The Beach Boys’ harmonious voices rang out as their song “Fun, Fun, Fun” was echoing from the public address throughout the Natrona County Fairgrounds as I entered to begin enjoying the 2015 Oil Capitol Auto Club Cruising with the Oldies Car Show. I was with the Casper Photography Association for their May field trip. Several of us began circulating with our cameras. What fun could I get into today?

A Pentax 645D with a 45-85 lens hung around my neck. A tripod was clutched in my hand ready for use. There must have been 300 shiny old cars. Some were T-Birds such as the Beach Boys envisioned when they wrote their song, the public address still blasting their beautiful clear tune. As I viewed a handsome, shiny, T-Bird and listened to the Beach Boys, I imagined it cruising to the hamburger stand, daddy’s daughter at the wheel, radio blasting, the library forgotten, to have fun, fun, fun ….

I planned to enjoy the car show’s hamburger stand, but first I began to make photographs of some of the glamorous old autos. I wandered around totally amazed at what the individual auto owners had done. But I think what amazed me most was that each auto had a perfectly bright shine even if the weather had been rainy and miserable for the past several days. I leisurely drifted about setting up the tripod and photographing several different cars.

One old vintage vehicle that caught my attention was this charming, shiny, red Dodge. It was fascinating not only as a beautifully reconstructed vintage automobile but the polish made it shine probably brighter than the day it rolled off the assembly line. The owner had done a marvelous job of preparing it to show.

Continuing my stroll between the autos, I began to notice ornate make and model emblems, fins, and fancy wheels. These lured me in for close-up photos. This Mustang wheel’s beauty just screamed at me for a closeup photograph.

As I maneuvered in for other closeup photos, pesky reflections from those highly polished surfaces kept getting in the way of my photography. I tried shooting from different angles to eliminate the reflections. That worked but seemed to destroy some of the compositions. Exasperated, I finally just shot a reflection of myself. It didn’t look bad when I review it in the preview window. I thought it was kinda interesting! I had just created a self portrait.

Finding self-portrait reflections turned out to be a fun task, and I began spending more time searching for self portrait reflections.

Lesson learned!! Just because a photographer comes for one thing, it doesn’t mean he can’t find something else special to photograph. The challenge is to look around, explore, and find the unusual. Then shoot, shoot, shoot…. or as the Beach Boys would sing, “have fun, fun, fun”.

As I left the auto show, another Beach Boys song was playing. “When I take her to the track, she really shines (Giddy up giddy up 409).” The Oil Capital Auto Club had put on a great show and many of their vintage autos really shined.

Like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ScenicPhotography

For more of my photographs, check out these two web sites:
http://sam-sherman.artistwebsite
http://SamSherman.imagekind.com/

Here are the lyrics to the two Beach Boys songs I mentioned in the article:

Beach Boys – Fun, Fun, Fun Lyrics
Well she got her daddy’s car
And she cruised to the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting
Goes cruising just as fast as she can now

And she’ll have fun, fun, fun
Till her daddy takes the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the t-bird away)

Well the girls can’t stand her
‘Cause she walks, looks, and drives like an ace now
(You walk like an ace now, you walk like an ace)
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race now
(You look like an ace now, you look like an ace)
A lotta guys try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now
(You drive like an ace now, you drive like an ace)

And she’ll have fun, fun, fun
Till her daddy takes the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the t-bird away)

Well you knew all along
That your dad was gettin’ wise to you now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)
And since he took your set of keys
You’ve been thinking that your fun is all through now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)

But you can come along with me
‘Cause we gotta a lot of things to do now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)

And we’ll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
And we’ll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away
(Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
(Fun, fun now that daddy took the t-bird away)
Songwriters: LOVE, MICHAEL / WILSON, BRIAN
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

409
By The Beach Boys

She’s real fine my 409
She’s real fine my 409
My 409

Well I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
For I knew there would be a time
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
When I would buy a brand new 409
(409, 409)
Giddy up giddy up giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 40…

Nothing can catch her
Nothing can touch my 409
409 ooooo
(Giddy up giddy up oooo)
(Giddy up giddy up oooo)
(Giddy up giddy up oooo)
(Giddy up giddy up)

When I take her to the track she really shines
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
She always turns in the fastest times
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
My four speed dual quad posi-traction 409
(409, 409, 409, 409)

Giddy up giddy up giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 409
(Giddy up giddy up 409)
Giddy up 40…

Nothing can catch her
Nothing can touch my 409
(409 409 409 409)
Giddy up 409
(409 409 409 409)
Giddy up 409
(409 409 409 409)
Songwriters: USHER, GARY L/WILSON, BRIAN DOUGLAS
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
For non-commercial use only.