What makes a good photo?
I love this photo. It's blurry and messy. But it also has motion, direction, and feeling. So, I celebrate that.
Taken from a moving car with my hand out of the sun roof.
Dreamy Lamborghini
Waco, Texas
2019
Sony a6000
Light is amazing. One could study light all their life and never reach the fullness of understanding and knowledge. Light is what makes photography possible.
Finding a road covered by a canopy of trees on a bright sunny day is a mystical experience. The location was back road in Groesbeck Texas leading to an old fort.
Angelic Challenger
Groesbeck, Texas
2021
Sony a6000
Red coupe. Blue sky.
The joy of Parked Photography is finding a beautiful red Mercedes GT coupe ALONE in a parking lot against a beautiful blue sky.
Somebody's dream came true. Maybe their dream was to own a business. Or maybe their dream was to own a beautiful red Mercedes GT coupe. Or maybe it was both.
Red coupe. Blue sky.
2021
Waco, TX
iPhone 12 mini
I love parked photography for many reasons. It's about creating (or capturing) a feeling. A building with eyes watching. A trustworthy car waiting. A streetlight providing a sense of security. All are characters in the story of Mercury at Midnight.
Mercury at Midnight
Brenham, Texas
2012
Nikon D5000
Through the fence shot of a 1969 Plymouth.
We must become aware that something is missing before we search for it. We must see the value of something before we pursue it.
Plymouth Soul
Waco, TX
2022
Sony a6000
When we pursue our dreams we encounter our weaknesses. We realize our current ways are insufficient. We learn that key truth...
Success begins where easy ends.
The Beauty of Rust
Waco, TX
2020
Sony a6000
For this shot:
The epic shadow is a key player. It looks like some grand building.
The fire escape adds interest. It leads you to freedom.
The Challenger is ready and waiting.
When composing, look at all the elements for a story. Don't forget to see the light and the shadows as elements.
Escape the status quo.
We have the ability to dream.
It is proof that we must dream.
Pursue your dreams.
Escape
Waco, TX
2020
Sony a6000
What is perfection in photography?
A tack sharp image? True color representation? A clear composition?
To what end?
To tell the truth? Or tell a story? Or make art? To make better photos? To make money? To make people look? To help people see? To entertain? To bring back memories?
So many possibilities.
Imperfect
Waco, TX
2024
iPhone 16 Pro
Electric Charger. Green grass. Interesting lines.
Electric Charger
Waco, TX
2025
iPhone 16 Pro
Cyber Truck in the Rain.
The beauty of having a camera at all times.
The wonder of taking a photo from a moving car.
The delight of capturing a blink of an eye.
Cyber Truck in the Rain
Austin, Texas
2025
iPhone 16 Pro
The most important question...
Is it interesting?
Is your photograph interesting to you? Perhaps it will be interesting to others.
Cadillac at Middleman Ministries
Waco, Texas
2025
Ricoh GR III
MOTOR Texas Corvette at Middleman Ministries.
You don’t have to be a photographer to love photography. You don’t even have to love all things photography. Just love what you love and see where it takes you.
Corvette C8 at Middleman
Waco, Texas
2025
Ricoh GR III
BMW
BMW at Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
2025
Sony a6000
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
2025
Sony a6000
McLaren at COTA
Circuit of the Americas
Austin, Texas
2025
Sony a6000
Corvette C8-R Garage
AutoNation Chevrolet in Waco, Texas
2024
iPhone 16 Pro
BMW i8 on Austin Avenue
Cars of Austin Avenue
BMW i8
2024
iPhone 15 Pro
White Car in Rain
Waco, Texas
2024
iPhone 13 Mini
Lone LTD
Ford LTD
Waco, Texas
2023
Ricoh GR III
Parked for the event.
Kingsbury, Texas
Ford Galaxie 500
2017
Industrial modern.
Corvette C8 Photo Shoot
2023 Corvette C8 Stingray
2024
Bold wherever you roll.
Dallas Excursion
Rolls Royce
2024
A stunningly attractive Corvette and a lovely home create a picturesque moment in time in Dallas, Texas.
Picturesque Corvette
Dallas, Texas
2024
Cinematic
Guardian Collective
Waco, Texas
2024
Cadillac Dark Night
Waco, Texas
2023
Dodge in DeLeon
Dodge Stealth
De Leon, Texas
2018
Eat at Kim's
Cheverolet Coupe
Waco, Texas
2018
iPhone 6s
Photograph it if it's interesting to you. William Eggleston taught me to consider all things interesting.
Chevrolet Caprice Wagon
18th and Caprice
Waco, Texas
2024
Cars of Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas
2024
Buick Skylark 350
iPhone 13 mini.
A beautiful red Thunderbird at a restored Gulf gas station on Washington street in Waco, Texas.
Imagine if you could have any car you like, from any year, fully modernized. Imagine a modern Model T. Imagine the roads filled with cars from 1905 to today. So many to choose from.
Enjoy them while you can, wherever you find them. Make a photograph and share it.
Thunderbird at Night
Waco, Texas
Sony a6000 16mm, f/5.6, 1/20 sec. ISO 3200.
Parked in Waco. Ricoh GR III 18mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec. ISO 6400.
Sometimes we judge our photos so much that we don't even consider them. They are just the many photos that didn't make the cut. But sometimes when you look back at your photos you see something that was there all along. There was a reason you made the photo. Now you see it and appreciate it.
I love Parked Photography for many reasons. It's about creating (or capturing) a feeling. A moment captured that most would not see.
Camaro on Austin Avenue
Waco, Texas
iPhone 6s
Sweet green Cutlass Supreme spotted on Austin Avenue in Waco.
In the Texas panhandle, where cars are art, there's Cadillac Ranch, Bug Ranch, Combine Ranch, and probably many lesser known rustic automotive exhibits created by design or circumstances.
Unlike automobiles parked without shelter, exposed to direct sunlight and rain, this truck has a chance.
I love Parked Photography for many reasons. It's about creating (or capturing) a feeling. The evidence of another time.
Lincoln Continental parked at Baylor in Waco, Texas.
2019 Corvette Stingray C7 white.
Ricoh GR3 and car photography.
https://www.parked.photography/doc/cadillac-ct4v-ricoh-gr3
I will have this Cadillac CT4 V-Series for a while. This car comes with photographic challenges such as black paint, and body lines that are nice, but not quite amazing.
This is a photo from my first quick photo shoot.
https://www.parked.photography/doc/cadillac-ct4-test-shoot
Cadillac CT4-V
https://www.parked.photography/
I spotted this 1990s Caprice wagon on a side street near downtown Waco. It actually looks futuristic. This is essence of parked photography.
Dreams were never meant to make money. They are meant to radiate what has never been seen before. Love for the sake of love. Beauty for the sake of beauty. Art for the sake of art.
18th and Caprice
Waco, TX
2021
iPhone 12 mini
Random Toyota in parking garage. I loved the lighting.
Sweet Impala spotted on IH35 frontage road.
DUST2DUST. 1966 Cadillac Hearse spotted in Waco.
Random Mustang looking good in Waco parking lot.
Shot with iPhone 6s.
The best camera for car photography is the one you have with you.
Beautiful Porsche at the 2020 SVRA at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Austin VW gang at the 2020 SVRA at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Street shot of a Dodge Challenger. There was just something slightly sinister about this Challenger lurking in the brush.
Ricky Bobby white Ford Tudor.
Camaro!
I couldn't resist photographing this bright red Audi TT on Austin Avenue in Waco.
I liked the colorful doors across the street so I pulled them into the composition.
Shooting below eye level adds to the aggressive look of the car.
Keep shooting!
There's a nice park where I like to get sunset shots.
I repositioned the Challenger several times to find a composition I liked.
However, the sun was dropping quickly!
Sunset shots aren't as easy as you would think.
Because I was shooting hand-held, I used Shutter Priority at 1/60 to minimize camera shake. Aperture was f/5 (wide open for my kit lens).
I started out at ISO 200, but had to bump the ISO to 800, and then it just got too dark.
I like the composition, but unfortunate it's too grainy. I had to lighten it up on Photoshop to salvage this shot.
Lesson learned, don't waste time deciding on how to compose the shot at sunset! Allocate enough time to get your composition nailed before the sunset. Then just focus on shooting and adjusting your settings as the sun goes down. In this case I just bumped the ISO up as the sun was going down.
Alternatively, use can a tripod and slow your shutter speed for longer exposure.
Keep shooting!
This Audi V10 was an unexpected find near downtown Waco, in an old industrial area.
I was initially disappointed in the not so attractive surroundings and the heavy shade.
However, after cropping and brightening up the shadows I think it turned out rather well.
I initially didn't pay much attention to the black screen on the other side of the car, but realized later it was a perfect background frame for the car. I love how it complemented the silhouette of the Audi.
Spotting a photo worthy car is a great reason to pull over and practice your photography. You might not have much time so its a good opportunity think quickly about the scene (composition) and your camera settings. Always take some extra shots.
Challenger on Austin Avenue, Waco. iPhone 6s.
MOTOR Texas attended the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association's National Championship race event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Driver Randell Smith drives his 1969 Brabham BT-29 back to the pit area.
From our Texas road trip adventures - a 1969 Pontiac Catalina Fastback at an old retired gas station in Glenrio, Texas on old Route 66.
Ford shoebox seen at Jester Brewing in Austin.
What is a "shoebox"? Most pre-war (WWII) cars had big fenders that stick out from the body. The 1949 Ford was the first American car to have fenders integrated into the body of the car. This created a smooth box-like shape. The 1949-1951 Ford models were given the nickname "shoebox."
The beautiful silhouette of a C7 Corvette. A shot from the 2014 Corvette Invasion at the Oasis in Austin, Texas.