I was asked last year by the Vermont State Police to make some images of Monty, a 1947 Ford Police Car that is the mascot of the Agency.  I had done a shoot last year with a police cruiser and you can see those images here.  Due  to logistical issues and scheduling, I wasn't able to do a shoot until just a few weeks ago.  It's used mostly for PR events at local fairs and car shows and it always a hit with folks who are fans of nostalgia or vintage cars.  It was found in the early 70's in a barn by two VSP members and restored back to original condition.  It now resides at the VSP Special Services garage in Colchester and lives a good retirement life.  Notice the period correct police radio installed inside and the red lights on the fenders.  The one on the right fender is controlled from the inside (it's in its stowed position here).  I can imagine someone seeing those red lights in their rear view mirror.  This is the 40's version of a bad night for criminals!

Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford.

These images were made in their garage by using one speedlight for most of the shots and a second for some of them to light up key areas.  My main light used one strip softbox and the other having a small strip box from Rogue Imaging.  I shot tethered into my laptop so I could easily view the lighting results and used a Nikon D700 (haven't found a better replacement) and a new Tamron 24-70 2.8 VC.  The interior images were lighted with one speedlight bounced from the back seat onto white paper gaffer taped to the ceiling. 

Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford. Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford. Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford.

Thanks so much to the guys at Special Services for making this happen and especially Dave Tift and Rich Kelley!  I plan to do another shoot with Monty this summer.  If anyone knows someone who has a similar aged vehicle (not police) who would like to help and be rewarded with pics of their car, please have them contact me.  I am kind of diggin' this auto photography so if anyone likes these and wants some of their own, use the contact page.   Thanks for reading, I hope you like them. Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford. Monty is the mascot of the Vermont State Police. A 1947 Ford.