For almost 20 years now, I’ve been involved in some way, shape or form in the car industry. In that time, I’ve been mostly concerned with building show quality vehicles. I’m not sure exactly what it is about them, but I never really wanted a beater. For me, a custom car is finished top to bottom, paint and everything, and ready to be put on the floor at SEMA.Even after all the hard work though, I want to drive my cars as much as possible, which always makes me paranoid about getting a ding or a dent. Sometimes, it takes the pleasure out of driving them, which ultimately leads to me selling the ride and moving on to the next one.

Then I met Dino. A few years back, I was called by one of my editors and told to go shoot a piece on a guy who lived in Central Phoenix, and feature the many different trucks in his collection. At the time, he owned quite a few – six, I believe – mostly in the ‘60-’66 C-10 era. He owned one show car, but the rest were just laid out trucks with reliable motors and big wheels. No fancy paint, no shaved handles or roll pans; just pure, simple, drivers. I asked Dino why he never really took his trucks to that next level, and his answer surprised me.

See, Dino lives a different lifestyle than most. His cars live in his backyard, which is also where his 100+ pound rottweiler spends most of his time. On more than one occasion, Dino would go out into the yard and find the dog sleeping on the hood or in the cab, leaving scratches and dents in his wake. Owning a show truck didn’t make sense for Dino, because he didn’t want to worry about an accident with a dog or a ding from a shopping cart. The main thing for Dino is that he owns a mechanically sound vehicle that runs and drives excellently, lays low, and that’s it. Forget the primered shell or the faded paint. For him, it’s about function.

This concept seemed foreign to me at the time, but after spending more time with Dino, I learned that it was just his way. Dino loves his trucks, but he doesn’t hang onto them for years at a time unless he really likes them. Instead, he buys them and flips them fairly quickly, but only once he’s gotten his fun with the vehicle out of his system. It made me see that I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to have a cool truck, I just need to have something cool that I enjoy, and that’s ultimately all that matters.

Tonight, I went out and shot Dino’s latest creation, a 1953 Chevrolet 150. This gorgeous car sports the original inline six cylinder engine, stock faded paint and a redone interior. It’s mechanically sound, airbagged and rolling on 1949 Cadillac wheels. It’s not only fun to drive, but it’s fun just to look at, and gets tons of stares wherever it goes. For Dino, this car is just about perfect. Sure, he could buy a 350 and throw that under the hood, and yes, he could chop it and paint it with a heavy flake. But for him, this car is just fine as it sits and for now, he’ll drive it all day long.

This car, and people like Dino, are the reason I do what I do. It’s not always easy to find inspiration, and sometimes my job can be downright frustrating. But today, I found it in the faded patina of a 1953 Chevrolet.

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.

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.