Tag Archives: route 66

Photo of the Day- “Billy Jack”

Posted on by
4

"Billy Jack" - Tracey Capone Photography

I was born in the seventies, when Smart Cars were not even a glimmer of a dream and people drove around in vehicles the size of their house. Thinking back to childhood brings back up memories of a huge, yellow Suburban, two hearse-like station wagons and, my all time favorite, the very large, very brown Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that stalled in the middle of every dangerous intersection in the Philadelphia area.

Traumatic stall memories aside, there is something about seeing a house-sized vintage car that makes me smile. For as ugly as the big yellow Suburban was, it could fit what seemed like 25 friends in it, all heading out for a bowling birthday party. The station wagons were ugly but I remember my brother and I having fun having sliding contests in the back on our way to the shore. That Grand Cherokee may have broken down more times than I can count but it definitely made driving entertaining.

When we came across the Hackberry General Store along Route 66 in Arizona I was immediately taken by all of the wonderful relics scattered throughout the property. You’ve seen a few of their prize pieces here and here but it was the old, time worn cars, like the one in today’s Photo of the Day, “Billy Jack” that truly struck me. Where have they driven? What have they seen? Each dent and ding probably tells a story whether mundane or exciting.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “What Lies Ahead”

Posted on by
4

"What Lies Ahead" - Tracey Capone Photography

Today’s Photo of the Day, “What Lies Ahead,” is proof that sometimes getting lost can have it’s rewards. We took a wrong turn somewhere just past the California/Arizona border and, when we stopped to look at the directions and figure out our next move, I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect scene. A single cumulus cloud, all puffy and cotton-like, perched perfectly at the top of a hill along this stretch of empty road.

Without a word, a jumped out of the car and sat down in the middle of the road to capture the scene as if the cloud was suddenly going to part and I would never have that perfect moment again. It got me to wonder what was ahead, both literally and figuratively. I never thought I would be where I am today, turning my photography in to a profession, being able to do two of the things I love most, photography and travel and share it with others. I don’t know what lies ahead but I do know the road there has been incredibly exciting. (by the way, literally speaking, there wasn’t much ahead other than a few abandoned buildings… I won’t take that as a symbol of what lies ahead for me ;) )

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “At the Car Wash”

Posted on by
1

"At the Car Wash" - Tracey Capone Photography

I thought I would continue with the Route 66 theme from the other day and introduce today’s Photo of the Day, new to my shop, “At the Car Wash.”

Betty Sue probably hasn’t seen one of these for a while but, judging from the sign, the car wash itself has probably seen better days as well. Like I said in my previous post though, dings and scratches make this sign what it is, perfectly imperfect and I decided to carry that a step further by making it a ttv photo.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “Betty Sue”

Posted on by
8

"Betty Sue" - Tracey Capone Photography

It’s been a long, and short, weekend all at the same time. Seems like that would be impossible right? Well, I say short because I, like many others, have that dreaded day job that makes Mondays seem like the worst form of torture and the weekend a fleeting moment. It was long because I spent a great deal of my time Saturday and Sunday at the Chicago Animal Control adopting this little guy. If you have never been to a city pound, it’s a heartbreaking experience, having been there twice in two days did not make for a fun time.

Somewhere in between all the “fun,” I managed to work on more of my photos from the Route 66 Road Trip. That said, I’m taking advantage of the fact that the little ball of energy has stopped torturing Charlie, my adult cat, and dive bombing me to attack my hand, to get some blog time in and share.

Today’s Photo of the Day, “Betty Sue,” a photograph of an old Chrysler I came across in Arizona, didn’t actually require much in the way of work other than a little resizing and such. While Photoshop is an amazing tool, and I know I could have helped Betty get back to much of her former glory, I think the major imperfections are simply perfect. Betty has lived a long life, she’s worked hard and now, retired and living along Route 66, she watches the tourists come and go, recalling her own time on the open road.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- A Teaser… The Route 66 2012 Calendar

Posted on by
2

Today’s Photo of the Day is more of a teaser photo to give you a sneak peek at the upcoming Route 66 2012 calendar I’ll be putting out in my shops this week.  The calendar will feature 12 of the most popular photos from the wonderfully fun 5 day road trip last month.

In addition to the Route 66 calendar, my “From Paris with Love” calendars are already available and I will be introducing a re-do of the “All Signs Point Towards Chicago” calendar from last year with a few new additions.

Each calendar will be offered in three sizes: 4×6 or 5×7 individual photo sheets that you can clip and frame when the month is done (voila instant art collection!) and a traditional 8×10 spiral bound version with full calendar grid.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “Moody’s”

Posted on by
6

"Moody's" - Tracey Capone Photography

I think I was supposed to be born in another era. If not, then the era I was born in (the 70s) was supposed to have the same wonderful, “retro mid century modern vibe” of the 50s rather than the disco heavy vibe it ended up with. (although what would my parents done for music? Nevermind their heavily wood paneled bedroom complete with red shag carpet, ornate Spanish-inspired furniture and a lithograph of a conquistador would have been completely tacky… oh… wait.)

I admit to an obsession with the show “Mad Men,” not so much for the story line (or because of my massive crush on one Jon Hamm) but because I find it visually stunning. I love the clean lines of the furniture and overall design, the pops of wonderful color interspersed among various neutrals.

These same clean lines and fun pops of color are what I loved about the retro signs we came across on the road trip. Today’s Photo of the Day, “Moody’s” is no exception. Similar to, “The Blue Swallow” and even the signs we have here in Chicago such as the one depicted in “The Guest House” I love how color is what draws your eye in but the design itself is rather simple and to the point.

I still have so many photographs from the Route 66 tour to work my way through and will continue sharing them as I go along. In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo(s) of the Day- The Sweet Ride

Posted on by
3

"The Sweet Ride" Series- Tracey Capone Photography

When I was three, my parents bought a cherry red 1976 Corvette Stingray, which, when I turned 16, and was ready to drive, was the only car available for me to use.  I know, poor me right? (before you answer that, a note, this would be about the time that Prince came out with the song “Little Red Corvette.” If you don’t know the lyrics, the song is about a rather, well, “easy” girl, so driving this car to high school every day wasn’t always the treat it may seem. Although it was miles better than driving the mini van!)

Eventually, it was sold and I moved on to purchase my own car but I will always have fond memories of the car which eventually led to me having the worst lead foot possible. (of course my current car doesn’t really have the same oomph as the little Vette did… thankfully)

When we came across this beautiful, vintage Corvette in today’s Photo(s) of the Day, “The Sweet Ride” series, on the Route 66 road trip, I was immediately transported back to the late 80s, early 90s. The first couple of hours after school were spent riding around with my best friend Sallie Ann, thinking we were so very cool with the t-tops off and the music blasting.

"The Sweet Ride" Series- Tracey Capone Photography

I could just imagine getting behind the wheel of this fiery orange beauty and taking it for a spin along the deserted stretches of 66 in Arizona. (keep in mind, I live in the city of Chicago… besides the fact that “deserted roads” come in the form of dumpster filled alleys, the traffic and pedestrians alone would prevent me from letting the old lead foot see it’s full potential)

"The Sweet Ride" Series- Tracey Capone Photography

I’m not sure what came of my wonderful little red Corvette but I do hope that someone treated it as well as the owner of this lovely one did.  Keeping it pristine and, well, hopefully, keeping a new generation of teen drivers, and future lead foots, away from it.

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “Touch the Sky” – The Life Lessons I Learned From a Ferris Wheel

Posted on by
1

"Touch the Sky" - Tracey Capone Photography

As I slowly make my way through the 500+ photographs I took on the Route 66 Road Trip, I am trying to keep an open mind (and open eye) when it comes to the potential in each raw photograph.

Today’s Photo of the Day, “Touch the Sky,” of the Ferris Wheel at the Santa Monica Pier, is one of those photographs where, when shooting it, I didn’t feel comfortable with the position I had to take it from, I didn’t really like the end result (and shot it about ten times), and I was about to chalk it up to a loss. I don’t know what made me do a double take on this Saturday but, after spending some time with it in Photoshop, I really loved the end result. (and, oddly, aside from some light texure, some selective blurring and cropping for perspective, I didn’t  do all that much with it) I ended up loving the end result; I thought it would be perfect for a nursery or a child’s playroom.

Isn’t it funny that we can take life lessons from photography? Let’s see… how about never count someone out because of the way they look. You never know what sort of potential they have, or have already reached, until you spend a little time with them. Or, how about, a situation may seem bleak and hopeless but, sit down, take the time to work out a plan and you may be pleasantly surprised in the end. I’m sure I could come up with several lessons from my time spent with what started out to be a pretty blah photograph that almost hit the chopping block. :)

Enjoy!

*tracey*

Photo of the Day- “Pride”

Posted on by
Reply

"Pride" - Tracey Capone Photography

I have several friends who are firefighters and, admittedly, I am in awe of them.  Risking their lives, daily, to protect people from something that I am not ashamed to admit scares the living daylights out of me. (while I do love my wonderful fireplace in the winter, that’s about the extent of my dealings with fire and I’m perfectly content with that)

I see posts on Facebook about people losing their homes, and, sadly, sometimes their lives, to an angry fire and I can’t help but wonder what made my friends go in to such a dangerous profession. Then I remember who they are, even outside of their jobs: wonderful, caring people who give selflessly of their time and energy. I think about that and I can’t imagine them in any other profession.

I came across this old firetruck on the Route 66 road trip and just loved how it was positioned in front of the flag with the amazing Arizona sky in the background. I couldn’t help but think about the men, perhaps very similar to my friends, jumping in this firetruck and heading off to protect families, possibly people they knew and loved from loss and it made me so proud of all firefighters who do this every day.

I wish everyone a happy (and safe!) weekend and I’ll be back Monday to post more!

Enjoy!

*tracey*

 

Photo(s) of the Day- Arizona and New Mexico

Posted on by
1

Western Arizona

One of the most fascinating things about driving the stretch of Route 66 (and at times Route 40) from California to Oklahoma was seeing how vastly different the land was through each state and, in some cases just a few hundred miles distance within the same state.

Continue reading →