Saturday Morning Porsche 356 SC

Here we have another example of the benefits of always having your camera ready. This is a beautifully restored Porsche 356 SC, also a regular at our local meet Cbad Cars and Coffee Carlsbad.

I was on my way to Cbad Cars on a Saturday morning during spring. I was with my son and we had just picked up Peet’s coffee. We were riding in my truck, cruising and simply expecting an uneventful drive to the car meet. I then spotted the 356 a ways ahead at the stop light of El Camino Real in Carlsbad.

I said to my son, “Please pass me the camera from the back seat.” A quick flick of a switch, windows rolled down and I started shooting a few frames. The whole episode was rather mellow and the shooting was nonchalant. We got a wave from the Porsche driver and passenger and a smile and that was it.

Really, the entire process was super-relaxed. Even the camera settings were lax. The camera was set at a safe but useful 1/80 shutter speed and a “deep enough” aperture of f/7.1. The diffused light helped my B+W circular polarizer do its job without straining and gave me a beautiful shot with nicely dramatic cloudy skies. The lens was my trusty Canon 24-105L. ISO was 320. I love to shoot at ISO 160, but with this dawn light, 160 would’ve yielded too big an aperture and made those trees too fuzzy.

I love this rolling shot. This photo is now printed and framed behind glass.