Automotive Extravaganzas

McLaren P1 GTR

Car are and always have been a huge part of my life. I've always had an interest in them, particularly in the higher-end models. Living in Orange County and spending a lot of time in the Los Angeles area has been great for sighting many of these high-end exotics, with almost daily sightings of Rolls-Royces and Ferraris. I always enjoyed attending Portland Cars & Coffee, an early morning car meet for people to showcase their pride and joy automobiles, but the events in the O.C. and LA are on a completely different level. I recently had the opportunity to attend to such events

Maserati MC12

On May 14th, a friend and I made the 45 minute drive to Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood, where an event called Sunset GT takes place every second Sunday of the month. This event was littered with           absolutely insane cars, including three Porsche Carrera GT and a 918 Spyder, three Bugatti Veyrons, a road-legal McLaren P1 GTR (one of 45 GTRs built and even fewer made street-legal), and, the most impressive car of the day and one I never expected to see, a Maserati MC12. This event was supremely enjoyable because, in addition to the incredible machinery, it was not overcrowded with spectators, making it much easier to shoot the cars without having someone step in front of the camera. It was classy, well-organized, and in a very cool location with a great view.

Lamborghini Centenario with Pagani Huayra in background

The next weekend, on Saturday, I went to an event in Walnut called Cars & Chronos, hosted by an Instagram-famous Ferrari collector and the owner of Hing Wa Lee Jewelers. This event was also incredible, with two (!) Pagani Huayras, a McLaren P1 and P1 GTR, a LaFerrari, and - wait for it -none other than a one-of-20 Lamborghini Centenario Coupe, the very first to be delivered in the United States, with its owner having taken delivery only a few days before. What a treat that was to see; it is a truly stunning vehicle! 

I'm definitely going to miss the car culture of Southern California while I'm home in Oregon for the summer, but I'm looking forward to exploring more of Oregon in the meantime.

The All-Nighter

Late last Thursday night, two friends and I left for Joshua Tree in hopes of capturing some killer Milky Way photos. The park is about a two hour drive from Orange County, and, because we needed to be back for class in the morning, our plan was to drive there, take photos, and drive back by 6:00. A challenge, sure, but certainly not impossible. The biggest variable of the night was cloud cover, as the forecast had been constantly varying between partly cloudy or completely clear - we were hoping for the latter.

Upon arriving at the park, we were greeted with nearly completely clear skies - except, of course, right where the Milky Way was. Thus, unfortunately, I was not able to capture it as I had hoped. Nonetheless, I was able to capture several photos that I am satisfied with; for now, at least. This trip was also my first time using a powerful flashlight to create a cool light beam effect, and I think it came out very well.

We made it back to Orange County at around 6:30 with just enough time to take a quick nap before class. It was an exhausting trip, but well-worth the experience and photos that came from it.

I'll be returning to Joshua Tree in a few weeks (hopefully with clear skies) for one final attempt at shooting the Milky Way there before returning back to Oregon for summer.

My personal favorite from Thursday night/Friday morning's adventure.

A Beginning

The final image after post-processing. This is actually a composite of six images stacked on top of one another to reduce noise.

Well, here it is! Welcome to my first ever blog post. I'm very excited to be able to share with the world my adventures and the photos I take on them.

This first entry is regarding my latest photographic endeavor and my first attempt at shooting the Milky Way. I was home in Oregon this past weekend and it just so happened that I was going to be in town during the first clear day in weeks. I wanted to take advantage of the clear skies, and made sure to shove my tripod in my small suitcase and grab my camera before leaving Orange County on Thursday evening.

Friday night, my father and I began the trek up to Lost Lake on Mount Hood. Having never been to this lake before, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect about the road up. Little did I know, the road was hardly maintained, windy, narrow, and completely isolated. We even saw a bear cross the road in front of our car! Eventually, when we were about 20 minutes away from the lake, the road became packed snow and we were forced to turn back, not wanting to risk getting stuck, especially with no cell service and bears potentially lurking in the darkness.

Undeterred, we decided to make the 25 minute drive to Trillium Lake, which, based on Google Maps, looked to be a far more easily accessible lake. And it was; or, it would've been, had the gate  to the road in not been closed. Though I was a bit annoyed that I wouldn't be able to get the shot I originally planned with a lake in the foreground and Mount Hood in the background against a starry night, I still wanted to take photos. After all, we had driven two hours to get here and I wasn't going to let it go completely to waste. So, I took out my tripod and set up in the middle of the parking lot at the entrance of Trillium Lake.

To my surprise, I was still able to take a few fantastic photos that I am very satisfied with. Part of the reason for our trip to Mount Hood was so I could test myself and my camera's capabilities of shooting the Milky Way before a trip to Joshua Tree later this week, and I definitely accomplished that goal. I had no idea that I or my camera were capable of taking such detailed and vivid star photos.

All in all, it was a successful night of shooting and definitely worth staying up until 3 a.m. I can't wait to explore Joshua Tree and take more Milky Way photos later this week.