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A Custom Surfista for our Photographer

Our photographer was supposed to be headed to Costa Rica this week to shoot a video for an upcoming publication at Overland Journal.  It didn't happen; he slipped on an icy patch, went down and cracked 3 ribs and has no interest at this point to get on a plane...  Nevertheless, we pimped out our Surfista for him with a custom leather/seashell hatband and look forward to seeing it in his next video!   If interested in the Surfista, look for it on our site. For a custom hatband of any kind, drop us a note at info@bigdspeedshop.com or leave us a message on social media.  

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The Nissen Rocking Horse

Our sweatshop abuts Dallas's best wicker and cane repair shop, where Bill and Bill resurrect some amazing furniture.  We stopped by to say "hi" and raid the cooler when we saw this amazing piece: a 1950s wicker rocking-horse from the Nissen Company.  We borrowed it for a quick shoot before they restore it to its glory.

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How We Got the Shot

  We actually had other plans for today, specifically testing the onboard compressor on the wagon. But it started raining hard and we would have had a miserable time, so it will have to wait.   As we were sitting on the porch bemoaning the weather, an absolutely gorgeous view developed to the west of us.  The water under us was rough, and from this angle would have looked fucky, so we decided on a long exposure to smooth it out.  We had the tools:  Sturdy tripod with leveling head (RRS), capable sensor and optics (Fujifilm XT4 and a standard zoom), shutter release cable, a 10-stop ND filter (Lee Filter Big Stopper), beer (Pilsen) and smokes (Romeo Y Julieta).  One minute exposure, F22,...

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A Photographer's Wagon - Part II

Last day as a stock!  After a month of driving her, she is headed into the shop for new tires, suspension, lights, lockers and a few other goodies.  She is really perfect as is, but we can't help it...  

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A Photographer's Wagon - Part I

Our staff photographer asked us to help him with identifying, acquiring and modifying a vehicle for his pursuit documenting the salty life of the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.  The requirements were straight forward: "a truck to get me and my equipment to, on and off the beach." It took us an entire five minutes to pick the vehicle - the venerable Toyota HZJ78, aka the Land Cruiser Troop Carrier or "Troopy."  It is inarguably the most capable off-road truck one can buy and essentially unchanged for 25 years.  It was never available in North America but it is one of the best selling heavy-duty trucks in Australia and the go-to choice for emergency services, militaries and guerrillas in Africa and Central America....

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