22nd Annual Seal Beach Car Show, Pin-up Photoshoot

Hearing a hot rod getting revved is a great sound. Seeing the remarkable paint job on said car while it is being revved is an added bonus. What's can be better than that? How about a beautiful pin-up model standing next to your car getting everyone's engines going without having to touch a key.

Today was the 22nd Annual Seal Beach Car Show in Seal Beach, CA. I had the fortune of being asked to shoot some photos for Taylor's Tobacco House in Long Beach. The high-end cigar lounge owner, Albert Espinoza, asked me if I was interested in shooting some photos for him. We had spoken before, and I get all of my cigars through him, so I figured I had better not pass on this opportunity. The best part was he brought in pin-up model Diana Yanuaria especially for this event. I knew Albert would not disappoint.

When I arrived today, we all got to chatting like we were old friends and it just felt good. We joked and laughed and Albert introduced me to some of his friends, and of course Diana. Let me tell you a bit about both of them from my perspective. Albert (great name, huh?) is a dedicated businessman and cigar lover. He knows what he wants, works hard to get it, but still has time to enjoy life. He works hard and is also a laid-back guy. Diana is the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. Not only is she a beautiful woman, but she was all smiles and was very cordial with everyone. After about ten minutes of chatting we geared up and hit the pavement.

Our goal was to get some photos of Diana with some of the car owners throughout the show. With 500 cars there, we had a good chance of finding a few. In 2 hours we took photos of her with 25+ cars. Not even a dent (pun intended), but it was a blast. As we shot, many of the owners came up to us asking if we would shoot a photo of her by their car. Our answer was always the same - You bet! One of the best parts were the families that came up and asked her to pose with them. It was great to see that they weren't afraid and also how open Diana was. She was never standoffish and always made everyone smile.

We ended up having to stop shooting because it was getting late, but I'll bet that if we walked around some more we could have photographed Diana with 100 more cars. What a great day. I want to say thank you to Albert and Diana for being great to work with and asking me to do the photos. I had a great time and look forward to working with you both again.

What's that? Enough talk? I couldn't agree more. Wear your sunscreen and prepare for the sizzling hotness...