“You do realize this trip will be like driving to New York City, only to run into Walmart and drive home, right?”
My question was met with a bit of a blank stare. I just wanted my grandson to know exactly what he had volunteered for.
He was spending the night at our house, and we were leaving before dawn with Michael Mayo. We had been invited to participate in another of Michael’s self promotion car shots. We were headed to Louisville, Kentucky. The plan was to shoot backplates of the full pipe skate park. That meant drive all day. Grab magic hour and sunset shots. Get a few hours of sleep. Then head back in the morning to catch sunrise shots. Wrap. Then get back in the car for the drive home. Three guys, 1700 miles, two location shots in 40 hours.
“You mean no museums or anything?” I explained that the highlight would probably be a nice dinner together, and it was. I also pointed out he was being an extra in this shoot, which earned him a new board, and he was getting to skate at a renowned park. I thought that was a good deal. I also wanted him to feel first hand the true glamour of this job and the feel of the open road… And of course what it feels like to load 800 pounds of gear several times a day.
The park turned out to be an odd hodgepodge of skaters, campers and spectators, all of whom were very gracious about us getting in their way. We had anticipated shooting many locations in the park, but finally concentrated on one. We got exactly what we came for, and the trip went perfectly. I was proud of my grandson Ryan for being very mature on the whole trip.
Once back in Dallas, Michael secured a car to shoot at a Dallas area Toyota dealership. That turned out to be another experience with a bunch of very gracious and accommodating folks. We took over their showroom for the better part of the day.
With the shots in the can, Mary set out to take these parts and create an outstanding image. She and Brian built an image that is a lot of fun. Nice that we had some fun doing it. Thanks to Michael for bringing us “on board” for this unique project!