The Story Behind the Photo

August 2026: Automobiles

Linda Metz

My photo of vintage automobiles in front of the Dairy Freeze and bicycle shop was not a planned photo. We were driving down Main street in Sumner when we came upon this scene.  I saw instantly a little slice of Americana.  I had to have a photo! Only problem was I didn't have my camera with me.  All I had was my cell phone but, I thought that was better than nothing.

If you'd  asked what settings I used I would have said I don't know (remember, it's a cell phone). In preparing this write up, I went into properties of the photo and alas, there were the settings!  Interestingly, my phone chose ISO 50 (I would not have gone that low) Also, shot at  f1.7 and 1/728th of a sec. (would not have chosen this either).

It seems to have worked.

My contribution was some editing which included cropping and cloning out some distracting wires. I also did some tone mapping which I think enhanced the overall photo. The colors of the cars were brightened and saturated and the reflections on the chrome enhanced.  The photo was taken at 7:45 pm which caused long deep shadows. I think the tone mapping accentuated the shadows

The assignment for the month was Automobiles but I don't think the cars alone would have had the same impact. It's the combination of the vintage cars, Dairy Freeze, bicycle shop and evening light that gives it that 1950's - 1960's feel.

Overall, I am pleased with the final result.