Car

Monster Jam

/ Michael Glover / 24 Comments

This past Saturday I got to attend an event that I have not been to for a long time. The Monster Jam! Held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, they put this on twice a year usually a couple of weeks apart. Big giant trucks completely modified and ready to run over anything in their path. It’s an extremely impressive show to say the least. The day started off with a pit party at 2 o’clock. The trucks were all situated in an open area across the street from the stadium. Autographs and photo opps were available for those willing to stand in line. The pit area closed off about 5 o’clock and all of those in attendance were treated to a parade of 4×4’s crossing the street. Upon entering the stadium and taking my seat, I was ready for some action! The show started with some midget race cars running around the track followed by demolition derby cars. When the monster trucks came out they drove around the track showing off. The loud rumble of raw horsepower shook the entire stadium – it was awesome!

(Note: Please click on each image to view them full screen!)

Iron Man

The track was setup with a few junk cars that you knew we’re going to be smashed. Oh the anticipation! First up was the qualifying rounds. Two beasts squared off against each other to see who could make their laps the quickest.

El Toro Loco

Once a winner was determined, it was time for the freestyle event. All of the advertising leading up to this night was touting a monster truck doing a backflip! And it was absolutely awesome!

Maximum Destruction

A couple of old junk rv’s were brought out and they were turned into dust by the end of the show.

Ice Cream Man

All in all it was a totally amazing night of destruction. If the Monster Jam comes to a town near you, be sure not to miss it. You won’t be disappointed!

War Wizard

Lots of air was used tonight!

Wolverine

I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Please consider leaving a comment as I always enjoy hearing from my visitors! 😀

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Black Beauty

/ Michael Glover / 24 Comments

On Saturday October the 13th, I attended Scott Kelby’s Fifth Annual Worldwide Photo Walk. If you’re not familiar with this, it is a chance to get together with other people who enjoy photography and spend a couple of hours taking pictures. There is usually socializing in a local restaurant afterwards where everyone can share their shots for the day and chat. It occurs in cities all around the world and it is a lot of fun. I have participated in it every year so far and look forward to it for many more.

For this year, I chose to participate in the walk in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. This beautiful little ocean town is just south of Daytona Beach. As luck would have it, there was a car show on the same evening. No ordinary car show mind you, this one had hundreds of cars. And they do this the second Saturday of each month! The name of the club is East Coast Cruisers Car Club.

As I was walking around looking for photo ops, I spotted this fantastic looking car. A 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. The finish was so shiny that it was reflecting everything around it. The owner was very meticulous about keeping it clean and polished.

The reflection in the trunk lid was what first caught my eye. After that it was pure excitement of just looking over the car and seeing what I could do to capture all of the reflectiveness!

For this shot I loved the way the lone cloud just kind of popped out. And the sunlight hitting the tree was perfect.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

After shooting a few more shots, I ventured on down the road to see what else I could find. On my way back I had to stop by this car one more time. The sun was peeking through the palm trees and lighting the scene really nice.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

The photo walk ended way too quickly for me. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

1929 Cadillac

/ Michael Glover / 29 Comments

As a photographer living in central Florida, it’s always nice being so close to great places like Disney. I get to go on photo excursions that I have lovingly named “Disney Days!” This particular day was indeed a fun one as I came back with lots of images I was pleased with.

My day started out at the newly opened Art of Animation Resort where I got this shot: Wheel Well Motel. I spent all of my time here exploring the “Cars” themed area. The detail that they put into this place is nothing short of amazing.

My next stop was the Grand Floridian Resort. This Victorian style hotel is absolutely breathtaking when you step inside. As I walked in I noticed the reflection on the floor and got the idea in my head for this shot: The Grand Entrance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a floor so shiny in all my life! And the magnitude of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling is awesome.

After spending some time exploring inside, I ventured outdoors to see what I might find. Parked out in front of the hotel is a carriage and a 1929 Cadillac. Perfectly fitting in with the theme of this resort, this car is certainly a showstopper.

Huge headlights, whitewall tires, running boards, and a fancy hood ornament were all common in this time period. Even details like a fancy belt to hold the spare tire on were not overlooked.

In an upcoming post,  I will be featuring an image from my final stop of the day, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, so be sure to watch for that one.

If you would like to view more pictures on my blog from Disney, just click here.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

As always, I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

Wheel Well Motel

/ Michael Glover / 16 Comments

On a recent photo excursion that brought this image to the blog, I took a visit to the newest addition of Disney lodging: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. There are a few different themes going on that are very exciting. I found the Cars theme to be very interesting. I enjoy scenes with lots of color and this certainly was a treat to my eyes. As a photographer who shoots lots of HDR, this was like heaven! It is set up to resemble route 66. The sidewalk looks like a paved street with power poles and streetlights  running alongside it. Several different characters from the movie were strategically placed for your viewing pleasure.

This scene in particular was setup in front of the Wheel Well Motel. Lightning McQueen and Sally Carrera were parked out front like rock-stars. Even fine details such as the fuel pumps bearing the name “Butte Gas” were not overlooked. Disney always goes all out to bring magic to their guests.

The resort is opening up in phases with two phases complete and two phases scheduled to be open real soon. For more information about this resort property click on the link above or right here.

To view more pictures on my blog from Disney, just click here.

To enjoy a larger view, please click on the image below!

I hope you enjoyed today’s post and I encourage you to join the conversation by writing your thoughts below as I truly like to hear from all of my visitors! 🙂

1948 Lincoln Continental

/ Michael Glover / 10 Comments

Here is a shot from the archives. For some reason I never got around to processing it. I love shooting cars! They really make great subjects for HDR photography. This was taken at the Run For The Son Car Show in Tarpon Springs, Florida October 2, 2010. The sky was extremely cooperative in presenting me with beautiful clouds to accentuate this image. This car is extremely awesome to see in person. I am a huge fan of chrome and this ride is decked out very nicely with it. The way the sun glints off it is just fantastic!