OT: Wouldn't it be cool if you went out to lunch and then came home a bit later with a new car? Stuff happens...

I'm always looking for signs that I've changed my relationship with commercial photography. One of the things that's been a constant for years and years in my working life has been the "need" to have an SUV style automobile for the business. We spent many years/decades stuffing big lights, big stands and lots of support gear into the gaping maws of Suburbans, Honda CRVs, Honda Elements, and two Subaru Foresters in a row. The litmus test for a new car purchase was always to take the empty box that once held a long, nine foot roll of seamless background paper along with me for my test drives and general car shopping adventures. Would it fit into the car in such a way as to be able to go all the way to the passenger footwell and still be able to cleanly close the rear hatchback? If "yes" then proceed. If "no" then pass on that vehicle. Function dictated form. 

It was even worse in the "analog" era when lights were bigger and heavier and more assistants were required on location jobs to make everything work. Those were the days when most Texas-based photographers had Chevy Suburbans or Ford Explorers of various ages... And gas was much cheaper. We'd pull up to a job site and unload and unload and unload...

Since Covid, and since my kid launched and no longer needs to occupy the backseat of one of my SUVs,  I've mostly been driving around with a lot of unused space inside my vehicles. Most weeks I feel like the chauffeur just for my swim gear. I bought a new Subaru Forester back in 2021. I got it at a bargain price; all things considered. It was a great vehicle which never failed me and never needed repairs. But it followed all the other smaller SUVs in that the model I selected was built as a pragmatic, economy choice of transportation, and portage. Safe? Sure. Economical? Absolutely!!! A blast to drive? Not likely by nearly anyone's standards. But at least they all had air conditioning...

I've been looking around the last week or so like a car adulterer scoping out new talent. The neighbor across the street has a kiddo going off to college. They originally bought him a used Subaru BRZ sports car which the kid and his knowledgeable dad completed overhauled and machined into a "like new" performance car. But the drive back and forth to college is about eight hours on crowds highways. They decided their precious child would be better protected in a bigger vehicle. I looked over their BRZ and lusted after it but, in direct contrast to another blogger's oft proclaimed lust for cars with manual transmissions, that was the deal killer for me. I know myself very well. Sometimes I drive with coffee. The coffee is in a cup. The cup is generally in my left hand ready for immediate applications. If I had to shift gears constantly (the BRZs are nearly all six speed manuals) I'd have to have my hands off the steering wheel for....well....too much time to safely operate the vehicle. I passed on what was otherwise a good deal on a fun car. 

But the short term experience sunk the hook of car lust and I started thinking less like a photographer constrained to hauling half the inventory of a camera store around town and started thinking more like someone who would really like to enjoy driving a bit more than I have for the past twenty odd years. 

Over the last two years the jobs I've accepted are more in line with the Minimal Lighting/Minimal Gear philosophy I wrote about in my first book = Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography. To wit; lighten the load and enjoy the work more. I started to carefully examine the kinds of work I've ended up doing in the interim. Nearly all of it requires one camera bag with several cameras and lenses in it and one rolling case with lights of one kind or another. Topped off by a stand bag with stands, umbrellas and a compact (but extensible) tripod. I have big stands but I just replaced a slew of them with Manfrotto Nano light stands. I've gotten rid of all my AC powered flashes and replaced them with various battery powered flashes. I choose the right flashes based on the specific job needs and the duration of the jobs. Less always being better. Now I can go to a location, with or without an assistant, and carry in everything I need for most projects with two hands. 

Do I really need to hold on to the idea that I need a vehicle with tons of space versus getting something that's more fun to drive? Maybe this is new math for we people on a gradual glide path toward retirement. Or just a changing perspective about the balance of fun-to-practicality. 

I headed to lunch at Maudie's Mexican Food on Lake Austin Blvd. yesterday to meet up with my favorite creative director. We just wanted to check in with each other, compare notes, trade "war" stories and hear about each other's families. It's a relationship that goes back well over 30 years. And our history is amply sprinkled with hundreds of similar lunches, occasionally punctuated by actual "working" lunches to really discuss contemporary projects. 

I mentioned cars to my friend since the idea of cars was bouncing around near the top of my mind and he laughed. He said, "You've always driven cheap, practical cars, why not step out of that habit and buy something just because it's fun?" 

We had a long chat about A.I. and how it's affecting the advertising industry. Some good, some bad. Depends where one is on the hierarchy. It took my mind off the anticipation of acquisition; at least for a little while...

During the last week or so, after thinking about the BRZ, I started researching different Subaru models. I know there are good and bad cars in every maker's lineup but I'm currently pretty positive about Subaru's products based on recent experience. The last three cars B. and I have purchased have been from that company and all have been problem free. So, I wanted something more sedan-like and less "off-roady." 

I've had a four wheel drive something or other with "amazing ground clearance" since 2019 and I have yet to leave a paved road in an SUV in search of adventure. I'm hardly a rugged outdoorsman and most of my car use is in going someplace urban or coming back from someplace urban. I thought I might be able to do better with a more traditional roadster. Also hoped to find a car that's quieter on the highway...

I read about Subaru's Legacy line of cars. I went online to my favorite dealer's website to see what's out there and I found one that caught my interest. A dealer demo Legacy model with 2500 miles on the odometer. A 2024 on the lot just as Subaru is announcing the introduction of 2025s. White. My favorite car color for Texas. 

After a traditional lunch of cheese enchiladas covered with chopped onions, refried beans, rice and jalapeños --- and a big ice tea, I thought I'd head north and poke around at the dealer. I had the plan of seeking out the Legacy I'd seen on their website and, if it was already sold, heading back home with no alternative plan in mind. I did have the foresight to put the car title in the glove box of the Forester before I left for lunch...

Well, the car was still there and I took it for a short test drive. OMG. It's was so different from the ride of a utilitarian SUV. The car in question is a Legacy Sport model. That basically means it has the 260 hp, endless torque, a turbo-charged engine, the sport suspension, the really groovy (and huge; to me) alloy wheels, and every safety feature you could put in a car. Along with a bunch of stuff I don't really think I'll ever use. Like seat heaters and a heated steering wheel. It will be my first car ever with keyless entry as a "feature." Not sure how I feel yet about the 500+ watt Harmon Kardon sound system complete with subwoofer...

I had a price in mind that I wanted to pay for the new car and an amount I wanted to get for my 2021 Forester. The dealer, after a short and sweet amount of cross negotiation, took the deal. But I thought there would be a catch. I didn't bring a checkbook along with me. I asked if they'd take a credit card for the balance. No dice. ( Sad, would have loved the points). But, on the other hand the dealer didn't seem to care much about it. They took my old car, detailed my new car, we did the paper work (simpler by far if one is paying cash...eventually) and they  handed me the keys. I let them know I needed to transfer some cash and I wouldn't be able to drop a check by until Friday and they didn't blink. 

I motored away into rush hour traffic. I drove the new car to swim practice this morning. It was lovely. I came home and test-loaded a bunch of gear into the trunk. Everything fits except a 9 foot roll of seamless. About which I no longer care. Job needs long seamless? Can't have it delivered? Don't accept the job!

The last sedan I owned was back in the mid-1990s. It was an Olympic Edition BMW 540. Also a nice car but back then it quickly became apparent that I really did need to worry about hauling cargo and long rolls of seamless paper. Now? Not so much. 

The final test will be how the CFO reacts. She was out of town and I hadn't really planned to buy a car this week. Didn't actually mention it as a possibility. But you know how CFOs are, right? I'm sure she'll just smile and be satisfied that I'm happy. At least that's what I'm hoping for. Always optimistic...

Is this the absolutely best work car? Probably not. Is it fun to drive? Absolutely yes! Does the purchase really affect me one way or another? Not much, other than adding to my fun quotient. But not much more of a buzz than buying a really nice Leica camera...

There may be a road trip coming up to San Angelo or some other medium distance destination in the coming weeks. Gotta see what it's like to drive longer distances in comfort... And, bonus, winding, uncrowded roads....