Mobile artwork

Click here to see the entire image at 1000 pixels wide.

Getting this picture was an absolute nightmare, because the vehicle is standing in lighting conditions which are virtually dark. It's a 1970s panel van -- they were tremendously popular with late teens and early twenties in those days; you'd see them on the beach. Now? The best specimens are in museums! This one is in the National Motor Museum, in Birdwood, South Australia. It's a beauty ... the airbrush art is classic. Brings back a lot of memories! But getting the photo was a major headache, because it was so dark. If you popped the flash, everything would be a mass of glare, with glass and chrome reflecting like mirrors. The answer? A long exposure. When you're walking around a museum, you don't go armed with a tripod! Photography is welcome there, but I think they'd draw the line at people fronting up with a load of professional gear. The solution was to sit the camera on the hood (or bonnet, if you're an Aussie) of a nearby vehicle and trip the shutter gently. The photo still needed a bit of digital enhancement ... but here it is! Photo by Mel, 2006.