Quite The Style In 1903

black mamba

This little jewel is a 1903 Marr Runabout. It is the only known survivor of about 35 cars made by the Marr Auto Car Company. Walter L. Marr was working for David Buick as an engineer in 1903. Buick at that time was making only engines for various uses. Mr. Marr started crafting a car out behind the engine shop. After a disagreement with Buick, Marr left his employ, bought the car, and used it as the prototype for his own newly-formed car company. A disastrous fire at the plant....after only about 35 cars had been made....spelled doom for the company. Mr. Marr went back to work for Buick....which started producing cars in 1904....and acted as their chief engineer up to 1918.

This Marr Runabout is quite unique. It has what is believed to be the first overhead cam ( OHC ) , overhead valve ( OHV ) engine offered by an American manufacturer. Among other patented features, it also offered the first tilt steering wheel. Notice that the radiator coils hang down by the front axle....fairly precarious position to my mind.

Check out the lady behind the car that is suited up in the riding clothes common to the day. The gentleman partially hidden by the car, wearing the beige cap, was similarly attired.

Jack'll do

Interesting automobile a story Tom. How serendipitous it was for you that it was RED! You do do red about as well as anyone I know!

black mamba

Hey Jack,

I've always loved how that word " serendipitous " just seems to roll off the tongue. Certainly, in this case , its use is apropos. I'm just lucky that this lens has such accurate capture of color....equally lucky, I think, that the in-camera software Nikon uses seems to do a great job with reds....moreso, I think, than the other major camera makers.

Take care my friend,

Tom

DaddyO

Jack'll do wrote: »

Interesting automobile a story Tom. How serendipitous it was for you that it was RED! You do do red about as well as anyone I know!

agree The red thing. I for one would like to know how your
getting it out of camera like this since I now know you are a serious
(maybe hard core) minimalist for PP.

Way cool auto and always a nice read on the back story. Hell, I wouldn't
know anything bout these machines if you didn't include the story.

black mamba

Hey Michael,

I wish I could divulge some " secret " I have on getting the vibrant reds that show up in my car photography. The truth is that I am simply recording the color as it exists. These red cars are usually painted in shades and tones that tend to jump out at you....stop you dead in your tracks. In addition, I'm almost always using a circular polarizer to help control glare....which also tends to " heighten " colors. I do have the in-camera settings in my Nikon set on advanced vibrancy. I have read, and I tend to believe it based on my own experience, that Nikon's software itself leans toward processing reds as accurately as possible.

Lastly,you may notice that I tend to present my photos very slightly under-exposed....very slightly....and this in itself tends to let colors come through as close as possible to their natural saturation. In the final analysis, though, the picture I show you guys is as close to what I actually saw, or at least remember seeing, as it can be.

Be well my friend,

Tom

DaddyO

Well Tom, knowing this much is a help and thanks for pouring it out.
You've mentioned the use of polarizer before but I don't recall mention of
altering camera default settings to help "rich up" color.
This is something I have only just started to play with even though it has been on my mind for
quite some time to do so. Amazingly I haven't searched this forum in this
vein for answers that surely must be there having already been heavily
discussed. Being an amateur allows me the comfort of sitting on my
laurels pondering the answer for a maybe problem that came up literally
years ago. A serious pro gear head would have sought the solution
practically the moment anything iffy came up. In a perfect world I
suppose this. :D:D