Gestation of an Amateur Photographer

Nine months ago, I picked up my first real camera hoping to capture some really kickass photos for FPH.  At first, I thought it was going to be easy.  How hard could it be to aim at something and hit a button?!?!  Was I ever in for an awakening!  Not only were my pictures stagnant and off-color, they didn't illicit any emotion.  Now I don't confess my pictures are frame worthy and should be hung over a fireplace.  However, I do feel I've learned a lot since I unboxed my Nikon back in March.  Knowing that I still have a lot to learn, I present, what I think are, the best pictures of 2011 in chronological order.  Enjoy!

P.S. Some of the pictures get cut off on the right side due to formatting issues.  Click on them to view in large format.

The TransAm Series

We're all guilty of teasing muscle cars from time to time. But if you told Mark Donohuen that muscle cars could do nothing more than go in a straight line, the joke's on you!

Check out how they slide sideways at corner exit!


One of the top comments of the video (28 thumbs-ups, no less) asks, "why dont we have a racing series like this today??? wtf!" Well... we do... and we don't. Thanks to trusty ole' Google, I found that the SCCA TransAm series is still operating. I can't tell you much more than that, though. The romance, the racing stars, the fans, it's all gone. What's left is just too dreadfully dull to hold my attention.

That said, I'd love to be proven wrong. So to any current Trans Am fans out there, feel free to share some of your enthusiasm with us! Especially in the form of awesome race footage!

Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend!

Double BMW 2002 All The Way across the eBay!

These posts are usually undertaken by Danny Chin, our resident eBay 'meister'. But I've got something pretty incredible-- and an opportunity to steal a bit of Danny's thunder is too irresistible to pass. (I love you, bro)

Behold! I was able to find not one, but two extremely rare and iconic BMW 2002s listed on eBay at the same time! If you've got $40k readily available, this can be your lucky day. If you've got the means to buy both of them, then you just made me spend the better of ten minutes trying to decide what insult to drop on you... You probably have a pencil mustache and I don't like you. UGH.

BMW 2002 Alpina Touring tii


BMW 2002 Turbo

Opposite Lock - Rants & Raves

When the CAFE regulations were passed last year, the automotive world was turned on its head.  How could an auto manufacturer achieve an average fuel mileage of 35 mpg across its entire lineup?  Recently BMW released its first salvo into the fuel mileage war and it comes in the form of a four cylinder.

caranddriver.com