Briefly: Dustin's "New" BMW R75/7

While Dustin has been riding bikes his whole life, this year has certainly been the year of the motorcycle for him. It's fun to watch as he really dives back into the world of bikes, while still maintaining his love of cars. As I type this, he's already purchased a new Triumph since I shot these photos of his then-new BMW. No complaints here though, because it's just more for me to photograph and for him to put up with. (He married a photographer, don't feel bad for him.) 

On this evening, I hopped on back of the R75/7, ONA backpack stocked, and we went on a short ride up Highway 17. It was one of those summer nights where at 7PM, it was still a stuffy 80 degrees outside. One of the best feelings is when that open air on a bike doesn't bite, but rather soothes.

There was really no point in shooting these photos other than to simply have fun and document the new bike. It's a sort of tradition that I have to photograph any new vehicles we get before anything about them changes. I like to be able to look back and see how a car or bike has evolved over the course of ownership. This bike was purchased from the original owner, who showed no shortage of TLC over the years. With less than 50,000 original miles, this BMW has a whole lot of life left to live. I'm sure this bike will remain mostly stock, as it's a real gem. Besides, there are three other bikes at home that are waiting for attention. 

A side note: I bought new Thorogood boots for Dustin as an anniversary gift, so he busted them out and they became a little spotlight piece in the photos. So, not sponsored. We're just in love with nice leather goods.

An Afternoon Drive

I have been trying to make it a point to drive without an exact reason. I'm always running around and going to this place or that place, all with purpose and things to do. Sometimes though, I think it's necessary to just get out there without having a destination. It's stress relieving, fun, and good for your mind. 

That said, I met up with one of my dear friends Bengt and his E9 to go for an afternoon cruise. It was tons of fun and it felt almost strange to just be out there in the mountains without a real plan. It was nice to have a casual day of hanging out and just enjoying photographing our cars along the way. Bengt is an avid photography enthusiast and is constantly driving around the Bay Area, collecting places to revisit and take photos at during his next drive. 

I decided to give the Touring a good wash and wax before I headed out for the day. I later ended up miscalculating the depth of a mud patch off the side of the road, and my washing efforts ended up being slightly wasted. But admittedly, it was pretty fun.  

Below is a collection of photos from our day out - I hope you can imagine how the sun and wind felt. 

First, we came together at Alice's Restaurant. We stopped a ways down the winding road to take a few quick snaps of the cars on a turn out.

Anyone who's driven out to the coast past Alice's knows this big barn. I love this picturesque scene - it's like something out of a storybook. The two cars looked pretty small comparatively.

This Express Shine Carnauba Spray Wax from Turtle Wax is the wax that I used after washing the Touring before our drive. I not only love the smell of it, but it leaves behind a clean and residue-free feel, which is a big plus in my book.

This is a spot that I love to stop off at whenever I'm in the area. It's gorgeous no matter what time of the day it is, and it's relatively safe compared to the other busier stretches of the mountain roads. It's peaceful and quiet here, with only the occasional car rolling by.

California is pretty damn cool, right? Our next stop was along Highway 1 at this surreal lookout point along the coast. The beach has always been a place that resonates with me. It's my happy place, if you will. Our point of view lent us an expansive view, making the couple of people below us seem almost nonexistent. 

On the way back inland, this was our final stop. A cute conglomerate of little shops create this old fashioned, green storefront along the side of the road. It's charming and also a well known stop for regular drivers out here. There's a deli right off to the side, a fire station, a post office, and a handful of other small businesses. 

It was getting closer to the evening by this point, so we decided to call it a day and went our own ways. The really wonderful thing about cruising around with Bengt and his E9 is that he's genuinely there for the drive. He likes to take in the sights and make frequent stops to poke around the environment, just to see if he can find something new. This is definitely my driving style - take your time, explore, and don't be afraid to really experience your car. We run enough of a race in our daily lives, so my relaxing cruises need to be anything but fast.

When I got home, I busted out the soap and water again and washed down those mud cakes that had accumulated at the rear of the car. Drive, clean, maintain, repeat. 

This is a sponsored post. I am a Turtle Wax Shine Squad Influencer, although all opinions expressed are my own. Since I was on my own this day, I didn't have the time available to photograph my entire process of washing and waxing before my drive. I hope to bring more material like that to light in the future - but what I really wanted to focus on in this blog is the real experience of driving and enjoying your car. Thanks for reading and I hope you're able to enjoy days like this one.

Behind the Lens: My Journey With BMW Group Classic

If you follow along with my social media, you probably recall me posting about my trip to Germany during the summer. I set out on this wildly beautiful adventure with BMW Group Classic, and our mission was to create the first of what they have called the "Behind the Lens" series of YouTube short films. 

The basis of this film was to document my art, my perspective on the automotive photography field, and of course, my BMW story. It was my job to talk about what I do and why I do it, and to deliver a message that I felt would represent myself in the most genuine light. To do this, BMW Group Classic utilized the talents of several amazing individuals, from the producer to the videographers. As a team, we embarked on what I can confidently say has been the highlight of my career thus far: a road trip in a 1973 BMW 3.0CSi from Munich to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

This blog is meant to give you an inside look at our cross countries adventure, from the beginning in Munich at The Vault, all the way to the Festival of Speed. I am still immensely humbled by this experience, and the memories we created while on the trip are ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I'd like to extend yet another huge thank you to BMW Group Classic, as well as our team - Hondo, Philip, Benjamin, Julian, Patrick, Ares, Felix, and everyone else who was involved at any point. I am so fortunate to have met these wonderful people, and to be able to share so many passions with them. 

Because there are so many images to share, I've separated them into three galleries in the links below (also found on my homepage). 

Chapter I: The Vault

Chapter II: The Road Trip

Chapter III: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017

Finally, here is the full Behind the Lens feature! I hope you guys enjoy the photos and the video - if you have feedback, questions, or comments, feel free to contact me! 

This movie shows the personal story of an extraordinary woman, working in a men's world. In June 2017 we met an outstanding automotive photographer: Courtney Cutchen Together with her we started our roadtrip to one of the biggest automotive events: Goodwood Festival of Speed.

BMW Wishes the Golden Gate Bridge a Happy Birthday

If you're a photographer here in the Bay Area, chances are that you've probably shot around or at the Golden Gate Bridge. It's one of those staple backdrops that, as locals, I think we tend to take for granted. I've been working in that area quite often recently, so I was thrilled when BMW contacted me to help celebrate the bridge's 80th anniversary. 

My task: go enjoy the sights of the bridge with a couple of BMWs. I created a small series of Instagram Stories for BMW, which you will find on their Instagram channel over the next 24 hours. After that, the Stories are gone, so be sure not to miss out! In case you do miss some of the action, I've put together a small series of photos that I took while creating the Instagram content. My subjects were Performance Technic's shop M2, and my friend Bengt's incredible E9. Each vehicle was shot over the course of two days: the M2 at midday on a sunny Friday, and the E9 on an overcast, Monday afternoon. 

The purpose of this project was to commemorate the beauty of the bridge, and to take a moment to appreciate the west coast icon that it is. People travel to San Francisco from all over the globe to see this structure, and I'm fortunate enough to have it right here in my backyard. This project has definitely revamped my appreciation of the area. I hope you enjoy the photos below, and I'd like to thank BMW for allowing me to show their audience the bridge through my eyes. 

Performance Technic's M2

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Bengt's E9

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To follow more of these two vehicles, you can find the M2 on Instagram at @performancetechnic, and Bengt's E9 at @bengt.kolnes. Thanks for visiting! 

Review: Turtle Wax ICE Combo!

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve actually managed to keep up with blogging. I’m going to attempt to get back into it in the coming months, so bear with me. 

The focus of this blog is simple: combine multiple products from the Turtle Wax ICE line and tell you what I think! In this example, I’ve combined the ICE Spray Wax, Interior Cleaner and Protectant, and their newest product for 2016: M.A.X. Power Car Wash!

Seeing as California is still struggling with its terrible draught, I only get to thoroughly clean my cars one every few months. It’s not really fun to see your neighbors frown at you when they see you running the hose water on your car… That said, my daily commuter, this BMW 740iL, was filthy, to put it lightly. Covered with a thick coat of dust and bugs, a good wash was definitely needed. 

Before I go further into detail about the results of this combo, let me explain the science behind the M.A.X. Car Wash. The idea is to have a wash soap that, quite simply, has layers. These layers operate on a variable pH scale. A good way to think about it is to compare it to cooking. When cooking from scratch, there are sometimes specific ratios of ingredients you must combine. This car wash is no different! For example, adding 3 oz. of wash to one gallon of water provides a more Moderate level of clean. This is more for light dirt and other remnants from commuting. This is the most pH-neutral layer. The middle layer, which is about 6 oz. per gallon of water, is a more potent one (Aggressive). This increases the pH levels so that you’re able to clean more inset grime, like stubborn bugs. The final and most powerful layer, Xtreme, is a whole 9 oz. per gallon of water. This is the amount you want to use when you’re trying to remove problematic stains, like sap or even hard set dirt or brake dust on your wheels. Pretty cool concept, right?

Well, as cool as it sounds, it produces the results to match! I have to admit that I was surprised by the amount of suds the soap produced. I’m used to extreme bouts of bubbles, but this was a bit more mild on that front (which I didn’t mind). The M.A.X. wash feels thin and slick, not slimy and syrup-like. It made contact with the paint easier in my opinion. As far as removal goes, I didn’t have to drown my car to get the soap off—which, again, is great for conserving water. I have used thicker soaps in the past that just didn’t seem to come off unless sprayed with an obscure amount of water.

Once I had finished drying the car, I applied a coat of the ICE Spray Wax. This wax is meant for more casual use, and doesn’t take nearly as much time to apply as the other waxes that the ICE line offers. It’s great for quick cleaning, or even for those who might be a little intimidated by pastes or other compounds. After I had waxed the car panel by panel (which took quite a while—do you see how huge this car is?), I was extremely happy with the result. Not only did my paint shine brilliantly, but it was such a clear clean. There were no swirls nor residue to be found; that’s what you want from a good wax, after all! 

On to my interior… This is one of the most stress inducing interior colors— next to pure white— that I can imagine. Dirt shows up immediately and I need to be aware of clothing (like dark wash jeans) rubbing off on the seats. The ICE Interior Cleaner and Protectant worked wonderfully to scrub out dirt that somehow stained the side of my passenger headrest. It also worked well for wiping down the leather dash (which I’m paranoid about keeping in good condition). 

 

One of the parts of this process that made me happiest was how nice my wheels looked after! I had scrubbed them thoroughly with the M.A.X. Car Wash and coated them with ICE Spray Detailer to finish. The wash really did a great job of breaking down the immense layer of brake dust I had accumulated. 

Ultimately, I’m very excited with the combined result of using these products together. My car is 15 years old, but you wouldn’t think it! It certainly isn’t perfect; but it just goes to show that if you take that extra measure and maintain your vehicle, it can look great even decades down the line. By no means am I a professional when it comes to detailing and car care, but the products that Turtle Wax offers give me the confidence to take charge of my car’s cosmetic health!