Tag: Vehicles

End of Tractor Week

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Kansas Tractor #2
Kansas Tractor #2

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Today’s post is the last one I want to share from my Kansas tractor series. Sometimes a detail is all that is needed to tell a story; I think that is the case with this image of an Allis-Chalmers grill shell and Allis-Chalmers emblem. The patina, the complex curves of the metal and the Allis-Chalmers emblem speak to an era long ago when industrial design was also concerned with aesthetics. The farm trucks in the background exist as metaphors for a time when America was struggling to survive the Great Depression and tractors such as this Allis-Chalmers were working to feed the world.

Because I was working with a single frame I used a preset in Topaz Adjust that I built especially for these images. I started with the Spicify preset that I dialed down to a level that emphasized texture and color; I then added a vignette and a border to the image as my finishing touches.

The Eagle and the Indian

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Eagle Motorcycle
Eagle Motorcycle

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I thought I would begin this week on a different note from the last few posts. As I’ve said many times motorcycles are a passion of mine and have been for over 48 years. I started riding when I was 17 years old and still love the feel of a motorcycle as it accelerates out of a turn and blasts down the road. Nothing compares to the immediacy of riding, hearing and feeling the machine as I go through the gears on a lonesome highway.

The motorcycles in these photos harken back to an earlier time when men were just beginning to ride motorcycles. I imagine that they too felt the same way about their machines as I feel about mine today. I love to look at how elemental they were , not a lot of unneeded or frivolous components just the bare necessities.

Eagle Engine Detail
Eagle Engine Detail

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I really like the attention to detail that the early motorcycle manufacturers showed. Even though everything here has a function there is still a measure of pride in the way they are attached to the engine such as putting an acorn nut on the magneto bracket and chrome plating the oil fill neck.

The Soul of an Indian
The Soul of an Indian

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This Indian Motorcycle engine is so primitive yet in it’s day it was the epitome of internal combustion technology. Once again the engineers made sure that every part had an intrinsic beauty as well as a clearly defined function.