"Art That Won't Start"

Taken last spring, this old Studebaker grabbed my attention not long after moving to Bakersfield, so this was a revisit. The original image won first place for Black and White in a local photography contest. For my original encounter, I had just purchased my first DSLR and was just looking for an open place to catch the sunrise and try out my new toy. After the sun had risen, I looked down into the hollow far below me and saw this junker. I at first figured it wasn't worth the effort, mainly because I knew the return trip would be a steep climb of about a quarter mile. Still, I had come this far and didn't have anything to show for my effort as the sunrise was uneventful. The results were far better than I had expected. From the top of the hill, I had no idea that it was rusted and full of bullet holes. One could conjure up a scenario of gangsters offing a rival clan, but I'm fairly sure that this old car was merely a convenient target for shooting practice for the locals. The Larger preview is the way to go, especially to take in the texture of the grasses!

Mark...  This looks like a movie prop for "Bonnie & Clyde".  The car and the grass are the stars of the shot, but the background has it's own otherworldly atmosphere... Mike

Oh yeah, great title!

wow, what a contrasting scene, beatiful rolling hills, looks off the beaten path really, and this old shot up car...just a very cool B/W - its going in my favorites!!

Dang, that looks painful. I've never seen a wreck with this much personality. Must have a few good stories to tell! Excellent job, Mark.

Reminds me of a car I was found while out riding a motorcycle on cross-country trails.

I like how the softness fo the clouds gives way to the slightly less soft hills on the horizon that give way to the less soft grass and the rigidity of the car in the foreground.

Nicely processed. Only thing different I could suggest is to try and make the car pop a little more out of the background.

I think this composition is superb.  Somehow you've managed to have the car very prominently displayed, and the background is there to provide context but it is much softer, less prominent, and therefore supports rather than competes with the foreground for attention.  This is a really great B&W.

Funny that Michael Mancil mentioned "Bonnie & Clyde". That's what immediately came to my mind upon viewing the photo before I read the comments hoping for a story behind this image. A nicely done composition and perfect subject matter for a B&W photo. Well done.

Terrific image, terrific title.  The black and white only adds to the visual impact,  well done Mark.  rek.