Scuderia SouthWest Cars and Coffee- August 2017

This month's Scuderia SouthWest Motorsports gathering had a German car theme, and boy were they out in force. Porsches, Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs covered the theme row as well as the rest of the parking lot, showing the best Germany had to offer, ranging from modern day exotics to priceless classics. 

The ASU FSAE team also brought our Formula car out to display. This is the first show SDM17 has been to, and it certainly won't be the last. Since we're an American university, we parked in the American car rows, and we even got a spot next to Bondurant, one of our sponsors who let us use their autocross track for testing. It was a pretty good day; we drew quite a few crowds and talked with a lot of people. We even recruited some new members to the team that day; it's no surprise a lot of ASU students come to these shows. 

Of course, my GT-R friends came out to the show and got their usual spots, which are coveted because they're one of the few spots in the area with shade. There was also a strong JDM showing as well, although on the other side of the parking lot. It was cool meeting some people in person finally after following them on Facebook and Instagram, as well as meeting with the usual Cars and Coffee peeps. 

And of course, there were exotics. Scottsdale McLaren brought out quite a few cars, and some privately owned McLarens came and joined them to form quite the row. There were also some surprises as well, including the 50th Anniversary Aventador and a Liberty Walk Huracan. 

Despite the heat, it was a good show. A lot of cars and people came out, and it's only going to get larger from here as vacationers come back to the Valley and the temperatures cool down.

Matt's Scion FRS

I've been trying to get back into doing photoshoots again. Unfortunately, this summer was busier than I intended, between getting sick, working, FSAE, starting my honors thesis, and moving out of my old apartment. Admittedly, I also haven't been aggressive enough in trying to secure photoshoots, but alas.

However, when my friend Matt said he was looking for photos, I was down for them. He told me that his Scion FRS is at a steady-state. He'll leave it like this for now until he's ready for the next stage, so he figured he should get photos of it now since he'll be able to use them for a while. The highlight of this stage is the Rocket Bunny spoiler, wrapped in carbon fiber. So, naturally I had to showcase that. Of course, he has a good set of other mods as well, both internal and external. Internal upgrades include the intake, Agency Power headers, front and rear sway bars, and an Invidia exhaust with midpipe. Externally, a diffuser, side skirts, black roof wrap, and Autodipped wheels complete the look. 

Matt's FRS is a workhorse. He's put on thousands of miles on it from daily driving and trips. He actually recently came back from California and 86 Fest before this shoot, and the rock chips on the front show.

Matt wanted to take shots at Tempe Town Lake since he never had any shots here. If you've seen my previous photos, you'll see that this is a main spot of mine since I'm usually in Tempe. This shoot also let me discover that the lake security that usually shows up and kicks you out of the ramp at nights/the evenings aren't present during the afternoon, something I'll be taking a note of for later. 

The cloudy, monsoon weather made for a perfect backdrop of the lake. It also made for some interesting lighting situations. When the clouds covered the sun, I opted to go for a cooler temperature to capture the relaxed mood of the weather at the time (this being an Arizonan summer, the fact we could be outside and enjoy the weather says a lot). Being next to the approach path for Sky Harbor also allowed for some cool shots with planes in the background. 

Meanwhile, when the sun came out, since we were approaching the evening, I went for a warmer color temperature to capture the vibrancy of the desert sunsets that we get treated to when the monsoon clouds roll in.

I also have been experimenting more with HDR. The D750 has what I think is faster continuous-high speed shooting as well as more increments than my D5300. Plus, now that I'm using my tripod more and Lightroom having a built-in HDR function, it's been a no-brainer to try using HDR more. 

I definitely have the itch to shoot some more. As time consuming as it is, I still love taking photos, and having a photo shoot is a great chance to get to catch up with people. It was certainly great to get to talk with Matt for a while, since we're both usually busy and can only exchange a few pleasantries when we see each other. 

Cars and Coffee- July 2017

July 4th is America's Independence Day, and to celebrate that Scuderia Southwest made this month's Cars and Coffee American themed. More specifically, it was themed so that cars would park in a red-white-blue color to match the order of colors on the America flag. Plus, to add more detail to it, SSW wanted to have a diverse range of American cars and asked for different years of the same makes to line up for photos. It definitely paid off as the show-row was spectacular looking.

In addition, Lexus' corporate branch brought out the LC500 for people to test drive. Of course I signed up to test drive one, and I have to say the car is amazingly balanced. The 50/50 weight distribution really shows since it felt incredibly planted and stable when turning. And while I always thought it was a little down on power for the price/class, it certainly moved well.

Of course, Scottsdale McLaren came by to spoil us with a brand new 720S. I really did not like how it looked in the initial photos (mainly the front area due to the headlights), but it did begin warming up to me in person. It's definitely a car to look at in real life rather than photos to full appreciate the design. 

Despite the 'Murican theme, there were of course the usual European luxury, super, and classic cars. Again, I've been experimenting with compositions and different angles to change up my photography a little. I'm still a sucker for sunrise-lens-flare-exposures though, as you can see here. Honestly the AMG GTS looked like a shot out of GT Sport.

It was also interesting seeing a Ferrari FF and a Ferrari GT4 Lusso parked next to each other. Side-by-side you can really see the differences between the old and the new. Like every new Ferrari for me, it took seeing the GT4 Lusso in person for me to like how it looks (although I did see it in Monterey last year, so I've had time to warm up to it). The new grin is a different beast compared to the FF.

And, of course, there was a Japanese presence. Godzillas made their usual appearance, as well as some very nice looking NSXes. There was also an immaculate Supra present. 

However, it was extremely hot, and there is now another Cars and Coffee in Chandler at the same day and time. Thus, turnout wasn't as large as it had been. Whether or not this will change next week for August is to be determined. But, as usual, I look forward to seeing what shows up.

Hiroi Sekai Meet

Some friends and their car club Hiroi Sekai have begun holding weekly meets in Gilbert. I decided to go to it yesterday, since even though last week was only their second week some "heavy hitters" in the car scene here showed up to it, and I'm eager to see it grow. Some more heavy hitters showed up last night, and despite an incident with someone not even at the meet squealing tires, leading to cops showing up, the space we had was already pretty full and the meet went smoothly. I look forward to where this leads to.

Import Face Off- Chandler, Arizona, December 13th 2015

To be honest, I originally never planned on going to Import Face Off because a) I was still suffering from laziness of starting winter break and b) the $20 entry fee, which considering all the money I already spent previously in the week, was rather significant. But, I am so glad I did.

For example, I got to meet @f7lthy_samurai in person, the owner of a VF Supercharged E93 M3, a Nissan Nismo GT-R (the one posted here before), and the once Alpha 9 GT-R, now a Liberty Walk Alpha 9 GT-R, the first in Arizona. And boy, do I look forward to seeing more of it. The GT-R was always a big car; the large wing and widebody kit just perfectly suit the car, and the Alpha radiator sticking out the front reminds us that this car is equal amounts of go as it is show.  It just looks amazing.

But this being Arizona and Import Face Off, one Liberty Walk isn't enough. @haugenracing's Liberty Walk Lamborghini Murcielago was also present for the show, as well as his Rocket Bunny Nissan 350Z (which I did not get any satisfactory shots of due to people/angles/yellow car in blinding sunlight with shadows everywhere), and his drift Genesis. Both of these cars were at SEMA 2015, and they were both spectacular looking. I always like wide body kits on wide cars, and the Murcielago fits this bill perfectly. I especially love the wing on it, too; rather than being massive in all dimensions, its size complements the sleek profile of the car. Both cars are certainly sights to see.

Being such a large show with huge prizes, it was also neat to see so many car clubs in one location. For example, Stoopidlow had a huge turnout, with around a dozen cars or so showing up. I thought I had pictures of every member's car, but I guess in my excitement I overlooked quite a few of their cars. However, I have photographed them before, and these include @tovar's NSX featured in Super Street, @atovar93's S2000 CR, @amrod86's Scion FRS, and @kdot_rx7's RX-7. 

I also saw Team SWAT (So What Any Time) bring out a large number of their cars. Because of my family's history with Accords (two 5th gen sedans, a 6th gen V6 coupe, a 7th gen V6 coupe, and an 8th gen V6 sedan, the one that I drive), Accords will always have a special place in my heart. The Toyobaru siblings will also never get old; they look so good in so many ways. And, the Impreza is a classic, you just can't go wrong with one (as long as you don't, say, snow drift it into a pole).

In addition to cars like the Liberty Walks, there were real show stoppers everywhere. Brain McCann brought out his amazing 350Z out, trophies and all, for us to admire, and man, it is a beautifully done Z. In addition, there was an ER34 Nissan Skyline parked nearby, causing many to stop, stare, and wonder how it even got there in the first place (because, you know, 25 year import ban). 

Of course, there were so many cars present I couldn't possibly photograph them all and know the owners/teams they're associated with. But man, was there selection. For example, Bourbon Street Wraps brought out their Maserati Gran Turismo S for display, and a group that hangs out at the local Fit Mob meets was also present for the drift events. This amazing Mercedes SL65 AMG, which won the award for best European car, I think, was also present to add variety. @asiantoretto's amazing 240Z was also present, and aptly parked next to the Liberty Walk GT-R. 

There were so many prizes, I couldn't keep track of all the winners, otherwise I'd list them here. Furthermore, I didn't even mention the drag racing anywhere above, there was just so much to take in in the few hours I was present. I can't wait for the next Import Face Off, because I'll definitely be there for the whole day for it.