THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBIT!

Thank you to everyone who attended The Perfect Exposure Gallery’s “Aesthetics 2025” Annual Group Exhibit!. I’m always inspired by the incredible work of my fellow exhibiting photographers. My “University of California, San Diego (UCSD) / Geisel Library” image along with the rest of the amazing photographs in this exhibit will be on display and for sale until Sunday, 1/25/2026.

The iconic UCSD / Geisel Library is the crown jewel of the university. The celebrated architect, William Pereira, also designed the landmark Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). With its brutalist/futurist design, he sought to “convey to future generations the idea of the power and permanency of the knowledge contained inside it.” Interpreted in black-and-white, this image tries to express the architect’s powerful vision.

Thank you again to Armando Arorizo, Gia Trovela, Alejandra Lopez, and The Perfect Exposure Gallery for this wonderful opportunity to share my work.

MING LAI PHOTOGRAPH AT THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBIT

THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY
Alhambra, California

On Display:
Saturday, 11/22/2025 - Sunday, 1/25/2026
Opening Reception:
Saturday, 11/22/2025, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery
2425 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803

For exhibit information and sales inquiries:
http://www.theperfectexposuregallery.com/home/

To order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

ANNOUNCING THE “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY DVD

Many people have asked if we’ll be releasing our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary on physical media. So we created a DVD especially for you. Most streaming companies don’t carry independent documentaries. If they do, they offer them for only a short period of time. This is a way to own the film and put it in your own collection. Designed by Sven Igawa, the DVD features a beautiful case which houses a DVD that looks like a MOON Disc. The DVD offers English and Japanese subtitles/captions to increase accessibility.

We plan to officially release the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary DVD at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan on Sunday, 12/7/2025. However, we’ll have limited copies at our upcoming events.

We’ll be accepting pre-orders of our DVD from now until the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. We’ll start shipping the DVDs after we return from the show. Be one of the first to receive a copy of “Craft of Speed” on DVD.

Depending on the demand, we may release our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary on Blu-ray in the future.

craftofspeed.com

A Humanist Films, LLC Production
A Ming Lai Film
Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and Dean Moon, Jr.
Sound Supervisor Jeff Hutchins
Re-Recording Mixer Bruce Greenspan, CAS
Design Director Sven Igawa
Music by Sven Faulconer and Anthony Loomis
Director of Photography Ming Lai and Tuan Tran
Produced by Ming Lai and Tuan Tran
Written, Edited, and Directed by Ming Lai

Color and Black & White
Standard Definition Widescreen
2.39:1 Aspect Ratio
English
5.1 Surround Sound
English & Japanese Closed Captioning*
110 Minutes
Not Rated
DVD
NTSC Region ALL

*Please note that the captioning is in 4-bit resolution, based on DVD technology.

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary DVD:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/dvd

MING LAI PHOTOGRAPH ON DISPLAY AT THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBIT

I’m thrilled to be a part of The Perfect Exposure Gallery’s “Aesthetics 2025” Annual Group Exhibit on Saturday, 11/22/2025. They will be displaying my black-and-white photograph of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) / Geisel Library. This image is part of a continuing series of architecture photographs.

One of my heroes, the legendary photographer and master printer Ansel Adams, famously said, “The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print is the performance.” I’d like to acknowledge the virtuoso work of Alejandra Lopez, my printer at The Perfect Exposure Studio (TPES). I’d also like to thank Gia Trovela, who beautifully framed my print at TPES. I always appreciate the support of owner Armando Arorizo and his talented team at TPES.

In addition to this “UCSD / Geisel Library” photograph, my latest work is the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book, a companion book to my “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary. The book was designed by my longtime friend and award-winning graphic designer, Sven Igawa of Igawa Design.

MING LAI PHOTOGRAPH AT THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBIT

THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY
Alhambra, California

On Display:
Saturday, 11/22/2025 - Sunday, 1/25/2026
Opening Reception:
Saturday, 11/22/2025, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery
2425 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803

To learn more about The Perfect Exposure Gallery:
theperfectexposuregallery.com

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE: THE “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY TO SCREEN AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM / TATEUCHI DEMOCRACY FORUM.

We’re very honored to screen our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary at the beautiful Japanese American National Museum (JANM) / Tateuchi Democracy Center on Tuesday, 12/2/2025. Located in historic Little Tokyo, JANM is an incredible museum about the Japanese American experience. The museum is a strong leader in our community.

Its elegant Tateuchi Democracy Center has played host to many visionary filmmakers, talented artists, and brilliant thinkers. Over the years, we’ve attended many events there and been profoundly inspired. We’re humbled to be on this same respected stage.

We hope through our cinema event at this special venue, we can help preserve not only hot rod history but also Japanese and Japanese American history as well as promote both cultures.

After the film, there will be an engaging conversation with JANM’s “Cruising J-Town” Curator Oliver Wang, President of MOONEYES USA Chico Kodama, and director Ming Lai. There will also be limited copies of the new “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book by photographer Ming Lai and graphic designer Sven Igawa available for sale.

We deeply appreciate the opportunity to work with JANM, Oliver Wang, Joy Yamaguchi, Sherril Ingalls, and its entire team.

“CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT JANM / TATEUCHI DEMOCRACY CENTER

JANM / Tateuchi Democracy Center
Little Tokyo, California

Tuesday, 12/2/2025, 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

JANM / Tateuchi Democracy Center
100 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Parking is behind the center or in adjacent lots.

To attend the screening:
https://www.janm.org/events/2025-12-02/screening-craft-speed-documentary-about-mooneyes

To order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

“CRAFT OF SPEED” TO EXHIBIT AT THE YOKOHAMA HOT ROD CUSTOM SHOW

The “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary will be exhibiting at the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan on Sunday, 12/7/2025. It’s one of the largest gatherings of MOONEYES fans in the world. This year is special because MOONEYES is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

For this special occasion, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be releasing the film on DVD and the companion “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book at the show. We’ll also be releasing the film on streaming via Vimeo.

Many people have asked if we’ll be releasing the film on physical media. So we created a “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES DVD especially for you. Most streaming companies don’t carry independent documentaries. If they do, they offer them for only a short period of time. This is a way to own the film and put it in your own collection. Designed by Sven Igawa, the DVD features a beautiful case which houses a DVD disc that looks like a MOON Disc.

We’ll also be releasing the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book. This book documents the world of MOONEYES, from famous MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California to Shige Suganuma, the owner of MOONEYES, conducting a test & tune of his MOONEYES Dragster at the beloved Irwindale Dragstrip in Irwindale, California to Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, building and racing his rear engine modified roadster at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The book features 156 pages and 127 images, with photographs by the filmmaker/photographer, Ming Lai, and graphic design by Sven Igawa.

In addition, we’ll be releasing the film on streaming exclusively via Vimeo. We’ve chosen this video platform because it offers the highest quality to viewers and fair payment to independent filmmakers. There will be two versions available to increase accessibility—one with “burned in” English captions and another with “burned in” Japanese captions. To stream the film: craftofspeed.com

We’ll be offering special prices at the show for the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES DVD and “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book. After the show, they will be available on our site: craftofspeed.com. They’re the perfect gift for MOONEYES fans.

Thank you to everyone for making “Craft of Speed” possible: Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and the MOONEYES family; our crew; our fiscal sponsor, the International Documentary Association; our grantors, California Humanities CA CARES Relief Grant and Doc Society; our donors; and all our supporters.

YOKOHAMA HOT ROD CUSTOM SHOW / “CRAFT OF SPEED” EXHIBITOR
Yokohama, Japan

Sunday, 12/7/2025
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Pacifico Yokohama
1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku
Yokohama 220-0012, Japan

To learn more:
yokohamahotrodcustomshow.com

ANNOUNCING THE “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM / TATEUCHI DEMOCRACY CENTER

We’re excited to announce that our “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary will be screening at the beautiful Japanese American National Museum (JANM) / Tateuchi Democracy Center on Tuesday, 12/2/2025.

We’re deeply honored to work with JANM. We love their strong leadership in our community and their important work in preserving Japanese American history and culture.

MOONEYES is part of JANM’s groundbreaking “Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community” exhibit at the Peter & Merle Mullin Gallery at the ArtCenter College of Design, which has been extended to Sunday, 12/14/2025. They are also in the companion book of the same name.

After the screening, there will be an engaging conversation with Oliver Wang, the curator of the exhibit, Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, and Ming Lai, the director of the film.

We'll also soft launch our companion “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book. The book documents the world of MOONEYES as it celebrates it 75th anniversary in 2025, from the famous MOONEYES headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California to Shige Suganuma, the Owner of MOONEYES, conducting a test & tune of his MOONEYES Dragster at the beloved Irwindale Dragstrip in Irwindale, California to Chico Kodama, the President of MOONEYES USA, building and racing his new rear engine modified roadster at the epic Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah.

We’re thrilled to be able to share our film with JANM members and our local community. We think of Little Tokyo where JANM is located as our home. As a community screening, the tickets are low cost. Please consider joining or donating to JANM to continue their vital work.

“CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT JANM / TATEUCHI DEMOCRACY CENTER

JANM / Tateuchi Democracy Center
Little Tokyo, California

Tuesday, 12/2/2025, 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

JANM / Tateuchi Democracy Center
100 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Parking is behind the center or in adjacent lots.

To learn more and buy tickets to the screening:
https://www.janm.org/events/2025-12-02/screening-craft-speed-documentary-about-mooneyes

To learn more about the JANM “Cruising J-Town” Exhibit:
https://www.janm.org/exhibits/cruising-j-town?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22589601497&gbraid=0AAAAABgkTlMLcl2eHMNvrd4hWS96o1Veh&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmYzIBhC6ARIsAHA3IkTV7fbGkCddUXmrbPXFjJdh3227HmMV8uHjarHLFABJx6OGMTc0hwEaAvcSEALw_wcB

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED OUR CINEMAKINA: “CRAFT OF SPEED” MOONEYES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING AT HAGERTY GARAGE + SOCIAL, PRESENTED BY MAKINA DRIVERS CLUB!

Thank you to everyone who attended, shared, and supported our CineMakina: “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary Screening at Hagerty Garage + Social, presented by Makina Drivers Club!

Thank you so much to our gracious hosts at Hagerty Garage + Social in Van Nuys, California (@garageandsocial_vannuys)! Thank you to Brian Kadorian, Dan Havis, David Schulman, Arthur, and Hagerty (@hagerty) for your warm hospitality.

Many thanks to Max Guerrero and The Oinkster (@theoinkster), Aaron & Jill Espino and Set the Bar (@setthebarlosangeles), and Ron Dizon and Teofilo Coffee Company (@teofilocoffeecompany) for your gourmet food and beverages.

It was our pleasure to help @sundayseventy raise awareness about mental health.

A shout-out to Achilles Aurelius of Manila Sound (@manilasound.la) for creating the relaxing vibe.

Thank you to all the drag racers from the upcoming MOONEYES Christmas Party & Drag Race for displaying your amazing race cars.

Special thanks to Anthony Ngo of 8th & Santa Fe (@8thandsantafe) for their audio visual support, Scott Tillett for his marketing and A/V support, Gary Israelian for being our constant hero, and Ian & Cindy Delos Santos for their generous assistance.

Our deepest gratitude to our longtime friend, Sven Igawa of Igawa Design (@igawadesign), for creating our beautiful “Craft of Speed” Photography Book and all the design for our multimedia project.

It was our great honor to have Darryl Roth and his lovely wife as our Special Guests to talk about his legendary father, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, artist, pinstriper, car designer, and creator of the counterculture icon, Rat Fink.

As always, “doumo arigatou gozaimashita” (Japanese for “thank you very much”) to Shige Suganuma, Chico Kodama, and the MOONEYES Family for all your love and support.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to Nick Tolosa and family of Makina Drivers Club (@makinadriversclub) for making this cinema event possible, which is no small feat. Thank you for your great friendship, inspiring passion, and deep love for the community.

To attend our upcoming screening at the Japanese National Museum on Tuesday, 12/2/2025:
https://www.janm.org/events/2025-12-02/screening-craft-speed-documentary-about-mooneyes

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook

MING LAI PHOTOGRAPH A PART OF THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” ANNUAL GROUP EXHIBIT

I’m very honored to participate in The Perfect Exposure Gallery’s “Aesthetics 2025” Annual Group Exhibit, which opens on Saturday, 11/22/2025 and is on display until Sunday, 1/25/2026. They will be exhibiting my black-and-white photograph of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) / Geisel Library. This transcendent piece of architecture is the centerpiece of the respected university. My goal was to convey the power of the brutalist/futurist building, designed by visionary architect William Pereira. His prolific work includes the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

My “UCSD / Geisel Library” image is part of an ongoing series of architecture photographs—an intensive study of architecture. In addition to this photograph, my latest work is the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book, a companion book to my “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Documentary. The book was designed by my longtime friend and award-winning graphic designer, Sven Igawa of Igawa Design. Thank you to Armando Arorizo, Gia Trovela, Alejandra Lopez, and The Perfect Exposure Gallery for their support of my work.

MING LAI PHOTOGRAPH AT THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY’S “AESTHETICS 2025” GROUP SHOW

THE PERFECT EXPOSURE GALLERY
Alhambra, California

On Display:
Saturday, 11/22/2025 - Sunday, 1/25/2026
Opening Reception:
Saturday, 11/22/2025, 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The Perfect Exposure Gallery
2425 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803

To learn more about The Perfect Exposure Gallery:
theperfectexposuregallery.com

To pre-order the “Craft of Speed” MOONEYES Photography Book:
https://www.craftofspeed.com/store/photographybook