Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
Last October, I wrote a story about fun with photography. It was primarily a tribute to a couple of local drone pilots and, more specifically, The Drone Jedi (Gabe). I spent a Saturday morning with him as he took pictures of my Studebaker truck against the Route 66 backdrop. At the time that I wrote that story, the only photographs I had from that excursion were the ones I took. I had not even seen his pictures yet. I wanted to get some cool pictures of my truck from a drone’s perspective, and when I saw his work, I was impressed and delighted.
I was working on a story to announce my crazy idea of setting up a relay run from Chicago to Santa Monica for Studebakers. In his collection of pictures, one really stood out. We stopped at the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza located on the east side of the Arkansas River on Southwest Blvd (the old Route 66). There’s a parking lot up the hill on S. Lawton Avenue, and we parked there and set up for some great pictures.
There is a pedestrian bridge over Route 66 to the Plaza with “Route 66” and “Tulsa” signs, which is perfect for the background I wanted. Gabe set up by the road, and I made a couple of passes on the road under the bridge. The picture he took was exactly what I was looking for and could only have been taken by a drone. When he sent me the pictures, I was smitten by that image. I figured it would make a great cover picture for the story I ultimately wrote for the Studebaker Drivers Club magazine, Turning Wheels.
I submitted the pictures and the story to the magazine editor, thinking it was worthy of the cover. It was a great picture, and I asked the editor to be sure to give the Drone Jedi credit for the picture. I got a call from the editor. She liked the picture as much as I did, but it didn’t work for several reasons that flew over my head when she tried to explain them to me. I took photography in college, but it was before digital photography was a thing.
I was devastated because it really was a great image for my story. I called Gabe to see if he could make some adjustments, but he couldn’t. I have another friend in California named Dan Scott, who told me he could make it work. I sent him the photo, and he did some magic with it, making it even more awesome with his skills.
Unfortunately, it still didn’t work for the front cover, so it ended up on the inside cover. It actually looks better there. I got the magazine in the mail the other day, and it turned out great except for one thing: when it came to giving credit for the picture, the recognition went to Dan Scott. Dan deserves credit for making the picture work, but I wanted Gabe to get credit for the original image. I can get a correction printed in the magazine, but it won’t be in the same magazine as the picture. Sorry, Gabe, but that’s the best I can do at this point.
But the picture is awesome, and it made the cover of the magazine. Hopefully, I can redeem the mistake by writing this story for the local people who know you and already admire your amazing work. I will get you a copy of the magazine.
We still plan to do the Studebaker Route 66 relay run in May, and Gabe tells me that he’s looking forward to taking some more Studebaker pictures. At this time, I don’t know how many Studebakers will be driving through Sapulpa, but I have a hunch that it will be a noticeable event for our community. I’m so proud of our town and all the sprucing up they have done to get ready for the centennial of the Mother Road.
