Inside 30 Years of Lowrider Shows | Rare Archive Photos by Alex Navarro

Ajouté : 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]So being from Latin Lords, you knew all the different car clubs back then that that started way back then, but being a photographer, you locked in with all the different car clubs.

[00:00:10]>> Oh, yeah. Exactly.

[00:00:11]>> So you became neutral everybody.

[00:00:13]>> Exactly. And that's the way I am now. I I'm still I'm driving solo, but I'm I know everybody from all the car clubs, even LA, they give me a a come on, hang out with us, sit with us.

[00:00:27]>> I want to get on his I want to get on his database. ask you, "Can you take a picture of us by the car?"

[00:00:32]>> Oh, yeah. Because they want to have it up there on the >> all the time. And I I will never turn down a photo op if somebody asks for it.

[00:00:39]Never. Never. Never.

[00:00:46]What's going on everybody? I am Joe Ray and this is the Wired Down Show. Before we get into our latest episode, we want to give a shout out to our proud sponsor, Powermaster Performance Alternators and Starters. Go to powermasterperformance.com.

[00:01:04]Today's episode, we have a special guest. He has a database of low rider car show archives dating back since 1999 at a laent car show and picnic all the way up until now. You can go on to his website. One bad pup. He's going to introduce himself to you right now.

[00:01:28]But if you ever want to go back to the old days when things were a lot more innocent than they are today and check out the rides back then and all the different colors, things haven't changed so much, but you'll be able to tell and he knows about it because he had his eye behind the lens.

[00:01:45]Go ahead and introduce yourself to the lowriting fan base.

[00:01:48]>> Hi, I'm Alex Navaro, onebatpup.com.

[00:01:52]I've been shooting for I started archiving since like 99, but it's been before that. So, if if anybody knows what it was like to take pictures back in in that early age, we started with um dialup.

[00:02:08]>> There was no the internet was so slow and taking a picture 35 millimeters. I mean, you earned your stripes when you had to upload them to the internet and then get them on your computer and then put them online. So, I'm kind of proud of of of the stuff I did back in the days, you know, and like I said, I I do it for the love of the game, love of the sport, you know, the low rider family, the low rider culture, you know, it's it's beautiful. If if for the outside people outside looking in it, it's a beautiful culture.

[00:02:38]>> Well, everybody today because of the cell phone, they're all everybody's a photographer now, >> a professional one because of digital.

[00:02:45]But I mean to put in all that work >> to shoot other people's cars, events and and that was our lifeline. Car shows >> right >> besides the magazine back then. So they are important. There isn't too many >> websites or there are not too many places libraries like you have where you can go back and look up a show from all the way back in from Ventura. You went through Fresno. You've gone to Arizona, San Diego. Isaelia Festival, >> the Imperials car show there, you know, in Southgate. You have everybody's on there and they're all great times and >> they go by year by year and you just keep on going and some of them are returns. They're annual. But >> usually on this show, everybody we start off with, well, how did you get into this?

[00:03:34]>> Right?

[00:03:34]>> What was a drug you took and you need to score? So, what was your influence?

[00:03:38]Would you see a low writer, somebody in your family? But you know what?

[00:03:42]Let's first start off with how did how did you just get in and why did you get into photography?

[00:03:48]>> Okay. For on the photography side I I've been in low writing since uh in early 80s 82 um I took a little hiatus after about four or five years.

[00:04:00]Why I couldn't even tell you but then the lens photography caught my caught my attention and then I started going to car shows. I did one car show and then before you know it, I see the same people that I had seen five, six, seven years earlier.

[00:04:15]So that's the part I enjoyed hanging out, the camaraderie, the family, um, and just going on to the next car show, to the next one, to the next one.

[00:04:25]And like I said, it's it's it's a beautiful um I don't even want to say um a job. It's not even a job for me. It's it's it's a pleasure.

[00:04:34]>> Thousands of the same faces all the time.

[00:04:37]>> Yeah. annual.

[00:04:38]>> Yep.

[00:04:39]>> Just like a rerun, like a time machine.

[00:04:41]>> Yeah. Cars are the same, but the cars they change.

[00:04:44]>> They do change. See their latest build.

[00:04:46]>> Exactly. And some of these uh pictures I have on the site, you'll see it from sometimes uh five years later and someone added something else, patterns or a mural or conola kit. And that's the beauty of it because it's like it's archived.

[00:05:00]So for all the audience right now, you have your phones out there, your laptops, they're going to go to onebadpup.com, >> right?

[00:05:07]>> And they're going to check out all your work and it dates way back, >> right? Exactly.

[00:05:12]>> All archived.

[00:05:13]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:05:13]>> And you have a lot more photos than just that to go back up and Exactly.

[00:05:17]>> continue filming.

[00:05:18]>> Exactly. Like I said, back in the days, it took a long time to upload these pictures and I still have uh boxes and boxes of them. Like I said, one of one of these days when I get a lot of free time, I'll I'll throw them back up there from the older days, from the older years, you know.

[00:05:33]>> But Alex, you got like four or 500 events >> in that whole time. I know Ricardo from Oldies, >> we always go back and forth with this little conversation that he's had that >> he's gone to every car show there is.

[00:05:46]>> If it was every weekend, he was there, >> right?

[00:05:48]>> And that's a lot of mileage. That's a lot of time. That's a lot of sacrifice.

[00:05:53]And then I've been to a lot of car shows myself in my lifetime, right?

[00:05:57]>> But I've missed a lot of them, too. I do regret missing >> those car shows when we can go back and look up to see what you have. We can go back there. If not, you have to go back to an old magazine and see what was going on there. There weren't too many videos and all that. But >> those were innocent times and those were great times, too. It's always >> looking you up to look at your history and everything. I went through some of those shows and instead of, you know, getting my homework together for the for this uh video episode, I have just fell into a couple car shows there and I started reminiscing. Man, I remember this >> that that car when this car broke out, that one >> a lot of orange 65 Chevys were all over the place everywhere you went. But you see the different styles >> in in from what the the cities I just mentioned all the way to Arizona. The different styles of car and their top cars too.

[00:06:52]>> Yeah. And the way of automobiles have progressed, you know, the chrome chrome undercarriage, chrome engines, you know, it's it's all progressed for the last, you know, 30 years. You know, it's it's like a a work of art now. It's artwork.

[00:07:07]That's what it is.

[00:07:08]>> Well, it used to be paint then paint and interior as the years went by. rims.

[00:07:13]>> Then then then it was the engine compartment.

[00:07:16]>> Then it was the undercarriage, right?

[00:07:18]And then everybody went frame off >> and undercarriage and frame became first before the paint jobs now, so to speak, right?

[00:07:25]>> And the paint jobs, they're more everything's just so much more expensive. It's hard to build them, right, >> compared to those days. But it was expensive back then.

[00:07:33]>> Yeah. Yeah. And it's rare. I mean, 40 years ago, how many framed offs were there? Not very many. You know, you can count on your hand maybe.

[00:07:42]>> So, you know, stories of people who have came and went are probably not around anymore. Oh, yeah.

[00:07:47]>> Going way back then until now. When you don't see a familiar face, well, they missed the show. Catch them next year if they're not there again.

[00:07:55]>> Some of them just get out of it. It's too expensive. Or they got to take care of their family or some just pass on.

[00:08:02]>> Right. And that's and that's the sad part is is passing on. Um, you know, we were talking earlier about the co COVID years, right?

[00:08:09]>> We've lost so many good people during that time. Um, a lot of respect, a lot of respect to the the icons that have passed away because they're older and you know, co took away a lot of people from us. Um, >> we forget there was a time we thought it would never go away that this was the way we're going to live for the rest of our lives looking out our garage, >> right? and people with masks >> and hibernating and staying inside. And >> if if anything could ever kill and end low riding, this was probably it because people didn't work. People had to sell their cars, right? No, actually it was the opposite. The car value and the parts went skyrock.

[00:08:46]>> Yeah, they did. Yeah, you did.

[00:08:47]>> Then finally, when the shows came out, the attendance tripled, >> but and it was over and we just take things for granted, but those times >> were very serious. I know when I was doing Low Rider Garage back then, >> I traveled all over the Central Valley and no one wore masks, >> right?

[00:09:05]>> Nobody really caught it that way.

[00:09:08]>> Right. Right.

[00:09:09]>> But everywhere else I I I lost a few club members, >> their family. I mean, we all lost somebody important, right?

[00:09:16]>> And then like they say, life goes on.

[00:09:18]But something about co we could never um >> ever let go. And the good thing about it, what we were talking about is you would do you guys would do cruises out there. This is all in Ventura, right?

[00:09:29]Yes, we did. By the ocean.

[00:09:31]>> Yep.

[00:09:32]>> So me, another friend, a good friend of mine, John Martinez, Fantasy Life, >> right?

[00:09:37]>> We did our first cruise for his grandson and we must have had five or six cars >> and then after that >> So how do you get what do you mean by you did a cruise for his grandson? So it's co >> It was his birthday.

[00:09:48]>> Okay. It was his birthday and of course we couldn't throw him any parties. There was no birthday parties. We had to, you know, pretty much stay quarantined. So we said, "What don't we just do a little birthday cruise for him and just drive by the house and say hi and maybe give them a present, you know, still wearing masks, >> right?"

[00:10:05]>> So we did one and then after that we said, "Let's do another one." And then we did more and more and eventually it caught on. All the car clubs from Ventura County, Switch, City Life, all jump in one big caravan, >> cruisers, everybody was invited and we had a scheduler named Robin and David Medina and they would do a scheduling and people would call him up and say, "Hey, I got little Timmy wants a little cruise by for his birthday." And so we scheduled, you know, eight or nine cruises on the same day. And that was our thing.

[00:10:38]>> How many cars were rolling together in this? We must have had about 20 cars rolling at at >> two traffic cops didn't >> the traffic cops once in a while they they'd stop traffic and they'd let us go.

[00:10:51]>> They knew they knew what we were doing and I give props to the OPD for letting us do that, >> you know. They would block off traffic and and they knew why we were doing it >> and they gave their hats off to us.

[00:11:01]That's I give props to the OPD for that, >> you know. But that's what we did for about a year and a half. Um because there was in Ventur County the shows there was nobody was doing shows.

[00:11:12]>> Nobody was doing anything.

[00:11:13]>> Nobody was doing anything. We're all locked up.

[00:11:14]>> We had to stay inside but nobody could told us we couldn't drive and that's what we did. And we called oursel the co cruise family because that's what we were >> and like I said all the car clips from intern county Jay joined in at some time or another. But it was it was that was the best thing that came out of co. Do you ever go around living out that way?

[00:11:36]Wherever you go to shows, picnics, barbecues, and things like that, >> you ever do these people or families or friends remember those cruises and come here? Oh, we talk about that.

[00:11:47]>> That meant a lot to us and got us through.

[00:11:49]>> It got it got all the car clubs closer to each other because I'm not going to say before that, but even older years when you were in a club, you stuck with your club. You know, you hung out with somebody else in another club. They said, "What are you? Why are you hanging out with him for? This is your club."

[00:12:06]But that co cruise family that got everybody together, club name, solo riders, everybody got together. Now, we knew each other a lot better. We knew each other before that, you know, firstname basis, but after that, those cruises for a year and a half, everybody got a lot tighter. That was a good thing. That was the best thing that came out of CO in my opinion.

[00:12:28]>> I did a low rider garage.

[00:12:31]Well, no. We actually did a show, sanctioning a show up there at the call palace in San Francisco and I was walking around and I grabbed my cell phone like always with a little small tripod and >> walked around and started videotaping all the cars and I'll never forget there was a young girl there that shouted at me. She goes, >> "Thank you for all you do and what you're doing." Because, you know, it was dangerous to get out there.

[00:12:54]>> I think the impalas had two 300 people drinking beers with them.

[00:12:58]>> Yeah.

[00:12:58]um exchanging tamalei recipes and all that. No masks, >> right?

[00:13:03]>> And you know, you have to go and quarantine yourself for three days, not knowing if you caught anything, >> right?

[00:13:08]>> But I'll never forget, she said, you know, I almost died on my bed. I gave up on life. I thought it was over.

[00:13:14]>> But I made sure that I was I was ready to go. I would try to make it to the next Friday. So, you had another show >> just to be there and that kept on going me and that's why I'm here. And it's like, damn. Wow. But I mean, there's lots of stories like that with a lot of us that went out and did things during those times that kept us alive, that kept us >> doing the same rituals that we do every day. That's how we kind of fought that disease, right?

[00:13:40]>> Um, so you've been taking photographs since then and you've met all these people like you said.

[00:13:47]>> Hey everyone, before we get back to our episode, we want to give a shout out to one of our proud sponsors, Powermaster Performance. One of the most important parts under the hood of your low rider is the alternator. The key to selecting an alternator is to make sure its output meets and exceeds the electrical needs on your ride, especially at idle. For instance, if you have an electric fan, electric fuel pump, big amps, airbag compressors, you're already looking at over 100 amps. And that's not counting the ignition, exterior lighting, or air conditioning. The other important part is to understand that the alternator must be capable of supporting those electronics at lower RPMs while idling or cruising in traffic. Plus, it's available in chrome, polished, black, and natural housing for single VB belt and serpentine belt systems. For more information about Powermaster's HPR series, just go to powermasterperformance.com.

[00:14:49]How did you get into low riding? Because that's where it really all started.

[00:14:52]>> Yeah, I I must have been nine, 10 years old. My sister had a 72 Monte Carlo. One time she goes, "Hey, I don't want to drive by myself. You go with me." And I'm a 10-y old kid. I'm like, "All right, I'll go with you." And back in the days in Oxnard, Cooper Road was the main strip, the main cruise spot. So, we're taking a little cruise down, you know, Cooper Road and and I'm looking around and I'm seeing all these nice cars and and that was back in the days when Laente and East Side Classics were were going pretty good and they were all par. I go, man, I want to be like these guys right here. You know, that that's took that spark that started the spark in me. And then of course, you know, maybe seven, eight, 10 years later, you know, in ' 82, that's when I, uh, joined Latin Lords, uh, Ventura County chapter and was president for a couple years. Um, >> three chapters in >> that was three chapters. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:15:54]Joe, >> Joe runs East LA, >> East LA. And then >> the Latin Lords >> Randy Martial, he ran the San Fernando chapter and then I ran the chapter here in Pentur County for a couple years, you know. But those are beautiful memories.

[00:16:09]Great memories.

[00:16:10]>> Are they still around?

[00:16:11]>> They're still around. Oh, yeah. Oh, they're still around. Yeah. Yeah, they're going pretty good right now.

[00:16:15]>> That was an iconic name back in the days, especially in East LA.

[00:16:19]>> Yes.

[00:16:19]>> So, that's how you got into What was your first car?

[00:16:22]>> My first car was a 77 LTD.

[00:16:25]Next one was a 74 LTD. Like I said, these LTDs, they just fall in my lap. I don't I'm not even looking for them and they >> Usually you buy a 74 and then you upgrade to the 77 cuz they get newer.

[00:16:37]But you've went backwards.

[00:16:38]>> They're both badass cars.

[00:16:40]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. And now they're rare.

[00:16:42]They're they're pretty rare nowadays.

[00:16:43]>> It's hard to find any parts, especially for the >> the what is it the 75 six and seven and eight.

[00:16:50]>> Yeah.

[00:16:51]>> It's hard to find weather stripping moldings, all that stuff for those cars.

[00:16:54]And that's the thing with low riding nowadays, the 70s decade, it's it's you don't see that many cars that many. It's like a dying decade.

[00:17:03]>> And and it's too bad because everybody traded in their glass houses for the LTDs.

[00:17:07]>> What do you drive now?

[00:17:08]>> Uh 71 LTD uh convertible.

[00:17:11]>> Oh, Clint Eastwood style.

[00:17:12]>> Clint Eastwood style. Yeah.

[00:17:14]>> Dirty hairy.

[00:17:15]>> Yep. Found it.

[00:17:16]>> You know, there there were a few. The Click used to have them. We had a couple of them. There was just something about that long nose on them.

[00:17:24]>> Yeah, >> we had a few that Baka had painted multiolors in blue blue magic. Eddie, may rest in peace.

[00:17:31]>> I thought that that car was one of the baddest paint jobs and cars. There was just something about those LTDs, right?

[00:17:37]>> You don't see them period anymore, let alone >> the 73s 74s you hardly see.

[00:17:44]>> Hardly. No, hardly.

[00:17:45]>> I don't get that at all. And if you bring one out, you don't even know if it fits in the realm of low riding now, right? If those designs are accepted, it's kind of weird about those cars.

[00:17:56]>> But they were topofthe line.

[00:17:58]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:17:58]>> Luxury, especially at that time.

[00:18:00]>> They were daily drivers back in the days, >> but a convertible, too, man. A few of those.

[00:18:05]>> And those um they only made 5,700 of them that year.

[00:18:09]>> Yeah.

[00:18:09]>> So, I I couldn't tell you how many are around anymore.

[00:18:12]>> How long have you had that?

[00:18:13]>> Uh about three years. Three, four years.

[00:18:15]Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:17]>> So, being from Latin Lords, you knew all the different car clubs back then that that started way back then, but being a photographer, you locked in with all the different car clubs.

[00:18:28]>> Oh, yeah. Exactly.

[00:18:29]>> So, you became neutral everybody.

[00:18:31]>> Exactly. And that's the way I am now. I I'm still I'm driving solo, but I'm I know everybody from all the car clubs, even LA, they give me a a come on, hang out with us, sit with us. I want to get on his I want to get on his database.

[00:18:47]They ask you, "Can you take a picture of us by the car?"

[00:18:50]>> Oh, yeah. Because they want to have it up there on the >> all the time. And I I will never turn down a photo op if somebody asks for it.

[00:18:57]Never. Never. Never.

[00:18:59]>> Having a low rider makes you different from all other photographers, though, because there's a lot of photographers out there that shoot >> that don't really have the cars and don't understand what they really mean.

[00:19:09]The inside and outs of low riders, the designs, your makes and models, right?

[00:19:13]that you got to capture the right angles, >> right?

[00:19:15]>> Um, photographers back then, a lot of them have gone. You don't see them anymore hardly anymore.

[00:19:21]>> There's a lot of up and coming ones today. Um, it's way different. Of course, you've seen that >> with all the different photographers, they come up to you and ask you all the new school, they come up and ask you for tips or respect you that you've been there longer and went through all the rough.

[00:19:35]>> Oh, yeah. And and that's the one thing is the respect. And I I give all these new photographers props because I' I've been respected and that's a I I don't even ask for it, you know. I just do what I love doing, you know. But these younger the newer generation, they're they're getting there.

[00:19:53]>> Yeah.

[00:19:53]>> You know, they're give it time. They'll get there.

[00:19:56]>> It's a lot easier for them now. The camera the iPhone does everything for you.

[00:19:59]>> Yeah. Yeah. The actually the lens has changed.

[00:20:02]>> Yeah.

[00:20:02]>> That's what it is. The newer ones. The lens changed.

[00:20:04]>> Ridiculous.

[00:20:05]>> Yep. Oh, yeah. I remember the very first shows I was using an old 35 millimeter camera with film and turning them into Target my, you know, my film and and you'd have to wait a week and I'm like, you know, a kid waiting for, you know, Christmas present and finally get my pictures and and, you know, scan them and upload them and it was fun. It was fun >> doing all of that back then. Um, what was it like to get in the show? You were always welcome. you could get in free.

[00:20:36]>> You had your camera. They know you were there to cover the show and they're going to probably put it up on a website for them. Exactly.

[00:20:42]>> It was different back then. Yes. Please come in. Please take pictures of our show because >> Exactly.

[00:20:47]>> Or you have to hire a photographer and do all of that, >> right?

[00:20:50]>> But in the beginning, I guess it was accepted. No, please come in.

[00:20:53]>> You didn't have to pay for a ticket to get in or anything like that.

[00:20:56]>> Well, no. I I that was the one thing I I always paid to get in. I never said, "Hey, look at me. I'm I'm important."

[00:21:04]you know, you guys need me. No, it it's the other way around, you know. We we all need each other. Without low riders, there's no photography. Well, you know, low rider photography. And it works both ways, >> you know.

[00:21:17]>> Oh, it does.

[00:21:18]>> Yeah.

[00:21:18]>> Things are way different now.

[00:21:20]>> Yeah.

[00:21:21]>> To the point where even when we used to do some of our shows back in the days, >> right?

[00:21:26]>> We wouldn't allow any photographers to come into the shows because I mean, >> we had our own staff, we had our website, >> right? Uh we had to capture everything before everybody, >> right?

[00:21:37]>> Um we worked hard and it wasn't fair for any photographers outside to come in and steal the thunder and for nothing. We do all that hard work for months and months and promote the show, right?

[00:21:49]>> Annual shows and these guys will come in and then just shoot it and things went they'd have it online already and it was done and it hurts your crowd. Well, I don't have to go to the show. I'm going to see it right now. Watch. And we used to fight that a little bit and let them come in the next morning early.

[00:22:05]>> But that was funny. And then after when the cell phone came into play, it was like, how are we going to control all of that? It is.

[00:22:11]>> Yeah.

[00:22:12]>> There was no more policing that situation, right?

[00:22:14]>> Those things changed. Did you have to pay uh certain car pro car show promoters a fee for a pass to get in?

[00:22:23]>> Never. Never.

[00:22:24]>> Never did.

[00:22:24]>> Never had to pay. Like I said, I I always just paid for spectator admission and basically I was a spectator who took pictures. But the difference between me, I wasn't I'm not making money, you know, um doing what I do. I do it for the passion and the love of the game. That's >> Yes. And a lot of that's the difference between you and other photographers, >> right?

[00:22:43]>> They're building their website. They're building their name and everything else, >> right? They're trademarking. Well, you know, more props to everybody else.

[00:22:50]Yeah, >> they want to do sell t-shirts or or posters or whatever, that's, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[00:22:59]That's the business they choose. But me, I'm more like a documentarian. I I like to document everything. I like to put everything in the archives for you to see 10 years from now. That's that's what I that's what I plan on doing.

[00:23:12]>> Hopefully.

[00:23:12]>> So, you're not one of those good I need a media pass. $250 is like >> how you >> I thought about that.

[00:23:21]>> And they'll pay it. They'll pay it. You know, there's just too many of them. You got to control it.

[00:23:25]>> And they come in. They come in with a couple of their models, >> right?

[00:23:28]>> And that's another thing we should talk about.

[00:23:30]>> And then you're going to let in three, four people. And I got this guy. He's carrying around my equipment. The next thing you know, while four or five tickets, 250 is not that bad. But when you face them and tell them you have to give us 250 and they just look at you, you can't do that to anybody, right? And it's just like at the end I would always cave in.

[00:23:48]>> I don't know about charging 250. I was weak on that, but I would just say, you know what?

[00:23:53]>> Just buy a ticket. How about that?

[00:23:54]>> Yeah. And it's I'm even across the board. And Right.

[00:23:57]>> Yeah. That's all. Yeah. Yeah. And and and that's the way it was, you know.

[00:24:00]>> Yeah. I said, buy a ticket. Have fun at the show. You're going to see a live concert. You know, what more can you ask for?

[00:24:05]>> It would come back. They would come back to me. Where's my media pass? And it's like, for what? You're already in? Yeah, but I I need media to go do this and that. I go, you have a camera. You know, the people here, they're gonna let you come in over the ropes and take a picture of the car, but what about on stage? You ain't going up on stage.

[00:24:23]>> Yeah, that's the thing.

[00:24:23]>> That's why we have security and anything can happen. And you know, we have a staff >> and that's why you have zoom zoom in.

[00:24:29]>> Yeah.

[00:24:30]>> Yeah. But I mean that was important too, man.

[00:24:33]>> Right. Right.

[00:24:34]>> Um everybody's important in the car shows all the way through you name it.

[00:24:37]All the way up, >> right? um through the lens through your lens going back into the days.

[00:24:45]Your lens going back into the days seeing what low riding was all about then.

[00:24:50]>> And the same lens or the better lens that you have now.

[00:24:53]>> The better lenses now. Yeah.

[00:24:55]>> Low writing's changed a whole lot.

[00:24:57]>> It has changed. Yeah.

[00:24:58]>> A whole lot. I mean, >> basically the paint jobs are blam no matter what. The technology innovation, right? the colors that take over a whole car. I could say some of those colors were just as they were better back then than now.

[00:25:15]>> But I mean, >> the display, >> the artwork, the displays are ridiculous. There's more chrome.

[00:25:21]>> There's more put into a 20 by 20 space than ever before. 20 by 20 space >> in those old days, right, >> there were two cars in there. Now you have one car, they need 30 feet space.

[00:25:33]What's your observation of the whole deal since 1999 through that lens to the lens now about how lowriting has changed?

[00:25:40]>> Well, I think low writing has changed.

[00:25:42]It's more um like I said, these are works of art now. Um everybody's putting their their heart and soul to to make masterpieces. And there, like I said, there's nothing wrong there's nothing wrong with that. But I'm more into the the everyday cruisers, you know, the the the camaraderie, the barbecues, the cruise nights, everything else that has to do with lure riding. Lower riding is just not about a super show. There's a way more than that, you know, like >> it's more than just the cars.

[00:26:11]>> It's more than just the cars.

[00:26:13]>> Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's actually getting, you know, the the people behind the cars, the families. And now that I'm do I do more video now and I like to capture um if you've noticed on some of my videos I do the trophy presentations.

[00:26:27]Um I I pan around and get a lot of people, you know, because people are part of the show, you know, they they build the show getting people there.

[00:26:37]>> Yeah. You got 600 cars in there and you got 6,000 people or 16,000 people. Yeah.

[00:26:44]That's why those cars are in there >> and those people wouldn't be there without the cars, vice versa.

[00:26:49]>> But you have the vendor booth, >> right?

[00:26:52]>> You have everybody.

[00:26:54]>> I don't want to bring in the venues because they're the ones that make all the money, >> but that puts this whole >> puzzle together that that defines what a car show is really all about. I like going back and looking at your times way back and there's a lot of them. I mean, I can if I'm not going to name 500 of them right now, >> but there were innocent times. There were a few pictures in there. I started scrolling around. You had models in there, taking pictures by the cars, and I started going through there and okay, that was then. Um, there were a lot more clothes on then. And I just kept on scrolling down, got into 2017, checked out a few rides and then looked at the models that were posing. Then >> I was already at Low Rider, so I had to deal with that, >> right? six times, right, >> in one issue, right? And I went through all that and all the top cars and the models that were going for Low Rider back then, they would be there at the show. And I saw and it was still it wasn't as bad as it became a few years ago where the girls just had no more selfrespect or self-esteem. They didn't care how they looked.

[00:28:00]>> And and especially when you wanted to be a family show, when you want to bring your your kid and your wife to the show, >> I got criticized for that. I got criticized because I try to clean that up. They just dress appropriately, >> right?

[00:28:12]>> All women, especially Latina women, are beautiful.

[00:28:16]>> Mhm.

[00:28:17]>> Sometimes even the more clothes they have on, they're even more beautiful.

[00:28:20]You don't have to take that much off.

[00:28:21]But I understand the attention. But you can only go so far before it's like, what do we turn this into?

[00:28:27]>> Right.

[00:28:27]>> I had arguments with people. Oh, you go to the beach, they're in bikinis. Have you ever gone to the beach? I go, this is a car show. Yeah.

[00:28:33]>> Yeah. Well, kids are there, too. And it's >> stunning. Yeah. Going through the roof.

[00:28:36]Yeah.

[00:28:37]>> This is our future, man. I mean, you got kids, skateboards, bikes, traditions, now the family, the mothers, the wives, >> the whole thing about low riding. Now, the word culture that is overused a million times a day, >> right?

[00:28:52]>> Um, you you can't destroy that by the way some of these girls have to get out there. If you need attention to take off that many clothes, then you shouldn't be out there in the beginning, right, >> in the first place. But yeah, we have to clean oursel up because, you know, everybody watches us and sometimes we're degrading ourselves. Whatever our nationalities may be, don't do that, >> right? I think lately, the last few years, maybe after co they've been a lot tasteful. They've been more tasteful.

[00:29:20]Um, you know, >> well, it depends where you're going.

[00:29:24]>> I guess it depends.

[00:29:25]>> See, the last couple years, it got out of hand. It's cleaned up more now because a lot of people are stopping it and >> right, >> you know, but a mother won't let their kids go to the show or things like that, >> right?

[00:29:35]>> But yeah, things have changed. They've become they've changed a whole lot now that that it the lifestyle is more of a tradition now, >> right?

[00:29:45]>> Um, you're going to continue doing this for how much longer?

[00:29:50]>> Until I my feet stop hurting me or or they start hurting me. I mean, I mean, I do a lot of walking around, but it, like I said, it's me in shape.

[00:29:57]>> Keeps me in shape. Yeah. Yeah. And then just to get back to like the shows, like the last few years, I like to support the um high schools, the the grammar schools, fundraisers, you know, those are the the the events I like to support. You know, helps the education, the kids, the softball teams, baseball teams, you know, those those kids need a lot of help. And sometimes these car shows they they you know generate a lot of revenue for them and and that's the ones I like to pick and choose. Now >> that's good though man because that's what it it takes to get them involved learn the responsibilities what it takes to have something like that and >> it keeps them out of trouble.

[00:30:39]>> Right. Right.

[00:30:41]>> How do you see though through that lens?

[00:30:43]How do you see low riding going on from here?

[00:30:47]>> What do you expect it? Because it changed in 30 years. the technology is is is getting way way better. You can take a picture and it'll be online in in 3 seconds. You know, it and I said it's it's it's a beautiful thing. It's a lot easier. Even me, I'm don't get me wrong, I do the same thing. I can take a video and it'll be on Instagram and in, you know, 10 seconds. Makes it a lot easier.

[00:31:13]It's a lot easier to to do. Um, but like I said, the hard work that a lot of the older photographers have done, even before me, >> I respect that. Respect it highly because they put in a lot of time and a lot of work and effort, you know.

[00:31:32]>> You have a pretty cool car, man.

[00:31:33]>> Thank you. Thank you.

[00:31:34]>> The convertible LTD that you have, and you're out there in the beach area.

[00:31:38]>> Yeah.

[00:31:38]>> And you've seen low riding for 40 years at least, right?

[00:31:42]>> Right. Um, you jump in that car and you're driving around certain spots out there, you know, the ocean's right there, the breeze, the whole thing.

[00:31:52]>> And let me tell you, Yep.

[00:31:53]>> Um, how do you decide to just let go of the steering wheel and pull out your camera?

[00:31:59]>> Are there times you just say, you know what, >> I think I'm just going to be a low rider this weekend and put the camera away maybe next weekend.

[00:32:05]>> Nope. And see, there's a difference between um me having a car and and shooting pictures. Mhm.

[00:32:11]>> I got to wake up in the morning, got to clean my rims, got to dust it all off, do the interior, clean my windows, and get my camera ready. And then when I come into the show, it's like, you know, I I like to do a lot of rollins now. But that's kind of the difference. You know, sometimes, uh, it it's a it takes me a little a lot more to, you know, to get ready for a show because, like I said, I got to get my car done and I got to get my equipment ready, too. But um I still love it. I love doing what I do.

[00:32:42]>> Photographers that are out there today, do you have any mentors that are out there or any photographers that you could look at their work and put it up there as a challenge or a goal that you know what what photographers out there, freelancers or even the ones that worked at the magazine or that are local, what names of photographers today would you give would you like to give credit to?

[00:33:06]Well, I don't want to say credit. I'll say I'll say the upand cominging low riders and I'm Hey, I'm giving you some props. Is Search flicks. Good guy. Good guy. And if you see some of his his videos >> um you'll be blown away. But see, like I said, I'm more of a documentarian, >> right?

[00:33:26]>> And but he's he's got the top-notch uh if video effects and all that. Yeah.

[00:33:32]>> One of the big upand cominging guys.

[00:33:34]>> Anybody else out there? any of the low rider guys back on staff way back in the days?

[00:33:38]>> Um, >> Dick Delo, >> man. Um, I know I used to uh look at a lot of Porky Porky Duran's pictures he used to take. Porky was I used to look up to him >> all the time. Um, but yeah. Yeah, the amazing amazing guys. These guys are amazing, you know, and some of them, rest in peace, you know, but um yeah, >> it's just something in them. It's like a guy, if I get into music that plays a guitar and he's like he's singing as he's pulling the strings, it's coming out of his facial expression. There are photographers like that. Whether you get on a ladder or you lay down flat on the floor, >> whatever angle it is to be different that they've got to shoot to be right >> not to be different. Sometimes there's just those >> Yeah. or gimmicks. There's always been Elliot Gilbert way back in the days was a great >> photographer for low rider >> and if you had a certain car you wanted your car to look the best, >> right?

[00:34:37]>> And Beetto Mendoza is not too far from you.

[00:34:40]>> Oh, another guy too on his uh I'm sorry to interrupt, but um Richard Palos.

[00:34:45]>> Richard Palos.

[00:34:46]>> Yeah, Richard Palos. I I I knew him for a while. I haven't seen him lately, but um I used to look up to him. You know, he was doing Street Low, I think. Street Low magazine.

[00:34:56]>> Yeah. him. But um he was another guy I kind of looked up to.

[00:35:02]>> That's cool, man. But that you are right. When we first started the show, it's like there are some pictures that are taken of certain cars that you have to take a step back and say, "Wow, is that really my car?" And then when you look at your car, even on that angle, it didn't look as good. Right.

[00:35:20]>> It's just those certain pictures capture that time.

[00:35:23]>> Yep. And it makes your car look like nothing can compare to Right. That's all because of the photographers.

[00:35:30]>> Yeah. And a lot of time too it's it's indoor. The lighting indoor that plays that's huge. That's indoor lighting is huge. Even outdoor uh on sunny days. It it's it's >> explain if I was if I'm a novice, I probably still am, >> but I I get lucky with my own cell phone. But what is it with the sun when it's straight up at 12:00 and the shadows? Where are you supposed to shoot at? To the left? To the right?

[00:35:55]>> On this side. Uh overcast. It's not good to shoot on overcast days. It's not good to shoot a car when there's a telephone pole right here. You can move the car up, right?

[00:36:04]>> I saw that.

[00:36:05]>> You nailed it, you know.

[00:36:06]>> Well, I didn't get nailed. They got nailed. Yeah, >> my boss had to nail some of our photographers. Oh, you could have moved the car forward. That's that always happened.

[00:36:14]>> Yeah, shadows is is huge. You know, you don't want to start taking pictures early in the morning unless your shadow's out of it. But um high noon when the sun's up and then when the sun's up because sometimes some days you get overcast in the morning and I'll go around and shoot all morning, take video all morning and then about noon the sun comes out and I'm like son of a >> Yeah, >> I don't know if I want to do this all over again or >> Yeah, I know. I understand the weather there in the morning. It's all overcast.

[00:36:40]>> It's overcast.

[00:36:41]>> But you want to get started early. You know, you got that that itch. You want to get going, >> you know.

[00:36:46]>> That's cool.

[00:36:47]>> Yeah, it's fun. It's fun. any other you have any shout outs, any mentors that you would like to give thanks to?

[00:36:54]>> Well, I know there's a lot of people in the Lorena community that that we've lost, you know. Um um one mentor I I had was uh Mr. Benny Del Rio. He passed. Um one of my good friends, I mean, we grew up with Chaka, you know, Ruben, he passed. He was with Laente and oh, there's just too many too many people that I I had friends and looked up to that were huge in the low riding community, you know.

[00:37:28]>> Yeah. Just too many to name right now.

[00:37:32]>> Yeah. You can go back to Ventur if you think what knowing the culture that's out there, the history of of low riding and Venura. When did that all get going?

[00:37:43]As far back as you can hear all the stories.

[00:37:46]>> Oh yeah. O >> those low riders at the beach. Come on.

[00:37:49]>> Yeah. Oh, no. That that's I was I'm born and raised in in Oxnard and I've traveled. I've been other places, but believe me, Ventur County, the the the weather, the beach, you know, sometimes we take that advantage that, you know, how often do we go in the water? I haven't been in the water in years.

[00:38:08]>> Wow.

[00:38:09]>> You know, but the beach community, it's it's beautiful. you know, the the sunsets, the background for taking pictures.

[00:38:17]>> You get invited to do uh ginsas and weddings.

[00:38:21]>> Yeah. Yeah. Do that.

[00:38:22]>> Do a couple of those. Yeah. On the side, you know.

[00:38:24]>> Well, you get paid there.

[00:38:25]>> I get paid. No, I didn't want to tell you. I'm cutting myself short too short.

[00:38:28]Yeah.

[00:38:29]>> You know, but um the the the photographers and videographers for weddings and man that it's way up there, you know. I don't mean to offend any of these wedding photographers, but I don't know. I can't justify that much money they're getting paid for taking a picture and and printing out an 8 by10. Maybe I'll get some phone calls and they'll tell me why. But, you know, like I said, I've I've done the same thing and my pictures come out the same as theirs. And >> last but not least, >> fraction of the cost.

[00:38:59]>> Last but not least, I always get asked >> um my son wants to be a photographer.

[00:39:04]He's getting into it. Mhm.

[00:39:06]>> Um or you know, even back in the days when I was a magazine, my daughter is a photographer, Joe, >> right?

[00:39:12]>> She's going to come at you pretty soon.

[00:39:13]You're going to have to hire her on, you know, as a freelancer, right?

[00:39:16]>> And do you have any tips? So, everywhere I went because I was editor, I would get asked that question to this day. And when I see young photographers, I always go up there and and I give them advice, you know, try look at a magazine, >> right?

[00:39:30]>> Try to be different in that angle, >> right?

[00:39:32]>> Don't be afraid to go up or don't be afraid to lay down. Try something different.

[00:39:36]>> Right.

[00:39:37]>> Every car looks better from the front.

[00:39:39]Some cars look better from the back depending on the tail lights, >> body styles. Yeah.

[00:39:42]>> Um you can always get that 3/4 angle which everybody does.

[00:39:47]>> Um but every car has a different style to it where it's either that 3/4 from the rear or the front or way up above. It's going to look its best and it brings out its true design, >> right? But you just got to be different.

[00:40:03]And each one is a work of art. Each photo that you take >> and it lives on forever. Yes. And the day that one owner could come on say, "Wow, that was my car.

[00:40:15]>> You took that picture. I never knew that my car could look like that." Because we just clean them, step back, and look at them.

[00:40:20]>> Right. Exactly.

[00:40:21]>> But we never see them on the angles that a photographer.

[00:40:23]>> Right. From a different eyes point of view. Yeah. Exactly. What would be your advice to anybody out there that's that's out there shooting now?

[00:40:31]>> Um what would be your advice to the newcomers?

[00:40:34]>> Yeah, pick pick your own style. Don't like you said, don't look at, you know, you can look at a magazine and this and that, but pick your own style. Do some closeups, do some zooms out, you know, up down low, but pick your own style.

[00:40:49]You know, that's that's the best advice I can give. Pick your own style.

[00:40:54]>> Be different. be different.

[00:40:56]>> Don't shoot no Mustangs or for bikes.

[00:40:59]Shoot it.

[00:41:00]>> They have all the beauty, all the colors, everything. They're so vibrant, >> right? And candid shots. Don't be afraid to take candid shot because sometimes you go to a car show and you're waiting for somebody to keep walking by and you just wait and waiting. Sometimes you take a candid shot and and those are the best shots.

[00:41:18]>> How much film do you go through at any given event?

[00:41:21]>> Well, film, no more. Well, I mean, yeah, but um >> but back in the days, how many?

[00:41:27]>> Oh, back in the days. Oh my god. Rolls after rolls after rolls.

[00:41:30]>> Yeah, we they try to send us everything.

[00:41:33]No, it just gives us your 30 your select few.

[00:41:35]>> I think back in the days there was like 28 pictures per roll.

[00:41:38]>> Yeah.

[00:41:39]>> And I maybe take 150 pictures. So, yeah.

[00:41:42]Do the math. And >> And yeah, >> that was Jay Bueno and everybody else >> back in the days. Yep. Oh, yeah.

[00:41:48]>> He's Jay.

[00:41:49]>> Yep. Yeah. Yes. Well, here we go then.

[00:41:53]So, how do we get a hold of you?

[00:41:55]>> Um, onebpup.com. That's the website. Um, Instagram, AC navaro 805, onebatpup.

[00:42:03]Uh, YouTube, Onebat Pup. Um, videos, uh, videos on YouTube, older pictures on the website and Instagram, more like, uh, short videos. I do the short videos on Instagram. But, like I said, it's it's it's a it's beautiful. I I love doing what I do.

[00:42:23]>> Well, there you go everybody. Alex Navaro, one bad pup.

[00:42:29]Check out his website. That database goes way back almost 30 years ago. He's doing it since way before then.

[00:42:38]If you don't check it out, look for the man because he's going to come to a car show near you eventually. If he's got 500 of them out there, he'll be at one of them.

[00:42:48]>> Have the guy take a picture. Hopefully, you got a car out there. I know the car shows are kind of slowing down because they're getting too expensive just as well now, >> but it'll be good to go to the next show and hopefully catch you there working.

[00:43:00]>> Yeah.

[00:43:01]>> Yeah. And I and I tell people not just in in our county, but don't be afraid to drive out of town. Go support, you know, other places, other schools, other events. You know, don't just be stagnant. You know, take a trip. Have some fun. Have some fun checking out the different styles from Fresno all the way to San Diego and to Arizona.

[00:43:24]>> Yeah. Have fun.

[00:43:25]>> They're built just a little bit different and you get everybody's expression, right?

[00:43:29]>> Yep. Yeah.

[00:43:31]>> There you go everybody. All the way out from Ventura County out there by the beach, LTD, Clint Eastwood style, dirty hairy convertible.

[00:43:43]But rather than cleaning his wire wheels and cruising, he'll pick up the camera and shoot a whole lot more low riders.

[00:43:51]Thanks for being on the show with us.

[00:43:53]>> No, thank you. I appreciate it.

[00:43:55]>> Don't forget everybody, don't forget to like, comment, and follow. This is another episode of the Wired Down Show.

[00:44:04]Catch you next Friday.

[00:44:09]Woo.