I did a post on October 14th of a few images from the Endless Summer Crusin event in Ocean City Maryland. I mentioned that I had a lot more to edit, several hundred. I put a gallery up OCES24 this morning of the 577 images from that 2-day shoot.

I knew I would like this event, the sounds, smells, and sights. But it was great fun shooting it also. I have attended local car shows and tried some shooting but the weather, location, and volume of unique and special works of rolling art and horsepower were beyond what I imagined.

I’m guessing there were a couple thousand cars/trucks/vans/antiques and specialty vehicles that I only got a sampling of. I shot the boardwalk parade from a balcony Friday morning and from the boardwalk on Saturday. We also had a one-day pass to the Inlet parking lot and Convention Center and lots.

I liked the high angle on some of the cars. The design perspective changes a lot from the normal eye level. I just did a little crop on some. I did no color correction. These paint jobs didn’t need any.

Next year I’m going to concentrate on some of the club meetings around town and just the cruising action shots. And start doing some video also.

Health issues took two hours from my time on Saturday and I probably overwalked on my bum knee but all is well and it was one of the best trips to the beach I’ve ever had.

Learning is part of any experience being an amateur photog. So here is what I learned.

• Next year I know to use the tripod to shoot from the balcony. My hands aren’t as steady as they used to be. And that heavy Nikon and zoom lens is a cinderblock in disguise.
• I liked some of the low-angle shots but they were punishing on the knees. (order a kneepad)
• I still don’t take enough frames. An old habit of shooting with film.
• Be patient. Big events equal big crowds. You might have to wait a few minutes to get a good shot.
• Finding the right angles with that early morning sun being so low in the sky is key.
• 15th Street was a pretty good location. Still going to search for another spot though. Or maybe a corner room where I could shoot down the boardwalk also.
• I learned not to be near anyone with a coffee. Yep had one spilled on my Nikon. Still operating but it’s going to need a good cleaning.
• Get more crowd shots. The number of people lining the streets day and night is impressive.
• This was the last year using the old Kodak on anything. I’ll give it to my granddaughter and teach her about photography. Well maybe another year, she’s still young.