What has a 500 c.i. motor, dual 800 carbs, an 871 human skull-induced blower, a Chevy 400 turbo transmission, a 9 inch Ford Detroit Locker rear end, and pounds out 800 horsepower? This vehicle:

Who's lanky, pale, balding, and foaming at the mouth to photograph it? Well, ME of course!!! I was honored to have the privilage of spending some time with this mean machine and its very cool, down to earth owner.

The photograph was a year in the making, having first seen this beauty (which is actually all hand-forged and registered as a 1925 Ford pickup) at the New England Summer Nationals in Worcester, MA last year. I knew I needed to shoot it but logistics kept me from doing so until this July when the Nationals rolled around again. The show was moved to Thompson Speedway (the nation's first asphalt race track) in Thompson, CT which provided for the ultra-cool background in the image.

The sound and power of this puppy is nearly indescribable. It's LOUD. Earth-shakingly loud. The blast from the exhaust blew the hat off my head and almost knocked me over. It's best to keep your distance when this thing's running.

The lighting scheme for this shot incorporated a 5 strobe setup with a 60" softbox and 58" octabox. I also used an SB-900 speedlight to illuminate the interior. It was shot in one frame with just a little Photoshop to clean up some dirt and punch up the image.

When scouting the location, I wanted to find an area around the track that gave the feeling of a raceway but not be too busy. The timing had to be after sunset when the track lights came on. I found an out-of-the-way parking lot and an angle that showed the lights at a nice diagonal. I just waited for that "magic blue" time of early evening and got the shot.

The owner of the T-Bucket is a military veteran, who's a really nice guy and quite a character. He'd charmed a woman who was actively involved in The Wounded Warrior Project at the Nationals into posing for a few shots with the vehicle. She was there signing posters for people who had donated to the W.W. Project and was happy to join in on our shoot. Click here to see what the project is all about and donate if you can: The Wounded Warrior Project

I love this time of year in New England. Days are warm, the grass is green, birds are chirping, and the rumble of hot rods fills the air! Mmm, mmm, mmm.

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