Cadillacs At Dusk

Caddys at Sunset
Originally uploaded by Bill Miles Photography

This photo was taken on a trip through West Texas with a friend. The place is called Cadillac Ranch, originally off Route 66 which is now a main highway in Amarillo. It is the brainchild of helium millionaire Stanley Marsh, erected on his land. Click here for more info on Cadillac Ranch.

The trip was a chance to get away from the hectic pace in Dallas and photograph some of the old, dusty West Texas towns. Cadillac Ranch was on the list to photograph, but there was no real time frame of when we would shoot it. It was spontaneous.

We just arrived back in the town of Canyon, our base of operations, from a day of shooting and we decided now was a good time, or challenge, to shoot the Cadillacs. We were racing to beat the sunset. It was a lot of fun. As we arrived, we got our gear and headed through the gate, passing visitors leaving. By the time we got set up, everyone was gone. There was enough light left for our fast lenses to capture the cars with no humans in the shots. The timing ended up being perfect for the shots. It was an adrenaline rush.

When I chat with people about photography, one of the questions that comes up is, "How do you get the perfect shot?". I usually say, "By accident". You do everything you know to be prepared for any situation and give yourself every opportunity to get the "perfect shot". In the case of the Cadillacs, the sun was setting fast and we were waiting for the last visitor to leave. Then, we played, equipped with fast lenses, tripods, and beautiful dusk light from Mother Nature. You never know what your going to get.

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Bill Miles Photography:  Think. Create. Evoke.