The Cal-look Lounge

Thinking about all of the pictures posted here new, old, older.... I think we can say just by "looking" at a photo, we can kind of tell from what era it stemmed from. Each era kind of has its own visual feel to it, doesn't it?
Look at the phots Worm was kind enough to lay on us yesterday, the big DKK group photos, most photos from this era all have the same feel to them, but what is it that makes these photos share that same 'quality', what makes it obvious which era they are from? Compare these photos with those from Sarge that he has been kind enough to share from the pioneer days of the scene.... the people, the cars, the scenery, all has that different "look". And the photos from last weekend, sure enough, again, (aside from the quality of digital imaging) these look different again. I think the photos say alot about the history and each segment's "way it was/is"....  but what makes them different? The cars are all VW's, the guys are all drunk and smiling, what are the dividing lines?

I understand, but can not explain, it's a gut thing.  Either you feeling it or not.
It must be a figment thing... It's the same when youre meeting a guy from school you didn't see for 25 years, but still have the same humor. Guess it's that magic ???

Isnt it the guy that shootes the pics also important;
i mean: sarges pics look so nice always..
when i try to shoot something, i doesnt work very well or i was lucky :)

I think you're right, but I think there are some cues we can see....

the DKK cars all have a unique detailing to them, that you can kind of see, and the colors chosen give some clues too. If you look at DKP stuff from 1965-1972...  early pics show stock height cars, stock colors, conservative mods, 356 wheels mostly, skinny tires, etc. The scenery is sparse, at least people wise....look at pics of Sarge running his white sedan down the track, how few cars and people are around. same pic taken in 1980 would have been packed to rafters, and yeah the cars would look different, to the trained eye. Hairstyles, clothing....do we even need to go there? Today's pics, again the cars have a look that gives them away, for the most part,

I think the influence of our peers is stronger than we may want to admit.

ooo.. nice avatar Jim!

I've always loved P-38s... my favorite warbird.

me too Rick  ;D

Color of the cars and trim level is one give away. Wheel choice is another.

--louis

Its the "light." 

I know that all we have to go on for years gone by are rare (in some cases, very) color images of a time and place that have been slightly faded by the hands of the clock.  But beyond the paper and chemical emulsion of a photograph, I feel it is undeniable that decades past have most definetly had a light that is different from the one previous, and post that can be detected if you are able to get "it."

Deep enough for ya?    8)  I definetly have something in mind, but it is really hard for me to type it out so it can be understood by the reader.

Interesting post.  I like the thoughts generated here.  I have to tell you, before I could drive, my next door neighbor purchased Mark Thurbers brown DKP car and I looked at that car every day in the driveway next door.  To me it was the coolest affordable hot rod I had ever seen.  So the first car I bought was a 67 fastback and try as I might I could not come close to emulating that "look".  Not until I was a regular at the DKK meetings and stepped up to a 56 that I poured every moment and dollar into, all the time with thoughts of the original DKP cars.  Yes we had our own more modern details and looks.  Heck I was telling Carlos the Cape at Nick's how we thought American Racing wheels were shit ugly.  It was definately a different era but still, guys like Fleming and Aronson were untouchable icons to us.  I dont know about anyone else but we looked at the DKP cars with severe reverence.  I think all of us tried to emulate the quality of those fine cars.  Our by-laws, as I recall, were basically ripped from the pages of DKP.  Our stickers the same diameter and location.  You get it.
However, every generation makes its own mods that define an era.  We took what we had seen and by the power of the inner cirlces competitiveness and the inguinity of so many of these incredibly talented dare I say "artists" that came up with these insane ideas.  Guys like Hicken, Ramirez, McNew, Schwimmer, to name obviously just a few.  And of course DKK was not alone in its creativity.  Shoot, I can remember the first time I saw Shubees yellow vert, or Frenchy's Ghia, or Mike Martinez's chop top.  Those cars were INSPIRING.  The ideas these guys came up with were radical as well as beautiful.   We totally fed off each other to create an entirely different level or faction of design that, yes I agree, is obvious to the not so casual observer.  Yet, the hub of these creations were  based on a fomula created by DKP in the 70's.    So over the years we have evolved really not so much.  It amazes me that now the trend is to build cars from waaaay back.  The hobby has come full circle.  Just please tell me metallic gold cars with billet bumpers and glove boxes NEVER come back.

My two cents

Worm