, and I may even be able to talk to some other major starts in the coming week. All that work is due this Friday – right in line with my personal deadlines – but that’s not the end of it.

Next week I’ll be covering a major event here in Scottsdale for another book, and I’ve been tasked with shooting a cover at the same time. This is a huge honor for me, and although I’ve shot covers before, it’s never something that I take lightly. I’m already planning out locations, ideas and other concepts, just trying to get everything perfect for the shoot.

The following week is fairly mild, but I do have a shoot on January 29th, doing a tech for another book . It’s about learning how to TIG weld, a skill which I’ve always wanted to have, and now I can learn from the masters. It’s going to be a fun shoot to be sure.

The next few weeks are going to fly by, and I know that come February 7th, when my child is due, it’s all going to change. My drive to succeed has been pretty high the past few months, but come that day in February, I’ll have another reason to take my game to another level. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next few months.