New Guy, Old Car
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: CA
New Guy, Old Car
Hey Everyone,
I just picked up a white '93 SC300 5-speed, fairly low miles, etc. I wasn't specifically looking for one at the time (because I never used to come across them when I looked in the past), but I saw it on craigslist and figured that the time and the price were right.
My background: I have been an editor and photographer for various automotive magazines, now mostly a photographer since it gives me a lot more freedom to play, but I also publish Drift & RWD Sport Magazine. I've built around 40 customized vehicles, many of which have been featured in magazines and at SEMA. I wrench on my own cars as long as I'm not shooting something for a story -- after all, cars are just a bunch of bolts. I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to do what I love for a living.
Uh, married, no kids, and I'm probably forgetting a few things. haha
Oh, plans for the SC: basically a streetable track car. Mostly drift, some time attack. I've been drifting for about five years, and I've heard that the SC is a challenge but similar in dynamics to an AE86 Corolla, which I'm very familiar with
Anyway, glad to be here.
I just picked up a white '93 SC300 5-speed, fairly low miles, etc. I wasn't specifically looking for one at the time (because I never used to come across them when I looked in the past), but I saw it on craigslist and figured that the time and the price were right.
My background: I have been an editor and photographer for various automotive magazines, now mostly a photographer since it gives me a lot more freedom to play, but I also publish Drift & RWD Sport Magazine. I've built around 40 customized vehicles, many of which have been featured in magazines and at SEMA. I wrench on my own cars as long as I'm not shooting something for a story -- after all, cars are just a bunch of bolts. I'm just happy that I have the opportunity to do what I love for a living.
Uh, married, no kids, and I'm probably forgetting a few things. haha
Oh, plans for the SC: basically a streetable track car. Mostly drift, some time attack. I've been drifting for about five years, and I've heard that the SC is a challenge but similar in dynamics to an AE86 Corolla, which I'm very familiar with
Anyway, glad to be here.
Last edited by ramblux; Jun 24, 2007 at 09:01 PM.
Thread Starter
Rookie
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 91
Likes: 0
From: CA
Haha, thanks. I'm actually really bad about taking pics of my own cars, but I do have some pics of past cars:
Actually, Emerald was asking for pics of one of my old cars I think, so here it is after its second (and last) air cylinder setup:
Chevy C1500:
Same truck, a few months later:
Wife's old Suburban:
One of my old drift cars:
Ranchero I just sold:
I'll try to get pics of the SC tomorrow!
Last edited by ramblux; Jun 24, 2007 at 09:57 PM.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 91
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From: CA
Thanks for the warm welcome guys.
markesc,
Well, I actually had a link to my personal site in my sig, but I guess that's looked down upon so I was asked to remove it.
In any case, here's the quick story as to how I got started:
http://mikeself.com/about.html
A lot of it was just pure persistence. I didn't get hired right away; in fact, I did a lot of free work to get my foot in the door. One thing to keep in mind about the magazine world is that everyone is always working on a strict deadline, which means that if the editors/photographers aren't on time, their *** is on the line.
So, I basically took advantage of that. I found out when their deadlines were and offered to pick up the slack because editors are almost always running behind and will never turn down a helping hand if it will make them look better. The worst case scenario for them is that you won't come through, which is no worse than if you had never knocked on their door. haha
That being said, if you ever offer to do something, do it. Flake once, and you'll probably never work for that company/magazine again.
These days, though, most of the popular median market magazines (eg., import mags) are going through major budget cuts, which unfortunately means that they just don't have the money to take on new freelancers. It's cutthroat, though, because if you show promise and do a better job than an existing freelancer, you might take another guy's work away from him. But, that's really no different than any other market I guess. Big market is even harder to get into (Motor Trend, etc.), and more often than not it just comes down to knowing someone.
Okie dokie, I'm exhausted and sick, so I'm going to bed!
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions as long as I know the answer!
markesc,
Well, I actually had a link to my personal site in my sig, but I guess that's looked down upon so I was asked to remove it.
In any case, here's the quick story as to how I got started:http://mikeself.com/about.html
A lot of it was just pure persistence. I didn't get hired right away; in fact, I did a lot of free work to get my foot in the door. One thing to keep in mind about the magazine world is that everyone is always working on a strict deadline, which means that if the editors/photographers aren't on time, their *** is on the line.
So, I basically took advantage of that. I found out when their deadlines were and offered to pick up the slack because editors are almost always running behind and will never turn down a helping hand if it will make them look better. The worst case scenario for them is that you won't come through, which is no worse than if you had never knocked on their door. haha
That being said, if you ever offer to do something, do it. Flake once, and you'll probably never work for that company/magazine again.
These days, though, most of the popular median market magazines (eg., import mags) are going through major budget cuts, which unfortunately means that they just don't have the money to take on new freelancers. It's cutthroat, though, because if you show promise and do a better job than an existing freelancer, you might take another guy's work away from him. But, that's really no different than any other market I guess. Big market is even harder to get into (Motor Trend, etc.), and more often than not it just comes down to knowing someone.
Okie dokie, I'm exhausted and sick, so I'm going to bed!
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions as long as I know the answer!
