Readers' Hot Rods - 20 Readers

The Prizes
Besides the opportunity to be published in a national publication, our 20 finalists will all receive PHR swag consisting of a T-shirt, two license plates, decals, and a copy of this issue of PHR. Our winner will get this stuff, plus the huge box of treasure we've been collecting all year long. It's packed with T-shirts, books, hats and other sample products from manufacturers.

Photo Report Card
The great response notwithstanding, there were some recurring hiccups we'd like to point out. These are things that are easily addressed for future photos, so don't freak out (you guys did great).

Wheels turned wrong. Perhaps some readers set up their cars for one shot, then forgot to reset the steering for the next angle. Thus many entrants posed the tire tread-not the wheel face-toward the camera. If you elect to pose the steering, show the wheel, not the tread (unless you're doing an ad for a tire company). Hint: full-lock is not required.

Too often, the rear shot is better than the front shot. We're guessing most people tend to shoot the front and side first, and then finish with the rear as they hit their "stride." When the good sunset light finally comes, the car is set up for the rear shot. You're tired, and in spite of the great light, nobody wants to move the car again. Hint: Rear shots are rarely as exciting as front shots, no matter how good the light. Move the car.

Over-cropped and weirdly framed photos. It might seem like a good idea at the time-to zoom in on a car until it touches or nearly touches the edges-but that really kills it. Let the subject breathe a little with some room by leaving an imaginary border around the subject. While you're at it, make that imaginary margin the same for both the front and the rear of the car.

Too much camera tilt. This is our fault, since we told you to try leaning the camera 10 to 20 degrees for effect. (Maybe 5 to 10 degrees is a better range.) A little tilt is fun, but too much will have your fellow readers reaching for the motion-sickness pills. Our regular freelancers are sometimes guilty of this too.

Give us more information. You went to the trouble of taking photos and sending them in, but many people left out crucial information about the car. Hard to believe, but true. Readers want to know what's under the hood, so include more specifics next time.

Like we said, these are really easy fixes for future reference, so don't get bent. On the plus side, we saw a greater use of tripods and camera supports, windows were rolled up, and there were far fewer appendages growing out of hoods and roofs.

Keep Up The Effort
If you didn't make the top 20, our advice is to keep trying. We're seeing a big improvement over last year, and thanks to your efforts, PHR looks better than ever. Don't believe us? Just pick up a copy of Car Craft and compare your photos with the ones their readers send in. If you didn't find out about this year's contest in time and you don't want to wait for next year, you're in luck. We need high-quality photos every month for Hometown Hot Rodding. To get you motivated, we've started two monthly photo contests: one for the best photo of a completed project, and one for the best photo of a car under construction. We'll be giving away cool stuff, like a complete complement of car care products, a new pair of Timberland Pro shoes, or anything else cool that comes over the transom.

New Assignment:
Affordable Dreams
We've also got a different assignment for you, this time it's a search for cars we'd like to shoot. (That means someone else does all the hard work for you.) The assignment is called "Affordable Dreams," and the criteria is that your car must have been built for less than $25,000, including the cost of the car, all mods, and paint. It can be Pro-Touring, street/strip, cruiser, late-model, restomod, it doesn't matter. If you've got one built for even less dough, all the better. We'll need you to send a CD with five high-resolution photos (front three-quarter, side, rear three-quarter, engine and interior), a one-page cover letter with your car's story, and another page with a semi-detailed list of your car's mods with the cost of key parts (including the car itself). If you've got any performance data like ET slips or dyno pulls, photocopy them and throw them in the envelope. Finally, give us your name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address and Social Security number (just kidding). Pack it all up and send it to:

PRIMEDIA-Popular Hot Rodding Magazine
Attn: "Affordable Dreams"
774 S. Placentia Ave.
Placentia, CA 92870

If we choose you for a photo shoot, be prepared to show us proof of your "affordable" status. We'll take your word for reasonable claims, but beware, we'll probably question a 572 crate motor you got at a swap meet for $1,000. We're looking for at least 10 sweet rides from across America to feature in a monster story early next year. We'll shoot most of them, but we may also tap some of our newly found reader photographers for some freelance work. Got a question about the new contest, know somebody with an affordable dream, or want to shoot an affordable dream car for us? E-mail john.hunkins@sorc.com with the subject line "Affordable Dreams" and we'll respond within three business days with the answer to your question.

All Affordable Dream packages must be received by November 15. Meanwhile, we'll be thinking of some really cool stuff to give away, so get those cameras revved up.