Our staff photographer asked us to help him with identifying, acquiring and modifying a vehicle for his pursuit documenting the salty life of the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The requirements were straight forward: "a truck to get me and my equipment to, on and off the beach." It took us an entire five minutes to pick the vehicle - the venerable Toyota HZJ78, aka the Land Cruiser Troop Carrier or "Troopy." It is inarguably the most capable off-road truck one can buy and essentially unchanged for 25 years. It was never available in North America but it is one of the best selling heavy-duty trucks in Australia and the go-to choice for emergency services, militaries and guerrillas in Africa and Central America....
We are very excited about our first collaboration with Steven Paul Judd. A Native American artist (Kiowa/Choctaw), he is an award-winning contemporary visual artist and filmmaker. In 2008, Judd was selected for the Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship Program in Los Angeles. A member of the Writers Guild of America, Judd went on to serve as a staff writer for Disney XD’s comedy series “Zeke and Luther.” As a visual artist, Judd works across mediums—from canvases to Photoshop to sides of buildings. Judd’s innovative style has earned him a United States Artists Hatch Fellow in Media in 2016 and an Emmy nomination in 2017 and 2019. His Andy Warhol-like “War Paint” mural graces historic Indian Alley in downtown Los Angeles. Judd’s comedic fiction novel The Last Pow-Wow, co-written with Thomas Yeahpau,...
Costa Rica reopened for Americans on November 1, and our photag was on the first direct flight there. "Surreal trip," he says. "Empty plane, empty airports, no one on the roads, shuttered stores and deserted streets." He still managed to capture some surfers in Playa Hermosa and buzzards above Playa Jaco. Enjoy the loot, send us an email at info@bigdspeedshop.com if you are interested in prints.
