One thing that I have noticed in the last couple of years of photographing cars is how fun it actually is. Actually, it’s very fun and very informational.
True, RallyWays is a commercial site. Same thing goes for other commercial car photographers out there – money needs to be made. That doesn’t take away from the fun though.
Surprisingly, we seem to keep doing it even when sales are slow. This also explains all the kids at car shows trying to be the next big ticket magazine automotive photographer. That, or the next Instagram cars sensation. Unsurprisingly, these kids are inspired by guys like @thatphotographer Spencer Berke and the exciting lifestyle that comes with being a successfully automotive marketer.
All the glamour aside, photographing cars is pretty dang fun. If you’re in love with cars, photographing them is not unlike shooting beautiful fashion models. As a photographer, it’s always more fun photographing subjects you find beautiful and inspirational.
Photo shooting cars allows the unique opportunity to connect with a car you don’t own in a way that’s much deeper than you would just admiring it at a show. You get the opportunity to showcase the best angles and put forward the best aspects of a certain vehicle.
Equally important, when you share the photography of any particular car you often end up taking the time to learn more about the model. Next thing you know, you’ve researched hundreds of cars. You’ve learned so much about the best cars in the world that even you are impressed.
The other day, my brother who is a whizz doctor in chemical engineering sent me a photo of the plastic lens cover of a car’s headlight in a text message. He asked, “Can you recognize what this is?” I replied, “Headlight! Ummm. Lotus… Wait no. Corvette! C7 Corvette headlight! That’s what that is!”
He was stunned to say the least. That I could recognize a car like that immediately just by the headlight lenses was apparently very impressive. Plus, not just recognize the car in question, but also the exact model.
I’ve been studying and learning about cars all my life. Having said that, I can honestly tell you, recognizing those headlights immediately would have not been possible had it not been for all the car photo shoots I’ve done. That, and of course all the research I’m always doing for RallyWays!
Going back to the comments about doing this even when not being paid. Last week I sold the rolling shot of the 1962 Volkswagen Beetle you see in the picture above, which is also the cover image for this story. I sold it as a framed print – the same way I’ve been selling some other of my popular photos – As a full package. Every time I sell a framed print, that’s great news. It feels great. Making money is a great.
For more about buying RallyWays car photo prints visit our services page.
However, it’s clear that not every car photo shooting session is private. Those are great, fine. But regardless, I’m out every weekend and even some weekdays, doing just that – Photo shooting cars. Going from Cbad Cars to Cars and Coffee Irvine, to Bella Italia, to SoCal Euro to SEMA. Week in and week out. Sometimes I feel a little burnt out – so I go surf to clear my head. I always want to go back and keep doing what I do.
Sometimes those photos end up in articles, sometimes on Instagram and on Google+. Sometimes they end up in the RallyWays portfolio. Some of those very special images turn into limited run prints. The point is this however: Photographing cars is awesome good fun. That explains all the kids at shows running around trying to grab the best shots. Capturing these amazing cars in time allows you to keep a little piece of that amazing machine you love, all to yourself – without even owning it. It also allows you to dream and have something to look forward to. Something to work hard for.
