Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
It was originally located in a wheat field, but in 1997 the installation was quietly moved by a local contractor two to the west, to a cow pasture along Interstate 40, in order to place it further from the limits of the growing city.
Cadillac Ranch is visible from the highway, and though it is located on private land, visiting it (by driving along a frontage road and entering the pasture by walking through an unlocked gate) is tacitly encouraged. In addition, writing graffiti on or otherwise spray-painting the vehicles is also encouraged, and the vehicles, which have long since lost their original colors, are wildly decorated. The cars are periodically repainted various colors (once white for the filming of a television commercial, another time pink in honor of Stanley’s wife Wendy’s birthday , and yet another time all 10 cars were painted flat black to mark the passing of Ant Farm artist Doug Michels or simply to provide a fresh canvas for future visitors. The cars were briefly “restored” to their original colors by the motel chain Hampton Inn in a public relation sponsored series of Route 66 landmark restoration projects. The new paint jobs and even the plaque commemorating the project lasted less than 24 hours without fresh graffiti.
Cost:
There is no fee for visiting Cadillac Ranch
Best Time to Visit:
The area is open 24 hours a day seven days a week, but there are no lights so plan to visit during daylight hours or furnishing your own lighting.
Where it is:
In a cow pasture outside of Amarillo TX
Directions:
Along eastbound I-40 between exits 60 and 62. Exit buy generic viagra in the usa onto the frontage road, a remnant of historic Route 66, then enter the pasture through an unlocked gate.
Map:
Links:
Official Cadillac Ranch Website
Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council
Tips for the Photographer
Equipment:
You do not need any special equipment for this location, anything from a point and shoot up will give good results.
What to Photograph:
Cadillac Ranch is famous for the 10 Cadillacs buried in the ground in a cow pasture in in the Texas panhandle, don’t expect anything more than that. The cars have been painted so many time the spray paint has built up to be over an inch thick in places, with changing colors and patterns. You could photograph this site every week and it would look different.
Photography Tips:
Trying to shoot all 10 Cadillacs at one time will not give a real interesting shot. Move in close and shoot the detail and color of the cars for some really interesting and abstract photos.
Cadillac Ranch Photo Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in Texas:
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Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
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Great Places for Great Photos
Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure. I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography. I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination. I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip. I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!
Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country. Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.
Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.
All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need. Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.
If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom. This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.
