New artists, mixtapes, and albums mean new photos!! DJ Clay and his roster of artists have been busy in the studio and have some upcoming projects getting ready to drop. Here’s some excerpts from our shoot in the studio and at several locations around southwest Detroit.
Cruise. Stop. Destination: Louisville. From LA to Florida, Milwaukee to New Mexico, and Vegas to Kentucky riders from across the US visited the eastern states to celebrate West Coast style lowriding. Doesn’t make sense? It does in a family cars that belong to a club started in California in the early 90s. Since its inception Uce/Uso Car Club has grown in size to include a significant collection of cars from all over. Its only fitting that this year’s banquet was held in the state that had the region’s first chapter. Families, lowriders, food, and southern hospitality made this one an event to remember. Thanks to everyone, especially Kita, for making the club and this event a memorable experience.
At the Old Memories Toy Drive on Saturday I met a couple members from GoodTimes’ East Los Angeles chapter. We kept in touch for a couple days until the opportunity to do a quick shoot came up. John Gonzales called me up and told me where I could meet his dad who would have both rides – his own ‘64 Impala and John’s ‘48 Chevy. When I got to Bob Cordero’s shop on San Pedro I suggested a couple places to do a shoot… but not long after decided to just shoot at the garage. With a skyline background and all the makings of a classic neighborhood auto garage it proved to be the best location we could have asked for. Thanks to John and his dad for putting the shoot together and to Bob for the location.
While I was down at The Last Laugh/Upper Playground with Jae Bueno on Thursday evening he told me about a Cruise Night in El Monte on Friday. He gave me directions and we planned to meet up. When I first pulled up at the parking lot I remember being surprised by all the Christmas decorations on the rides. In Detroit, decorating your ride for the holidays is less of a concern than digging your garage out of the snow so that you can check on your batteries halfway through the winter. The crowd was easy and approachable and soon I started meeting people and was able to get some group shots together.
The mood was real laid back and everyone was real hospitable-parking, listening to oldies, hanging out with the family and just enjoying the time together seemed to be the common goals. Not long after I got there I noticed a beautiful restored ‘50 Chevy. After getting a few shots I headed over to the rest of the lot to soak in as much as I could. About 30 minutes passed and Volo came through. We spent about another 30 minutes and called it a night. Thanks to everyone for the conversation and willingness to be photographed… especially LA’s Finest, Waacha CC, Together, Groupe, and Lost Angels.
After the Stylistics Toy Drive I met up with Gerardo… a friend of Volo’s who was willing to make room for an extra passenger to cruise Crenshaw. I followed him to his house, dropped off the rental car, and got in. Immediately I started with questions. He told me about the neighborhood in South Central where we were. Then about Crenshaw and the lowriding scene in general in LA. I’m sure my excitement was obvious but I didn’t mind and he didn’t seem to either. As we were getting close more and more lowriders came into view–at the lights, behind us, in front of us, parked… just everywhere. First he showed me the Slauson Swap Meet, then some graffiti, and then after a couple laps we chose our parking spot so that we could get out when the cops break it up later. From there we got our cameras and started to walk. The rest is told through the pics below. Thanks to Gerardo for making room and showing me around! Much appreciated. Enjoy.
While shooting at the Stylistics Toy Drive I had the opportunity to meet several NLRA members from Ghetto Fabulous and Original Ridaz. We did a small shoot… some of the rides, some couples, then group shots. After I left I headed over to the LA Coliseum where there was another Toy Drive going on. When I got there the person I was meeting up with (who I had never met at that point) was not there yet. I walked around a bit and soon found another Original Ridaz member who was the brother of a member I had just met. We talked a bit and did a couple shots. The last time I seen them was on Crenshaw later that evening where I was able to get a nice shot of Baba Louie. Thank you to the NLRA members for loving the camera and letting us get some great shots together. Next time I’m in LA we have to hook up.
Walking up to the shaded area where the show was you could already tell that this toy drive was packed with fine rides and a diverse crowd. Sampling some of the rides with the lens my attention soon turned to the audience. Clubs, friends, families, kids, and pets paced the pavement to soak in all the the Stylistics Toy Drive had to offer. These are a sampling of the pics from the Stylistics Toy Drive held on December 14.
On an unseasonably warm fall afternoon in late October we took Tony’s SS out for a spin and shoot. The old Michigan Central Depot and the Ste Anne’s neighborhood provided the perfect backdrop to show off the features of this gorgeous Chevy. After a few shots we headed downtown to pose in front of Comerica Park.
Fun and energetic. That describes Gabrielle. That describes our session. Several beautiful locations in Dearborn, MI provided the backdrop to the perfect fall day we were lucky enough to borrow for shooting. The result: a colorful, fun, scenic day of posing and shooting. Enjoy.
In an effort to better document the different parts of the neighborhood I spent a couple hours in Corktown in southwest Detroit a couple weeks back. The vintage storefronts and energy in the architecture and community in general makes a great subject. Enjoy the pics.
