Will Rogers Beach on a late afternoon. I enjoyed the view over the Pacific Ocean, the breeze with just a hint of salt and gasoline. And there she was, a 1959 Corvette C1 sunbathing at the edge of a parking lot.
An icon of design and V8 muscle. A bouquet of flowers on the right side of the dash, waiting for the newlyweds to arrive. But I wasn’t. I wanted to capture the romance of a road trip without the road or the trip. Just the idea.
So I reached for the SL2, paired with the heavy Vario-Elmarit 24–90. A setup not usually deployed for casual shots. The camera reminds you to think before pressing the shutter. And the lens produces a modern look, accurate but almost clinical. But this time it played to my advantage. I did not want a full-body portrait. This was no moment for documentation.
I went for the emotion. Using a tight crop of the essentials. Capturing the way the chrome and glass reflected the gold of the setting sun, while the gray metallic paint took on the deep iridescent blue of the sky. I captured the essence of a road trip distilled into colors and chrome.
Some stories don’t need highways. Just light, color, and a little detachment.
About the lens: The photo was shot on the Leica SL2 with the Vario-Elmarit-SL 24–90mm f/2.8–4 lens. It’s not an especially light setup. But when you demand clarity, this glass delivers resolution, micro contrast, and color fidelity. While it renders modern, it has just enough soul to make you believe it’s not all clinical.
