The closing date for entries was the 10th November, so if it’s Sunday wherever you’re reading this right now, you’ve still got time. If it’s Monday and you’re name isn’t Taras, then you SOL.

I’ve received heaps of entries since my last call, which is fantastic. The majority who have sent an entry have not received an email reply, but please rest assured that if you sent it to my Gmail account then it’s been received. And please also accept my heartiest thanks for helping out.

Here’s just one of the images received this morning, from Marc in Luxembourg:

We now have a great cross-section of countries and models represented, which is going to really help in fulfilling one of the goals of the book – to show Saab’s appeal over a long period, regardless of geography.

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I do have one problem cropping up with the book.

I’m not sure that the supplier I was considering to publish the book will be able to produce it at a cost that will be acceptable for people to pay. The two options therefore, are either to raise the proposed price (acceptable to a small degree) or find a different way to produce this work.

We can talk more about it later, but if people have connections in the publishing game or can recommend a way to get this done cost-effectively, I’m all ears.

And Saab, if you’d like to help out in producing what will hopefully be a great work for your dealers to hand out to prospective customers and new customers alike, then you know my email address, eh?

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So far, we’ve got just over 80 vehicles in total. This includes entries in the original Pride of Ownership competition. Please note that not all photos received so far are of the quality of composition that I’d like for the book, so that number will fall as I go through the editing process.

The current breakdown of vehicles is as follows:

I’ve got lots of Saab 9-5s and 9-3s (of both generations), both wagons and combis. I’ve also got a goodly number of Classic 900s and 9000s….BUT..

I’ve only one Saab 99 and one Saab 95 and there’s no 96s in the virtual garage right now.

So if you’ve got one of these older Saabs and you love it, please consider wheeling it out this weekend so that we can round out this book and make sure that as much of Saab’s model range as possible is represented.

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If you’re sending in some photos, I also need some text to accompany the shots. This would ideally be a brief description of the vehicle, as well as a few words about what the car (or the brand) means to you. Imagine the sort of thing you’d like to read about, and then write it to accompany your shots.

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Thanks to everyone who’s sent in some shots so far. It’s going great!

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Here’s another potential submission I’ve received for the Saab Pride book. In Wulf’s case, he’s got an embarassment of riches as I’ve just looked through around 40 photos of his and the large majority of them would be perfect candidates for the book.

How good are they? This is one I didn’t recommend for use in the book. You can imagine for yourself how picturesque the others must be.

If you’re contemplating a submission for the book, please do get your camera out and get some shots. There’s plenty of good scenery out there at this time of year, so if you’ve got a landmark or something else that’s beautiful nearby, get your Saab out and get snapping.

Entries close November 10 and the full instructions and conditions are here.

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This image shows Rogan’s Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan on the Turquise Trail in New Mexico. Beautfiul car, big scenery.

Anyone having any qualms about the shape of the 9-3 sport sedan, take a good look. That’s one very attractive and sporting profile. Click to enlarge.

If you’re contemplating a submission for the book, please do get your camera out and get some shots. There’s plenty of good scenery out there at this time of year, so if you’ve got a landmark or something else that’s beautiful nearby, get your Saab out and get snapping.

Entries close November 10 and the full instructions and conditions are here.

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I’m aware that there’s some confusion out there as to what needs to be submitted and by when, so let’s clear that up.

Closing date: First of all, I need to tell you all that entries must close November 10, 2008. I’m going to be flat out editing and doing layout stuff after that in order to get the book out in good time. So please, if you’re thinking of entering, the next two weekends are the time to get out there, find the best scenery you can and shoot some photos.

Where to send your entries: swade99@gmail.com and please make sure you put “Saab Pride” in the subject line of the email.

What to send:

1) A great photo (or photos) of your car. Please understand that this is a book that we’re asking people to pay for. Hence, the photos and content have to be something that they’ll want to buy. It doesn’t need to be a professional shot, but it should be well composed and if there’s something notable in the scenery (a famous landmark, for example) then all the better.

2) Some text that I can post with the photo(s). This could be something along the lines of what Saab as a brand means to you, or what your particular car means to you. The bare specs of the car can be included, but these on their own won’t be enough (unless your car is extremely rare, in which case some details are appropriate). Please limit your text to around 80 words. There’ll only be one page to print it and I’d like to keep those text pages as clean as possible.

3) The name you’d like attributed to the photo. I’d suggest a fill first name and initial (e.g. Steven W)

4) Your general location (e.g. state/province/city, country)

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Why these entries were finalists in the competition

Wilfried’s photo made you feel the cold that it was set in. The arch makes you wonder what’s on the other side and of course, there’s the beautiful and unmistakable lines of his Saab 9-5.

Tim’s entry was a technical one, as well as one for scenery. Tim keeps his car immaculately clean and the mirror finish was evident in this shot. The beautiful skyline in the background gave a clear indication as to where he lives, too.

DenverNewbie’s entry was a finalist due to the breathtaking setting in which he placed his car – the Garden of the Gods in Colorado. This entry took a little effort, but the results were well worth it.

Vaidas’ entry set his cars in a dramatic setting and the composition and coloring of the photos was just fantastic. This was the winning entry in the competition.

Willy D’s entry, again, was in a dramatic setting and the stark white of his Saab 9-5 looked just magnificent against the background of the Hawaiian countryside.

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I’d like your car to be shown in the best possible light, so please give some consideration to the setting in which you photograph it.

Submissions close November 10, so please get out there!

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WillyD lives in Hawaii and was a finalist in the original Saab Pride of Ownership photo competition earlier this year. Those photos were in color, but his latest submissions are in black and white.

The location WillyD’s chosen for these photos is a significant one. I’ll let Willy explain:

The photos are taken on Ford Island, Oahu (Hawaii). The name of the island may not be familiar to most people, but it’s location is pretty important. Originally called Mokuumeume—the isle of attraction — by ancient Hawaiians, it’s now named after Dr. Seth Ford, who worked in Oahu hospitals in the mid 1860s. It was purchased by the U.S. Army during World War I, transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1932, and became Naval Air Station Ford Island. Situated in the middle of Pearl Harbor, it was heavily attacked on December 7, 1941, because of the airfield and the number of battleships, cruisers and other ships moored around it.

In the photos, my car sits on what used to be the air station runway. You can see the old air control tower in the background.

Here’s the image. The iniital image that WillyD sent me was larger, with the car centered. I’ve cropped it somewhat to place the car in the corner, leading your eye to the air tower.

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I hope you take some inspiration from WillyD’s shot and consider what you might be able to do in your local area over the next few weeks.

Please remember, this is going to be a book for publication and purchase by Saab owners and maybe even dealerships to give out to potential owners. I’d like to present them with the best possible in terms of imagery and text.

If you’ve got a great Saab and a pictureque spot or notable landmark nearby, please get out there, shoot some images and send them in! Let’s show them all what Saab Pride is about.

Click here for the details about where to send your shots and stories.

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As I’ve mentioned before, I live in Franklin, Tennessee, a town about 15 miles from Nashville, Tennessee. I’m a Nashville native as well. I’ve included pictures from both towns in this group.

The raw photos are on Flickr.

I’m open to input on these; if you see a picture that’s better, than another, I’m all ears. At the moment, I’m partial to the 1st Avenue shot because it’s got interesting depth and the lines are well arranged toward a common vanishing point — the street, roof tops, flags, car, etc.

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The Parthenon, located in Nashville’s Centennial Park, was built for the state of Tennessee’s Centennial celebration in 1897. It is an exact full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece, complete with a full-scale replica Athena Parthenos sculpture inside. It was inspired by Nashville’s identity as the “Athens of the South” due to the numerous universities and colleges located here.

The likeness of the Parthenon is frequently used as a symbol for the city of Nashville, and Centennial Park is certainly the major city park.

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Nashville, Tennessee is known as “Music City USA”, a reference to the city’s place as the world capitol of the country music industry. Nashville gained this status in the early days of radio broadcasting in the early part of the 20th century. The Grand Ole Opry, broadcast from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium since the 1920′s, is still a country music mainstay and one of the world’s oldest running broadcasts of any kind. It created an entire entertainment district in downtown Nashville that includes the Printer’s Alley, lower Broadway and Riverfront areas. Tourism and entertainment is Nashville’s single largest industry by revenue.

This picture shows the Riverfront area along 1st Avenue in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The Saab is parked in the riverboat tour terminal on the banks of the Cumberland River.

Also in the entertainment district, the Ernest Tubb Record Shop is a local icon. Formerly owned by the celebrated country singer/songwriter, his record shop is known for hosting a clear-channel country music radio program on Saturday nights that featured a single performer, historically the up-and-coming artists in country music. They pioneered mail order music to fill the vast number of requests from outside the immediate area for recordings produced by the weekly guest. Plus, they’ve preserved the cool old-school 1960′s-era sign.

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Franklin, Tennessee is a small town just outside of Nashville, Tennessee on the Harpeth River. During the War Between the States (aka the American Civil War), Franklin was considered a strategic location for two reasons: its was a major agricultural center that controlled a great portion of the region’s economy and it is surrounded by a ring of hills that could serve as defensive positions. The Battle of Franklin was a major event in the War Between the States, resulting in over 8,000 deaths and innumerable wounded.

The town square pictured includes the traditional monument for the Confederate war dead — a spire topped with a Confederate soldier in the uniform of the region facing towards Richmond, Virginia, the former capitol of the Confederate States of America. The canon on the monument mound are the real thing — 1860′s brass canon barrels with concrete pedestals in lieu of the original cast-iron stands.

Autumn in the north (or spring in the south) is a great time for taking photos. The light is clean and soft and the colors can be fantastic. Here’s a few tips, references and inspirational ideas to get you started.

1. Don’t be afraid to put yourself in the photo.

Cars are good, but people are good, too. It makes the car story much more personal. Getting the face is best, but it can even be something subtle:

2. Check the references

Check out the entries in the Saab Pride of Ownership Competition
Check out previous tips on car photography
Check out previous features on great photos, like this one.

3. Strobe

It’s tricky, but photographing stuff at night can work out really well if done correctly.

4. Either fill the frame, or go wide

An old teacher called it “dancing the three step”. Before you take your shot, take three steps back and have a look again. Go to your original spot then take three steps forward. Try different focal lengths.

Filling the frame excludes some of the extra scenery, but it focuses on the details of the car and accentuate certain elements.

Going wide allows you to get the car and the breathtaking bit of scenery in the background.

5. Don’t be afraid to play a little

This is that some photo, cropped and tweaked a little. It’s a little less grey, a little colder. What you want to convey is really up to you as the photographer (and forgive me Wulf for tweaking yours, but it was a great base shot for this tip)

We live in the digital age, and whilst I think the photo should always remain believable, there’s no harm in pushing a few buttons in photoshop or iPhoto in order to finish it off.

6. Get sophisticated

For the advanced photoshopper, there’s the new world of HDR. It’s not for the inexperienced, but the results and the level of detail can be absolutely stunning

7. Get simple

The beauty of black and white – also easily recreated in this digital age. Black and white tends to work better on higher contrast cars. It’s going to work better for a dark or light car, more so than a silver car.

Here’s one that’s HDR and black and white and does both of them pretty well.

8. Get creative

It’s mentioned in one of those references linked above, but try some different angles. Get up high or down low.

While Stu was taking this shot:

I was taking this shot:

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So get out there and start clicking.

It’s the digital age so a bad shot doesn’t cost you anything. Try things out and send your best in for the Saab Pride book!

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If you weren’t around earlier this year, I ran a competition on this site called the Pride of Ownership competition. Entrants were asked to take a great photo (or photos) of their Saab and send them in along with some text about why they loved their car.

Click here to view the whole competition category
Click here to view the honorable mentions
Click here to view the Finalists

We ended up with some absolutely brilliant entries and warm fuzzy feelings all over the place as we shared Saab ownership sentiments all around the world.

At the conclusion of the competition, the plan was to produce a book of the entries for entrants or any other interested parties to purchase. As it turned out, I didn’t have the time nor the capacity to persue that idea and it’s been on the shelf all this year while I got my priorities in order.

Now is the time.

I’d like to keep this process as simple as possible. I’ll be using a web-based publishing house to compile the entries. It’ll most likely be a two-page spread per car, with the pages either 7×7 inches or 8×8 inches (depending on the costs people are willing to bear).

The number of cars and stories that I can feature in the book will either 40 r 60, depending once again on the amount people are willing to pay. 40 cars will mean an 80 page book. For a few dollars more I think I can get a 120 page book (60 cars), but I’ll have to work out what that pricing will be and let everyone know so that a decision can be made.

In the meantime, if you had an entry in the Saab Pride of Ownership competition, I’d like to get your consent to use your photo and story in the book. If you can provide that consent here in comments then that’d be great. I’ll contact all the people who don’t leave a message here by email, but if you can comment here and cut down the workload it’d be much appreciated.

I’d also like to invite all-comers to submit a photo/story for consideration. Even if you already submitted an entry in the competition, you’re welcome to submit something new as well. All competition entries submitted last year will be automatically be considered for the final product.

Please note: this is not another competition and there’s nothing to win this time, except some pride in having your Saab in the book. Also, please note that numbers will be limited and there’s no guarantee that your photo or story will make in there. They will all appear on line here at Trollhattan Saab, though.

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What to do: I’d like to make this a book of fantastic imagery and well told stories about why people love owning their cars. What we’re after, then, are some great quality photos of your car, preferably in a fantastic or dramatic setting. Something that sets off the car nicely and maybe tells a little of your story as well (if appropriate).

For this book, the stories are going to be as important as the photos. I can edit the stories for readability, grammar, etc, but I need something to work with in the way of a good tale. So please, don’t just send the photo, send something with the photo.

Where to send it: Please send your entries to my gmail account at swade99@gmail.com. Please make sure you include the words Saab Pride in the subject header of the email. I’ll have a folder set up to receive emails with that header automatically so that they’re all filed in the one place.

What it’ll cost: Bank on a little over US$20 plus postage if it ends up being an 80 page book. A little more if it’s 120 pages. Does this seem appropriate to you?

In the interests of being totally transparent, there will be a margin of around $2 per book to cover the editing, compilation and marketing of the book.

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I hope you’re all keen for this.

It’s not an easy time to be a Saab fan, but with all the positivity that surrounded the initial competition, I think this is going to be a fun project.

I’ll keep the entries open for a month. I hope that gives everyone who wants to enter sufficient time.

If you’ve been hanging around here a while, you’d know there’s a guy here from Canada called Zippy. He’s been a long-time watcher, a 9-5 hater (just the Dame Edna look, not the car itself) and I’m pleased to say that as of last week, he’s also – finally – a Saab owner.

Zippy claimed a lack of eloquence in his email to me. Garbage. There’s no way on earth I could sum up his thoughts better than the way he did himself:

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At the bright old age of 44 and after 26 years of drooling at every Saab I ever saw drive by, I am now the proud owner of a 2004 9-3 Arc 2.0T with a manual transmission and only 49000km on the clock. And to think I was almost tempted by a BMW a month or so back. This car was such a good deal I couldnt pass it up! I have a road trip to the US this weekend and can let you know how that blast down the I5 to Oregon went after it’s done, but here are some initial impressions.

Positives?

Turbo, turbo, turbo. Remember the cartoon Saab used as advertising for the 9-3SS? Thats me, brings a big smile to my face every time.

Handling. Imagine approaching a hairpin curve in third gear and half way thru the curve give her a little gas. She held the line and by the time I had exited the curve I was doing 60kph. Saab needs to keep ReAxss as it totally blew my mind.

Economy. I am getting 28mpg driving around town whereas my Ford Focus with 80bhp less only managed 25mpg on a good day. The 9-3 can be an economical 2litre sedan on one hand and a fire breathing dragon when you want it to be.

Styling. This is easily the best looking compact executive car there is. Period.

I can honestly say the only thing that is difficult to get used to is the steering. It is very light with not an awful lot of feel but with all those positives I am sure I will get over it very quickly.

Thats it for now.

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Following are a few photos that Zippy sent through. They’re not big, but they will enlarge a little if you given them a tickle with your mouse.

Comgratulations, Zippy!!

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