Hermosa Beach, California. 1948 Edit: Originally labeled Surf City (Hermosa Beach, California. 1948), but it is not "Surf City" Credit to Jnaki for providing correct information in his post #102971.
Hello, The current days of automobile magazine with the giant corporations holding all or most of the cards is a wonder. Back in the old days, the publishing company had all of the top notch equipment and staff to cover any event. Within those events, the staff had access to the usual array of photographic equipment. If the company Hassleblads were not used for the big name stories and photographer, they were available to shoot photo stories. Other times, for the Hot Rod/Car Craft features, the staff photographers use the trusty Rolliflex Twin Lens Reflex cameras from the array of company cameras or their own version of 2.25 size color transparency. Or, there is a battle of who gets the small Hassleblad cube for the color shots. But, who shot the overall feature photo shown? What camera did they use? Using 35mm film cameras was the best for fledgling photographic journalists as young as I was back then. The handling of the 35 mm was handy, lightweight, and able to be covered up under a jacket to shoot relatively unnoticed at a moment’s notice. All without disturbing anyone or handy when the official photo shoot day arrived at a neighborhood park or beach area. But, as the competition for submitting color slides to get the favorite target, the cover or centerspread, clearer 35mm color slides were shot in many angles and exposures to get the best for the presentation. Then as the magazine staff’s accessibility to better cameras and larger film size took over, one had to get some 2.25 or larger photos with top quality composition and angles. It was a necessity to be competitive and have higher quality photographs. plus, it helped in the developing and printing stages for the customer /hot rod/motorcycle owners. The first choice was the Twin Lens Reflex camera from Rolliflex Corporation. That was the top twin lens camera at the earliest of times in that format. The drawback for a young photojournalist was the total cost of involvement. That brand was a little over the budget aspect of the business. But, the camera itself presented a good format with the accessories available. So, we got access to a new camera and accessories to make presenting 2.25 x 2.25 Ektachrome slides in a larger format and much clearer for the magazines. It was a Mamiya c330 Twin Lens Reflex camera with a lot of accessories. The side hand grip allowed easier carrying and shooting capabilities. Normally, a downward view point in the flip top shade screen was the normal thing. But in the photo, the top of the twin lens reflex camera had the pyramid triangle metering eye piece for direct exposure. Now, it was a point and shoot as fast as the trigger could be pulled. (and film winding) I was strapped to the back of the El Camino bed and I was stable enough to use two hands on the point, focus, pull the trigger, and crank for the next shot without falling over the side of the El Camino bed. This set up allowed a quick action through the eye photo array. No more downward vision, composition and focusing. The trigger grip and button was handy for all types of through the eye vision and movement of the camera. The action shots did give the full aspect of movement with a blurry background and perfectly in focus subject. mainly, due to me being in a moving car, as fast/slow as the subject next to us. My wife had to coordinate the El Camino speed to match the hot rod/motorcycle action in the next lane over. Jnaki Sometimes the top of the line is not always accessible and the next quality camera and accessories had to be chosen. The quality of the color slide was just as good, as long as I had good composition and focus. With all that was available on the market for 2.25 camera films, we were able to get a twin lens reflex camera, with a pistol grip, top pyramid metering system, flash, and eye piece. It made being strapped down in the back of the El Camino taking action shots as clear as day, a simple motion. And, the color was impressive due to the larger negative/color slide. It was the next level!!! YRMV I still used both of my 35mm Pentax cameras and after a couple of years, I had my eye on a Mamiya 6x7 camera that looked like a larger 35mm camera. But, the negative was created with an 8x10 finished photo in mind. No cropping, no adjustments to get that particular choice for enlargements. What happened to the Mamiya c330 Twin Lens Reflex camera and all accessories? It was sold to another staff photographer that was in the same position as I was earlier. Plenty of 35mm photos, but no 2.25 x 2.25 action. So, he was a good photographer, but just lacked the larger color slides to showcase his talents for the magazine. Now, he was armed to the teeth to compete with more quality photos.
The Jalopy Journal
