Gerhard

 

I met Gerhard shooting photos for a local auto event. It was a simple photo request to get a shot of one of his many antique cars that he owned. Not a photo of him, but just the car that was he was loaning to the event. He seemed to have lots of energy for such an old man, was friendly, and eager to show me his auto collection. The cars were parked in a large pole barn in a seeming puzzle of directions. It was going to require moving cars to get to the one needed.

 

I entered the barn with him as he moved the cars while rattling off facts about each car. I asked about how he got into collecting which had a long involved history. He pulled an old framed photo (above) off the work bench about a "California or Bust" trip he had done many years ago. I documented his motions with my camera. 

Gerhard's eyes lit up when he began telling me about ordering cars out of the classifieds found in the back of trade magazines. They were shipped in boxes with many pieces requiring assembly. I asked if he still owned any? "Yeah, and they all run too". He showed me the magazine ad. 

He scurried off and I soon heard a small engine running as he drove past me out the barn onto the lawn. Two more times he repeated this until all three were lined up on the lawn. I continued to shoot all of this knowing that this wasn't the reason I had come to meet Gerhard.

Gerhard's wife came out and seemed amused he had got the cars out and that he was so animated today. She mentioned that he had a recent bad news diagnosis from the doctor, and hadn't been feeling well. He walked towards me with this beautiful chuffed expression which I captured in this photo. 

I turned my assignment photo into my editor, and explained the additional story I had found. He wasn't interested in it, and I have been sitting on this one for over 15 years. This is another interesting soul that has crossed paths with me, and I just needed to tell this small story