Zimride’s Top 10 Road Trip Movies

Happy Memorial Day weekend, Zimriders! With summer around the corner and a holiday on Monday, this weekend is perfect for a road trip. San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles are just a few of the awesome driving destinations this weekend on Zimride.

To toast Memorial Day weekend we bring you our Top 10 Road Trip Movies* of all time. Enjoy and safe (+shared) travels!

1. Planes, Trains & Automobiles – John Candy and Steve Martin in a John Hughes film…enough said.
2. Rain Man – On a Zimride with Charlie Babbitt, pit stops to catch Judge Wapner on People’s Court are a must.
3. Little Miss Sunshine – This family flick is just as funny as it is heartfelt.
4. Thelma & Louise – Female bonding at its finest.
5. Sideways – After Miles famously refused to drink merlot, U.S. sales of the varietal actually dropped.
6. Easy Rider – Don’t miss the soundtrack in this classic biker movie. R.I.P. Dennis Hopper.
7. Dumb & Dumber – “We got no food, no jobs…our pets’ heads are falling off!”
8. The Motorcycle Diaries – A young Che Guevara hits the road on his motocicleta.
9. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson’s psychedelic desert trek to find the American Dream.
10. Cars – We love a good Pixar film…especially one with talking Cars!

Happy Road Trippin!

The Zimride Crew

*Top 10 Road Trip movies not titled “Road Trip.” (Although we love that one, it’s a little too easy.)

All photos courtesy of MGM. They make awesome movies!

Tips from Zimriders: Picture Perfect

Everyone loves to Zimride in style, which is why it’s important to show off your car on your profile.  We asked an amazingly talented Zimride driver, Matt L, to share his pro advice so you can get that perfect shot.

Matt L offers up his photo tips for showcasing your car on Zimride.

I Zimride in a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback that I’ve customized heavily, so I like to show off my hard work when I get a chance. Here are some tips on how to take fantastic photos of your car with minimal gear.

Tools of the Trade

• Any camera (one that can do manual settings is best)
• A tripod or something like a bag of rice to keep a camera steady
• A nice, interesting background
• Good light

Location, Location, Location

First park your car in a nice location and make sure the environment fits the car. For example, park an outdoorsy car in the wilderness or a sports car in a city environment.

The Golden Hour

The “Golden Hour” is the hour right after sunrise or the hour just before sunset. Try to take your photos at this time—it makes everything look magical.

Get Down Low

You can emphasize the awesomeness of your car by eliminating any distractions in the background. The easiest way to accomplish this is dropping down on a knee or lying on the ground.

Position yourself and your camera at about a 45 degree angle to the car or 90 degrees depending on the look that you want to achieve.

Manual Mode

Check if your camera has a manual mode “M”. When your camera is on manual mode, set the aperture (f/”something”) to around f/8. This will give you an in focus image from foreground to background. If you’re using a DSLR, then you’ll want to switch to f/11.

Adjust the shutter speed so that the part of the car facing you is properly exposed. You’ll also want to keep your ISO as low as possible to get the best image quality.

If you are using a simpler camera without manual features such as a phone, put the box (or tap the screen) on the part of the car closest to you until it is the proper brightness. You may want to use exposure compensation (+2 to -2) to adjust this if your camera offers this feature.

After you have your settings dialed in, hold steady and blast away!

Experiment, Experiment, Experiment

Try different angles and position the car differently in the light. I like to place the car diagonal with the wheels pointing out towards the camera to make the car more engaging.

If you are feeling adventurous and want to experiment with some different techniques, take your car somewhere totally dark, leave your camera on a tripod, set your aperture to f/8 and your shutter speed to 30 seconds or as long as it will allow. After you snap your photo, but before the shutter closes, take a flashlight and “paint with light” on the car and around it. You’ll be surprised at the results.

Ask for Feedback

Share your awesome car photos with your friends and family and get their feedback. It’s important to practice!

Thanks for all the fantastic tips Matt! If you’re interested in checking out more of his work, please visit his Web site.

Got any shots of your car?  You can share them with us by emailing community@zimride.com or Share with us on our Facebook page!

Happy Travels!

The Zimride Crew

Zimride – April Fool’s Launch

Since founding Zimride in 2007 we have focused on improving transportation options by building a social rideshare community. We knew that eventually we’d have to expand our focus and move beyond cars. Around the same time that Zimride was born we also created another ridesharing platform, but since we were so focused on Zimride we decided to hold off on launching it. Due to changes in the economy and the general shift toward alternative forms of transportation we believe that now is the ideal time to launch our newest product: Zimbike.

You may have heard of bike sharing projects in Portland, D.C. and even Paris. Community bikesharing is a great way to get more people biking, but we believe that there is still substantial room for improvement. On an average ride, over 80% of the bike goes un-used by a solo biker and tandem bikes are too large for commuters in crowded cities. Today, we’re proud to introduce Zimbike—a revolutionary new way to save money, make friends, and share the ride.

Check out our launch video and help us spread the word.

Life is better when you share the ride.

– Logan & John

Zimride Tip #2: Show Off Your Ride!

Zimride is a marketplace for open seats, so it’s important to stand out to attract passengers. Today’s tip is how to add style into your ride post.  Like Zimride Tip #1, it’s important to put your best face forward by showing off your personal flare to the Zimride Community.

 

1. Share Where You’re Going: Google maps does a great job showing routes, but it doesn’t showcase your road trip itinerary. Mention if you plan to stop by an In & Out (to attract newbies to cheeseburger deliciousness) or have a favorite place you always visit for a caffeine break.

2. Explain How Much Space You Have In Your Car: Tell your potential passengers if you have enough space for luggage as some Zimriders like to carry a suitcase or two when they go on a road trip. For Zimriders heading to Tahoe, be sure to say if you have space for gear like skis and snowboards.

3. Let Zimriders Know If You’re Animal Friendly: Some Zimriders like to travel with their furry friends. Definitely share on your ride post if you’re willing to be a trendsetter and allow passengers to bring a cat or dog along for the ride.

4. Show Off Your Ride!: You don’t need to be on Pimp My Ride to show off your car. Check out how Zimrider Rideshare Mark shows off his ride to his potential Zimriders:

Visit Rideshare Mark’s Facebook Page

Stay tuned for more useful tips from Zimride on this blog or ask us for help directly at support@zimride.com.

Happy Travels,
Your Zimride Crew

Stories from the Road – Nerding Out

I split my time between LA and SF, driving from one to the other about every three weeks. Before I discovered Zimride, I’d try to carpool with friends, but our schedules hardly ever lined up. So I was spending lots of money on gas, feeling like an environmental disaster, and driving alone most of the time.

Zimride has made my commute so much better. It’s such a user-friendly and efficient system. I hardly have to spend time finding riders, and I can always find people whose schedules match mine. Plus most of the people are friendly, interesting, and care about the world. Really, I’ve been surprised and pleased that almost everyone has been fun, creative, and interesting to talk to.

I once drove with a young art student who was as excited as I was to nerd out about performance-art theory and how the art world works. Recently, I had a great time driving this guy who was into a lot of the same music as me. And another rider turned me on to the podcast “How Did This Get Made?”, which is ridiculous and hilarious. I’ve had so many memorable rides and met so many cool people thanks to Zimride — it has truly made my life better.

A big thank you to Jessica for her story. Make sure to read the other stories from Harmony, Jane, and Julianna. If you have a story that you want to share, please send your Story from the Road to community@zimride.com!

– Your Zimride Crew