L.A. Retro
Or, as could be re-titled, I went to LA and found the Dude!
But that was last year. Here now in the high summer heat of New York City I have been hit with an attack
of the blog lazies. My recent photos feel dull, lifeless and without purpose but surprisingly, I am feeling OK
about this. I cannot change the weather but I can adapt, go with it, sit back in the shade and enjoy the
languid heat that pulses throughout the city in a summer's days and nights.
In doing so I am hoping to organise my photo files. They are a mess! Lurking in this mess are some surprises.
Was it really twelve months ago that I was in Venice Beach when to me it has always been a case of the "not so
long ago . . . ?" I also remember the disappointment of not getting a better shot of this car, of wanting it to
stay still as it cruised through the fabulous grottiness that is Venice Beach behind which sit elegant
houses along shady stretches of canals.
I took the photo and put it away for another day. . . .
.......
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Loved the shot. The Dude Abides, even on the East Coast. Have a White Russian on me.
Cheers Tom! Here’s to the Dude, bi-coastal!
The weather is a major drag for a lot of us at the moment – we had hail last week. Fantastic shot though, Patti!
Hail! That would have cooled it down for you! Honestly though, where would we be without the weather to whatever about? Where’s a red convertible when you need the wind, with some sunshine, through your hair?!?! 🙂
I to think about this photo is like stepping back in time. Here is the very cold weather and heavy rainfall. Greetings to you “Friend”
Carlos, your lovely “after the rain” shots were very cooling indeed. Do hope your winter in the Pampas is not too long and cold. Greetings and thank you!
I hope the winter will end soon. This year has been very hard. Now I’m on the stove full of wood. That’s good to have inspiration and read.
Adiós Patti…
Carlos, the sun will shine again soon. Until then, enjoy the warmth of your hearth with your reading!
I love this ,Your photography are so great Patti and from the beginning i found your blog
that your subject always give inspiration to the society ,Great work there my friend 🙂
Oh Jake, magic words! Thank you so much and I could say the same to you! 🙂
hi Patti,
thank you for re-animating this wonderful LA street scene
– and I am excited about the courier new type design
– how did you manage this? via <pre? and non </pre?
Thank you Frizz, I am so pleased you enjoyed this colourful patch of L.A.
As for the new type design, I found it at last in a very simple spot! If you go into the Paragraph section of the New Post Tool Bar you will find a selection of formats. Preformatted is the above text type design. Placement of text is however more mechanical with this choice rather than as automatic as it is with Paragraph. Hope this makes sense!
you inspired me to use courier new again at
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/weekly-photo-challenge-growth/
comment section …
I do like your use of Courier and may have to think about it for myself if the Preformatted becomes too unwieldy with larger pieces of writing.
(Your photo of the flying girl is superb!)
<pre needs to make the lines end for yourself, not automatically, yes …
Almost like going back to traditional typing!
your theme is not for free? 86 $? my theme MANIFEST is for free – so I I do not have your button “preformatted” – no text type design possible – but I help myself with html insert <pre …
Frizz, I didn’t pay that much! But for what I wanted I would have had to pay extra for CSS upgrade about which I know very little. I thought “preformatted” was available across the board, in the menu under Paragraph. I shall try the html <pre . . . . As it is, I have to use html
etc at times for optimising size of the photos, which I have done my best to minimise for importing . . .
No worries, Patti.
You’ve just got the summer-time-and-the-livin’-is-easy-and-no-way-I’m-gonna-spoil-it-with-blogging blues. (Shall I hum a few bars?)
Although it takes too much energy to be blue, so don’t bother.
September will be upon us soon enough. Meanwhile, relax, love!
Judith, you are so sweet and yes, I should love it if you could hum a few of those bars of that divine summertime anthem! Have just put up anther post from the cool shade of Central Park. Maybe see you there one day? I know another great bar there! 🙂
😉
This photo is about so much more than just the car. The whole scene has been captured superbly and I love the strong contrast from the shadows in the bright sunlight. Proof that you don’t necessarily need the golden hours to capture a beautiful photo.
Mark, it is a long time between golden hours in LA! I managed to catch this shot after some long hours in the hot sun when my energy was seriously flagging and I was ready to call it a day. As the car turned into the corner I thought I would grab what I could, then I forgot all about it . . .
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! I often think about, and drool over, shots taken in those golden hours but so much of life takes place in the bright light of day. It is certainly a fascinating topic!
Love that old classic Caddy. Classic! You do good work! Such a neat refreshing change of pace from what I’m usually shooting… it’s nice to see how the other side lives. 😉 LOL!
Says the Easy Rider with views to cry for! 🙂
LOL. I could do with some of those views now, let me tell you! DFW is wearing me down!! 🙂
Speaking as someone who thinks the year 2000 was ‘not so long ago’ … I say go with it 🙂
Good to know I am not alone . . . thank you Geoffrey for your company!
Fabulous shot! Great contrast of the ‘grottiness’ with this gleaming beauty!
Thank you so much Madhu! This car had/has such a great sparkle and shine, part of the fabric that is Venice Beach. Have you been there at all?
Nowhere near the US of A 😀
Pingback: LA Adventure: Montrose Bowl « Firebird Photography Blog
There’s a lot of style in this shot, and that mural is so vivid with that red Caddy there.
Have you ever been to LA? There is SO much to explore and to have that Caddy cruise by (the suspension!) was such a bonus!
I’ve never been to LA but I do want to go. I’ve never been anywhere in the western US, only the east and Texas.
I would love to explore Texas! Hope you get to LA one day, love to know what you make of it. And it can be done without a car – buses, train and walking the streets all add to the rich variety particularly if you base yourself downtown. My humble opinion and experience only!
Cool, vibrant artwork on the wall! Your eyes capture the essence of things and its moments. beautiful!
That’s Venice Beach IT, one of the wonders of the western world! Well, Los Angeles anyway!