Just The Tip (Photo Tip That Is)
Sean Klingelhoefer
(Editor's note - this letter was sent to me as a WWJD letter, not a JTT letter)
Hi my name is Jarrett. I am twenty as of today, a student at East Tennessee State University. I was very merely wondering how you got into automotive photography? Do you have a degree? If so what is your degree in? Also, I was wondering what sort of SLR you would recommend? I know this has nothing to do with you column but I would enjoy knowing any info or tips you're willing to share.
Thank you,
Jarrett Turnmire
Via the Internet
Jarrett it must be your lucky day, because starting back with the January issue, I announced my new section "Just The Tip" where I give photo advice, so actually your letter does have something to do with my column! I originally got into automotive photography when I was in high school. It just so happened that I decided to take a photo class and at the time I read Super Street religiously and I wanted to try and imitate the photos I saw in the pages. Much to my photo teacher's dismay, I turned in assignment after assignment incorporating a car into any image I could. He would always tell me "Sean, you've got to shoot something other than cars" but I have always had a real interest in cars and photography, so shooting them never gets old. I do not have a degree of any sort, nor do many professional photographers. Long story short, I didn't have time to work a full-time job to pay my rent and feed myself and go to school at the same time so I dropped out. It's not a move I'd advise to people but I'd also like to point out that talent, passion and hard work go a long way - sometimes overshadowing traditional education. As for the SLR, I'd really need to know more about your circumstances like what you will be shooting and what your budget is as well as brand preference before making any sort of recommendations. Feel free to email me back with this info and I'll make sure to give you my suggestions!
You've got questions, I've got answers! Hit me up online at mailsack@superstreetonline.com w/subject "JTT" or snail mail me at Super Street, ATTN: JUST THE TIP (JTT),831 S. Douglas St., El Segundo, CA 90245.
Ghetto Spaghetti
Charles Trieu
One of the more popular styles that has been growing over the years is low offset wheels. Whether you call it flush, poke, gangsta stance, or like Fatlace 'hellaflush', it comes down to running wheels with offsets as low as you can handle. The point is to get your rims to come right to the fenders. And if this consists of stretching tires out of the way, then even better. Negative camber and fender rolling... not a problem.
The trend is said to have originally started Europe, where there are safety laws stating you cannot have your tires sticking out away from the fender. Not being able to run wider tires however did not mean you could not run wider rims. With the tires stretched, only the rims were coming out pass the fenders and not the tires. Those sneaky cheeky monkeys.
From then on it went to become a fashion with Japanese boso, drift and VIP cars. Some will even swear it has some performance gain to it, but having a wider track with stretched tires doesn't seem to put down any more rubber. The trend has become so popular you now even see it on Hondas, something most old school Honda lovers would have never done (or been able to do) in the past.
Think of it this way, with donks and big SUVs it's all about getting the biggest diameter wheel. With imports, it's all about getting the biggest wheels in width.