Man, 2017 had a hell of a summer for me. I was just-about a year into living in southern California, I was on the verge of leaving my job in banking and taking the plunge into the automotive realm, and I was shooting photos incessantly.
March 28, 2021 Car Autance Feature Photo Details
- Car(s): Tri-Point Engineering FC Mazda RX-7, FD Mazda RX-7
- Location: Southern California
- Photog: Peter Nelson (Instagram, Twitter)
- Camera: Canon EOS-1N, Kodak Ektar 100
I had been experiencing a re-kindling of film most of the year, which had culminated that summer with shooting two to three rolls every time I’d go out and shoot around Los Angeles. It got expensive to say the least.
“This is how I learned back in 2002, I love how no-fuss film is, I should shoot more of it” was my mindset, which translated to tons of throwaway shots. But it also turned into a lot of solid shots (in my mind at least) of experiences I look back on quite fondly.
Mazfest 2017 was one of the best car shows I’ve ever been to. Not just for firsts, but also for a hearty, solid example of what SoCal car shows are all about.
This was the first time I parked my Mazda 2 prominently in a car show. It was also the first time I saw a bunch of track-prepped FC and FD RX-7s all in the same place. It was also my first all-Mazda show. I had an eye-opening, and very fun first impression of how SoCal did car shows, and it wouldn’t be the last I’d attend. Well, probably the last I’d prominently park the 2 -it’s not exactly show material.
It was also one of the first shows I attended that was also a track day, with all kinds of fun Mazda and non-Mazda hardware in attendance for that portion of it. I’m sure I’ll do more photo posts like this with some of those shots. The roll of Kodak Ektar 100 I had sitting in my Canon EOS-1N that day ended up having a great hit ratio.
Looking through old photos for Car Autance content has been really fun and uplifting. I’m suddenly more inspired to get out and shoot; not just at car shows and track events, but other subject matter I love shooting. The pandemic has put a pretty big damper on my motivation to get out and do things, even if they’re more-than-adequately socially-distanced. But now, I gotta get out there and shoot more for sure.
I think I’ll bring my digital Canon 6D along though; shooting film has gotten even more expensive in the past couple of years.
