This past summer we featured some photos taken by one of our younger readers Eli R, which you can see here! He was just about to set off for college the first time we heard from him. At that point he wasn’t sure if he was going to have much time to get out and hunt down finds to photograph. Well after getting through his first semester, he has been quite busy taking photos! He told me he has been trying to get out every weekend to hunt for classics and he has plenty of photos to prove it. I have to say, I’m extremely impressed to see how much his work has already improved and I have no doubt he will only keep getting better! Be sure to check out all 70 of his photos below.
I hope Eli keeps at it, as I really enjoy seeing all these finds captured on 35 mm film. Digital is great, but there is just something about film that captures the moment and adds character. I would encourage him to experiment with adjusting his camera’s aperture to vary the depth of field, but overall his photos are well composed and quite enjoyable to look at! Keep up the good work Eli and keep these photos coming!
Nice to find someone shooting film. In a way this is the golden age – if you’re careful shopping you can find nice top-line SLRs for amazing money compared to their original selling price.
I live in central Missouri. I would love to go check this out. Based on the Corvair in front of the mule trading post this is just outside Rolla. My wife and I go camping near there often. This would be a great early spring motorcycle ride excuse for me. Combining this with a springtime mushroom hunting trip would make for a perfect weekend.There are fabulous winding roads in that area for motorcycling also. (I know I should probably be on the Missouri tourism board. I love it here) More info on the exact location would be awesome. Great job Eli R.
Glad to hear you like the photos! The places I went to take most of these photos is farther east down 44, past mule trading post, but not by far. They are located off on the route 66 outer road. Both of the gentlemen who I spoke to, are very great people, who in general love talking about their cars, so I got along with them well haha.
Great pictures!! I’d love to see more of the Chevrolet sedan delivery.
Seeing all these old ‘Merican cars sitting in various states of decline makes me simultaneously sad and optimistic. Sad because if they’re not rescued they will turn into scrap sent to China to be recycled into steel. Optimistic because I love to see cars from my youth which to my mind was the glory age of post war American iron..not to mention I just get happy when I see American iron from the fifty and sixties! Hopefully the photographer will end up with a few and develop the same interest in them many of us had. Working on my own young nephew at this very moment!
My grandsons (3 & 6) love to go look at old cars..most of the time they are looking over my shoulder when i get on BF site. They get so excited and ask alot of questions. So maybe there is hope that our hobby will be carried on. Great Job Eli..keep em coming myself & grandkids love it!
Glad to hear it! Cars have always been fascinating to me. I have many more rolls of film to be developed soon, so I cant wait to share those!
thanks for sharing and keep the photos coming please. i see a truck or two that need to be put back to work.
I see what appears to be s 1964 Mercury Monterey…My mother bought one in 1976.I took my driving test in it in 1981.That breezeway back window was cool for a young kid..ahh memories.
What car is picture 19? Looks really cool. Great picture!
’63 Ford Galaxie (XL)?
I would say Eli is going to school in Rolla, or down in Springfield. I know the location of the Old Mule, and the pictures of the cars in a setting. That is located between Cuba and St James, on HWY44. Drove past it many times while doing a RT 66 Cruise. We stopped here one day and the old boy told us a story about every car he had there. Not to far from there is another old boy that has a lot of Gas Station signage, matter of fact American Pickers did a bit about him. Love this neck of Missouri during a fall cruise, or doing a winery tour.
I’ll take the ’64 Mercury and the ’57 Fairlane, please. LOL!!
That Dodge on the last foto’s is realy a cool ride. Can anybody tell model and year?
Good job. :-)