JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Reading through some old UHH topics, I noticed a Cars challenge back in June, not having anything particularly interesting at the time at the time, I just looked at the pictures entered and didn't think much more about it.

However last week my wife and I went to see my Alma Mater, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA; I hadn't been there for about 40+ years (graduated 1962). I had seen this old car when I was an undergraduate, and I believe it is still in running condition and is still used in the June graduation parade. Anyway, for those of the greybeards set like myself who may remember Packards being fairly common on the roads, I thought you might like to see the original Packard #1 so I went to the Mechanical Engineering building (Packard Lab--surprise?) and took several pictures.

There are so many windows in this particular display room as well as incandescent lighting and God only knows what other types highlighting the Horseless Carriage that the conditions were less than ideal so I just set the camera for a medium shutter speed that I thought I could hold, made sure the VR was on and shot from many different angles trying to avoid glare and reflections. My Canon 60D chose the other settings. Fortunately although it was a weekend for prospective students, there were few in the area for the time so I could shoot without interference.

The better picture (#1) has been heavily PSE'd to improve/override the lighting and minimize shadows. The others are pretty much OTC using shutter priority.

Comments and critique welcome.

#1 after editing



(Download)

Best of back end - as shot

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

A great old car, thanks!!

HamBar06 Loc: Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for the Packard photos. My wife and I go to the Bach music festival at Lehigh every year and I have tried several times to get a good photo but with the glass case and flocks of people usually there at these events, I have had trouble getting a shot that I liked. You have succeeded...I have not.

angler Loc: StHelens England

Excellent set.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

HamBar06, Thank you for for your gracious comments but my getting a good shot was much more due to luck and the lack of interfering people than my skills, both shooting and editing. I shot film with selection of cameras since I was about seven (70+ years) and only recently, after I retired, decided in I needed a camera more advanced than my a Canon AE-1 that had served me well since the early '70's. I probably took about a half dozen shots of the car at various settings and positions before I got one that I thought might be fixable. I forgot to attach the signage in my post that gives a brief history of #1 and Mr. Packard.

My Canon 60D doesn't seem to have a fill flash function which would not have helped for these shots; or maybe I just am looking for the wrong setting name. As a result I do very little flash photography and have forgotten most of the tricks from the "old days" ,and the built in flash, even set for Manual, seems to wash out anything close.

Please feel free to play with the prints anyway you want; there may be a lot floating around the internet, but I've never seen any except in some Lehigh publications.

Treepusher Loc: Kingston, Massachusetts

Very cool! A real piece of history.

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

My God ..what a great looking vehicle. Very nicely taken.

woodweasel Loc: bellingham Wa

thank you for sharing.👍