This is gone now. I like to imagine it's been completely restored, and
is now a dazzling showpiece....
I was mulling over writing an article about genres or categories of photographs, and the way in which some of those categories appeal to us and some don't. For instance, I've never been very interested in fashion photography; I could be Amish as far as clothes are concerned. I wore the same four pairs of black jeans throughout the entire George W. Bush administration, and I am not kidding.
On the other hand, I've always loved car photographs. Sometimes I go to eBay Motors and just poke around looking for good shots of old cars. Or I'll do a Google image search on "Riley Imp" or something and just enjoy the photographs that turn up.
For all that, I've never really photographed cars.
Is there anybody out there who does, either as part of their living, or for fun? Straight pics, or quirky ones? I know lots of railfans photograph trains, but I don't know if there are as many carfans who photograph cars. Do you know of any car photographers, or have a favorite? Or maybe you have a tale or two that revolves in some way around photographing cars? Lulu and I are feeling a bit low today, and I'd love to see some of your car pictures or hear a few anecdotes about car-shooting adventures. 'Twould perk me right up.
Mike
P.S. Here's the code for uploading an image to the Comments:
Of course you replace the "http://image.jpg" URL with the URL for your picture. (URL = web address; your picture has to be on the web.) Unfortunately, the largest size that will work is 470 pixels wide; otherwise the image will be cut off. (A limitation of the TypePad template TOP uses.)
Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Dillan: "I have a friend, Matt Vieweger, whom I work with from time to time who specializes in car photography. I am his 'voice activated light stand.' He does really try to do some unique things with lighting. I've been helping him for the past year, and it's been a great time. We've shot mostly American muscle cars, but Matt's heart lies with European makes. He's been quite successful with it; he had a feature article in Canadian Hot Rod last year. I am proud to be a part of the project. I too love cars. I can't really afford to own anything other than a basic car, so photography has once again proven to be an outlet my pent up passion. You can see the results here."
Leslie Ashe:
"I photographed rally cars here in Ireland (and on the mainland UK) for some 20 years in the 1970s and '80s. The sun doesn’t always shine here in Ireland. Rain, wind, and poor light made for interesting (challenging!) conditions for action photography. Tri-X rated at ISO 800 for black and white—but don't even think about colour transparencies in the 1970s in poor light (high speed Ektachrome at ISO 160).
"We had great cars and drivers, great action, the pressure of the rally schedule (with little sleep at times), and once back home the pressure to get the processing done and pictures off to magazines. At the end of the day some very satisfying images. And now in retirement I am finding some time to scan all the old material for my website and am enjoying seeing pictures I never looked at before. After a year I am about half-way through so lots of work still to do. Judging by the traffic to my website there are many others who are also nostalgic for the rallying of this era and this makes the effort worthwhile."
Rowan: "This flies in the face of your request, but one thing I've never liked in photographs is cars. For some reason, any cars appearing in a picture just spoil them for me. It's completely irrational—I think cars are great. Just not in pictures! That said, Lee Friedlander's America by Car is fantastic...."
Mike replies: Oh, you had to go and remind me. I've never, ever spent that much for a book, and I'm permanently tempted. Tortured might be a better word.
GuyB: "'Dead Slow' has some wonderful car/house double portraits from San Francisco."
Mike replies: Those are great! Thanks.
See also this page by Tom Wik, from Minneapolis. (Thanks to G.G. for this one.)
Dana Thomas:
"...Hey Mike...how about this for a pick-me-up. I was shooting a job in La Jolla, California, when a convoy of beautiful old cars drove up the driveway of the inn where I was working. This car not only caught my eye but the driver, a dapper gentleman, asked if I would like a ride to dinner, not knowing that I was not on the guest list for the outing."
Crabby Umbo: "...Now you've got me looking at Riley Imps...Mike, you're the devil...."
Mike replies: A couple of days ago I was Frankenstein.
John Brewton: "Two of the best professional car shooters are James Haefner and Simon Harper. They regularly display their work on the MF forum on Luminous-Landscape. Their work is simply incredible. I shot a spread for Autoweek in 1989 and shot many exotics and classics during the '70s through the early '90s, but everything is on film and I never got around to scanning it."
Jason Bonello: "I photograph cars. I grew up in Detroit and worked there as an assistant and photographer. The founder of Midcoast Studio, James Secreto, is the foremost collector of car photography, especially when associated with advertisment. Feel free to contact me if you need more info or have questions."
Mike replies: So do you know Madison Ford?
Scott Bourne at "photofocus" does a lot of car photography, some of it pretty nice, I think.
Posted by: Rod Graham | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:24 PM
I more often find myself photographing bikes but here are some photos with cars in them.
(Not sure if it's what you had in mind :-)
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1391625
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/623071
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/233544
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/88104
http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/518
Posted by: Tony Collins | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:27 PM
Hope this one may tickle you! —Tony McLean
Posted by: Tony McLean | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:34 PM
Speaking of car photography:
http://blogs.hotrod.com/want-more-our-new-magazine-overkill-is-for-when-too-much-is-just-enough-43297.html#axzz2KKoxTPtG
I picked this magazine up at the local drug store, because it was mostly photos, and I was bored.
I dunno if this is the kind of stuff you are looking for.
Posted by: Richard | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:52 PM
My favorite: Ken Brown. http://www.kenbrownart.com/cars
I learned about him many years ago from Strobist; his beautiful shot of a Mercedes gullwing is an inspiration.
Posted by: Mark Sirota | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:56 PM
I love shooting cars, though I tend to do it in peculiar angles and perspectives. Just like cameras, buildings or wristwatches, cars can be objects of design and some of them are nothing less than moving sculptures: think Bugatti 57 or anything penned by Figoni et Falaschi in the 30s. I find them to be wonderful shooting subjects.
There is one particular car I won't smile until I get to shoot it: the Citroën DS. A real UFO of a car. It's a classic car and I don't get to see many on the streets these days (the last one was manufactured back in 1973), but I swear I'll shoot one, even if it's the last thing I do in my photographing days.
In the meantime I've been shooting some other cars, which can be seen here (along with some motorcycles, which I love to shoot as much as cars):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/manuelvilardemacedo/sets/72157629707382942/
Posted by: Manuel | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 01:57 PM
I don't photograph cars for a living, and I don't event search for them in my spare time. They just come sometimes in front of my lens.
The picture below was taken during my commute to work. I used to walk to the office and I saw this truck everyday.
One day I brought the camera and snapped this shot, just a quick grab; the camera was a Mamiya RB67, 65mmC f/4.6, film is Arista EDU. The thing is that the shot in your post reminded me of this one.
http://www.albertobengoa.com/vault/img299.jpg
The truck is not there anymore, but at least I still keep the memories.
Posted by: Alberto Bengoa | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:04 PM
Hi Mike
I have always been interested in cars and have often photographed them in all sorts of places and condition. One you might like to see is at 500px.com/photo/7260636. It was taken in Colorado Springs on the day I bought my Leica IIIF. Just wandering about trying out my new toy and was amazed to find this beautiful L29 Cord just parked on the street. (1970)
I also shot. In junkyards years ago and have been thinking of putting a few in a folder on my iPad and see if I can talk my way into a few junkyards again(they are a lot more corporate these days) there are also a few of those old junkyard shots on 500px enjoy
Posted by: Terry Letton | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:13 PM
I do from time to time but I tend to shoot details, not the whole car. I posted a couple on my blog once http://jims-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/11/convergence-of-ingenuity.html
and I have four on Fine Art America http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/james-bullard.html I also have a photo of a nice old Packard that I spotted in a rest area along Rt I-81 that I'll send you by email.
Posted by: James Bullard | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:14 PM
Since you mentioned the Riley I thought I could easily find a collection of English sports cars on Flickr and I did http://www.flickr.com/groups/morris-garage/pool/
Say what you like about Flickr, the photography is somewhat better than what you would find on eBay :-)
I built my first car in 1968 with parts from two broken-down 1961 MGAs that I bought for a combined total of $175.
It was slightly temperamental and very cold in winter. I had to use the hand crank to start it more than once. Sadly I eventually had to sell it to pay my college tuition.
best wishes
John
Posted by: John King | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:18 PM
I wore black throughout Maggie Thatcher's "reign" too ...
Posted by: m3photo | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:19 PM
Yes, I love to shoot cars, old abandoned or junked cars. I prefer to call them "Forsaken Autos" as I explain below. But first, there is definitely beauty in decay. The rust, the effects of the elements on the paint produce lovely textures and colors. I also enjoy the curves of the old beauties, cars from the early 60s and before. And I feel sad for them. Think of the excitement of the owners when they first drove their cars or trucks out of the showrooms for the first time. And then somewhere along the line, something went wrong. The vehicles were not maintained. They were forsaken to sit in the sun, the rain, the ice and snow. Here's a link to my Flickr site, and the "Forsaken Autos" set therein.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/havanai/sets/72157609631373093/
Thanks for reading. Kurt
Posted by: Kurt Kramer | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:21 PM
You should check out my friend and colleague Klaus Schnitzer... http://www.corbisimages.com/photographer/klaus-schnitzer
He's quite a prolific car photographer with a special place on his memory card for BMW's. He's also a highly respected member of the academy, teaching photography for many years at the university level.
Posted by: Mike | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:22 PM
I photograph them occasionally, when I see an interesting car or truck. Here's a few of my favorites.
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=921
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=35
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=333
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=473
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=435
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=960
http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-details.php?product=998
Posted by: Chris Crawford | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:22 PM
For your viewing pleasure, Mike: the site of a friend in the UK who shoots cars.
http://www.jamescallaghan.co.uk/portfolio
Cheers,
Posted by: Walter Glover | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:22 PM
Perhaps this may be too exotic for you, Mike?
[No indeed, I love Stanley Steamers.... --Mike]
Posted by: Tony Mclean | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:23 PM
Mike - my favorite is John Lamm, a long-time shooter for Road & Track magazine. I've dabbled (http://public.fotki.com/cpbeyers/auto-racing/) in learning to shoot SCCA races, CART, and ALMS, but it's clear I have much more to learn.
Posted by: Craig Beyers | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:24 PM
I love photographing cars. I'm a pretty advanced hobbyist, here the Automotive gallery from my website:
Website:
http://www.generatorphotography.com/Photography/Automotive/27092466_Jvm2Dn#!i=2286548126&k=bnw3VTr
I've also written a recent blog post about photographing cars:
http://generatorphotography.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/cars/
It's something that I'm pretty passionate about. I think cars can me as much about art as anything hanging in a gallery. They are evocative, can be beautiful, and for many, cars are powerfully intertwined with peoples life stories.
Posted by: Glenn | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:25 PM
Hello,
for me, cars are somewhat like clothes for you ... I am definitely not a car fan. However, since more than a year I am pursuing a "carcolor theme" and I have become to really appreciate reflections on car bodies. I can hardly pass a car without noticing them. I guess these photographs qualify as quirky ones.
A few of them are shown here:
http://www.floriansphotos.com/Man-made-beauty/Carcolors/25378476_swB4Jn#!i=2117126931
All the best,
Florian.
Posted by: Florian Freimoser | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:27 PM
Mike,
I can get lost in a field of old cars just as easily as in the grandeur of the desert. Here are a couple from my flickr stream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25099302@N03/7694866310/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25099302@N03/7694866534/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25099302@N03/7694866708/in/photostream/
I'm sorry, I dont have the slightest idea how to attach the images from here- when I'm home I could send files.
If you want more just let me know!
Jim
Posted by: jim | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:27 PM
My friend Stephen Salmieri did a beautiful portfolio of Cadillac portraits.
http://www.salmieriphotographs.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=5
Enjoy.
Posted by: Ben Rosengart | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:36 PM
Maybe 50 years of car photos on my website: http://www.jimhayes.com/sitemap.htm#Autos
Includes racing stuff from 50s by my high school art teacher who got me started in cars and photography and my stuff going back to 60s.
That'll keep you busy!
Posted by: Jim Hayes | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:36 PM
Michael
There are quite a few car/truck shots on my web site michaelstockhill.com if you have an interest. The site is overdue for an update.
Posted by: Michael Stockhill | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:43 PM
I like to photograph interesting cars that I see when I'm out and about, especially when abroad as they somehow seem more interesting in a foreign setting.
I'm particularly drawn to 1970s American cars as, to me, they're interesting in a world of increasing homogeneity. We never really saw those barges in England with our narrow streets and steering wheels on the right side - although I'm not sure you guys would care for an Austin Allegro or Hillman Hunter.
I remember taking a photo of a rusty Buick coupe in Vancouver and some local was walking his dog. He thought I was well weird.
Posted by: Ben | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:44 PM
I forgot to point out my favorite: Carroll Shelby at Sebring in 1967 with Jerry TItus in the Terlingua Mustang in the background.
http://www.jimhayes.com/Archives/Sebring67/Sebring67-Pages/Image27.html
Posted by: Jim Hayes | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:44 PM
I'm a car nut from childhood, and I love shooting cars whenever I get the chance. Beauties at car shows or clapped out rust buckets, they are all wonderful and full of detail and character!
Posted by: Frank Walsh | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:48 PM
Mike, Having trouble with Safari! Let's see if this works.
"Carroll Shelby, Sebring '67, with Jerry Titus in the Terlingua Mustang in the background.
Shelby autographed a copy for me and I gave him one."
Posted by: Jim Hayes | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 02:49 PM
Mike,
I enjoy making photographs of old cars I find in fields, barnyards, etc. during my photographic wanderings along the backroads of America. Here is an example:
Posted by: Dennis A. Mook | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:07 PM
Here ya go, Mike.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff454/highdesertfisher/76-015-14-Edit.jpg>
Chevy Nova - Summer of 1976 on the Garden State Parkway, from the passenger seat of a Buick Skylark, with a friend's Canon F-1 + 20mm, on Tri-X.
Not many car shots after that...
Posted by: Dave in NM | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:18 PM
I took a lot of car shots last summer when the National Hot Rod Association was in town, because they parade right through my neighborhood each night of the weekend. This shot isn't from that day, just a nice hoopty i saw while biking around last summer:
Posted by: Wjcstp | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:18 PM
Mike,
You may want to check out Nicolas Karakatsanis, a Belgian cinematographer ("Bullhead"), but also a very accomplished photographer, master of darkness. He has several car photos on his blog: http://www.theskeletonherald.blogspot.be/search?updated-max=2013-01-13T14:30:00-08:00&max-results=20 (his photos in a weekend magazine) and http://theskeletonherald.blogspot.be/search?q=car
Of note: all his work is in editions of one.
P
Posted by: Peter Meeus | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:23 PM
Gord lewis shoots cars
and check Fred Herzog's car photos in the back lots and alleyways of Vancouver.
Posted by: Rusty | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:24 PM
As it happens, I also enjoy photographing cars. I especially enjoy sneaking them into the photographs that I capture for other of my projects, such as my parking garage series, a sample of which is below...
[Hey, that car looks...familiar. The guy who owns it must be a really cool guy, is all I can say...[s] --Mike]
Posted by: JG | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:29 PM
>
Did that work? I have taken many photos of cars, as I found them, if they interested me or if I had a connection with them.
In fact, it was perhaps the main reason I carried a camera for some years.
Posted by: Aaron Dewar | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:30 PM
Cars? OK!
A couple of meta car photo shots:
Posted by: Maggie Osterberg | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:34 PM
I do not cars, but could not resist on this. Taken in NW IL / SW Wisconsin last spring.
>
Posted by: Steve Walker | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:37 PM
And here's one from my project photographing in urban/industrial areas at night...
Posted by: JG | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:37 PM
I LOVE shooting cars. Old beaters are my favorite.
As far as a car-related anecdote, one time I was taking a picture of someone's custom Camaro (the new one), and the owner walked up and said something like, "you should've warned me, I could've washed 'er for ya!"
He caught me off guard and I was a little embarrassed, so all I could think of to say was, "that's a nice car!" Like the biggest bozo ever. I still cringe. I'm not even a fan of the new Camaro.
I put some car photos on flickr just for you, Mike. I hope you feel better.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80071240@N04/sets/72157632720901962/
And Patrick Joust always has good car photos on his various websites. Here's his flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrickjoust/sets/72157623197195322/
Posted by: LJ Slater | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:37 PM
I've loved cars all my life, and enjoy going to car shows to shoot. Everybody expects people to have cameras, so you don't feel like you're bothering anybody or in anybodys face. It's a very relaxed atmosphere, and always fun. Here's a link to my Flickr page w/ lot's of car stuff:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slinco/
Posted by: Steve L. | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:39 PM
One of the great vehicle museums of North America is the Reynolds Alberta Museum. This is a restore it and drive it kind of place. So while I normally don't take many car photos I try to attend all their running events with a camera in hand. It's generally alot of fun.
The unit in the photo is one of the Citroen half-tracks used by Franco/American industrialist and Nazi sympathizer Charles Eugène Bedaux in his ill fated attempted to cross the Canadian Rockies in 1934
Posted by: Brian Small | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:41 PM
I couldn't find many examples on my Flickr page. I always INTEND to take car pictures, bur do so rarely. The only one I could find was taken on the kind of walk where you really regret leaving your camera behind, but the iPhone worked in a pinch.
Posted by: Jamietie | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 03:58 PM
I don't do a whole lot of car shooting, but I do go to car shows form time to time. The biggest problem is that most places that have cool cars usually have lots of people around them and are usually in unexciting places like parking lots.
Posted by: Mike Sisk | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 04:00 PM
Best car photos I've seen in a while:
http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/02/throwback-futuristic-cars-are-this-photographers-rendering-of-a-popular-culture-fantasy/#slideid-15446
[I think you should put "photos" in quotes.... --Mike]
Posted by: Stan B. | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 04:10 PM
My favorite photo subject. Misspending my inheritance (pay down the mortgage...nah I don't think so) got me this:
which has led me to doing Autocross (racing in parking lots between pylons). Some shots while doing my time as a corner worker/cone resetter :
Hope I got the size and links right.
More at:
http://jimbradley.smugmug.com/Cars/Auto-Cross/Vic-Vette-Autox/24348990_WVrSw3
and
http://jimbradley.smugmug.com/Cars/Auto-Cross/Victoria-Corvette-Club-AutoX/25311339_MSgHjh
Jim
Posted by: Jim | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 04:33 PM
With the advent of projector headlamps, cars can often take on a personality when viewed from the right perspective. I came across this happy fella while photographing a bicycle event in Pt. Reyes Station, north of San Francisco.
Posted by: Jim Kirkpatrick | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 04:59 PM
I haven't so much lately but for several years I haunted classic car meets and took a lot of car detail shots. Here are a couple of my better efforts. The first one was hung in a curated Chicago exhibition (Scharpenberg Gallery) of Pentax Discuss Mail List folks in 2010.
Posted by: Bruce Walker | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:03 PM
I used this picture for my business card, which was a big mistake, because I don't take pictures of cars, I take pictures of people. I apologize for it every time I hand out one of my cards. Almost done with this box (last 6 are in my wallet).
It would be a good picture for someone else's business card though. And there's something weird about putting a picture of someone else (like one of my portraits) on my business card. A dilemma I need to resolve shortly.
Anyway, pretty much my one and only car picture.
Posted by: Paul | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:05 PM
This Dodge pick-up and I came off the assembly line in the same year. The Dodge, I am afraid, is considerably better preserved.
Posted by: Edd Fuller | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:09 PM
Down here in the middle of flyover country, there are a lot of photographers shooting old rusted out cars and trucks. A local one, Johnny Sutton, was quite skilled at it and his photos were unexpected and well composed, shot because he liked the textures, but as the artist he is, soon moved on. I saw the work of a woman photographer in New Mexico who promoted herself as "The Pickup Artist" and shot trucks and nothing but. To many of us, this became a cliche to be avoided at all costs. In the case of Johnny, he recently showed so quite large prints that showed both a very original eye and high detail, as he made the up by assembling many smaller photos in photoshop. I believe they were groundbreaking and deserve more attention, but I do undersatnd wherer I live casts a pall over attention. And really, Johnny doesn't care, as they are selling in the mid five figures.
Posted by: Bill Pearce | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:39 PM
I do... see recent photos here: http://500px.com/shojin
Matt
Posted by: Matt Stevens | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:43 PM
Hi Mike,
No stories but hopefully some interesting links;
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=70272.0 “Love those vehicles” on LuLa,
http://www.peterlippmann.com/lippmann3/personal_work/paradise_parking/paradiseparking_08_peterlippmann.html Abandoned cars by a great photographer (There doesn't seem to be 1-7),
http://theoldmotor.com/?p=30050 Cobb and his Napier-Railton – I love this photo on so many levels!
Lastly, one of mine to show it's always worth having a camera ready,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40143719@N06/8457142288/”>
Messerschmitt KR200
Hope you feel better soon.
phil
Posted by: Another phil | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 05:49 PM
This is my favorite photo of a car.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenwbrown/462135050/>
His other images can be found here (flash required) http://www.kenbrownart.com
Posted by: Terry Moore | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:00 PM
I photograph cars for fun, because it combines two of my hobbies - old cameras and old cars.
As much as whole car shots are interesting, often just isolating one part or form of the vehicle can have more photographic impact.
Here's a Brit shot by a Russkie (Iskra):
Another Brit, shot with a Certo 6:
What's left of a British car shot with a British camera (Agifold):
And my own French plastic fantastic shot with a very much all metal Japanese Fuji GL690:
Posted by: Paul H | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:02 PM
Mike - Here's where you can find a collection of funky car images that might cheer up your day. I call it "Out to Pasture - Relics of the Internal Combustion Age". http://smu.gs/14Z6PnO
Enjoy!
Bill
Posted by: Bill Stickney | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:07 PM
I used to co-edit a website about cars (we'd even do test drives) and a third of us did the web stuff and photographed the cars. He pretty much got me interested in photography. I'm sure my writing was cringeworthy, but I'm also sure that if I'd go back and look at the photos he made, I'd still think they were good.
For all that, I never really got into photographing cars. Photography mostly replaced my interest in cars. The rare times I photograph cars it's usually not because of the car so much. I snapped this thing sometime while working last summer, with my iPhone (luckily in favorable iPhone conditions):
First off I noticed right away that the car so wrapped up was a Citroën DS – a big favorite of mine – and then it struck me that the ropes securing the tarp reminded me of the mummy in a certain Tintin book. I hope I'll like this photo as much in a couple of years as I do now; it pushed a lot of buttons for me when I took it.
I also hope that this DS (or maybe it's an ID?) will get restored. You just can't have enough classic Citroëns rolling around.
Posted by: Kalli | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:07 PM
Back in the 1980's I was a frequent, nearly continuous, freelance photographer for Mechanix Illustrated magazine. About 25-30% of the content had to do with cars. Under the hood how-to articles which other car magazines did with drawn illustrations because doing it photographically "didn't work." Fancy shots of the dozen cars a year that the automotive department did review articles on.
One of the largest shoots we ever did involved taking essentially the whole editorial staff, and me, to Lake George to use the lake and the The Sagamore, a fancy resort, for a three day shoot. A dozen or so different sorts of boats had been delivered, and the staff drove nearly a dozen loaner cars provided by manufacturer's PR firms up from NYC to be photographed for an article on innovative automotive design or something of the sort. Along with a rare boating article for the magazine.
We got there in a violent thunderstorm. The storm and rain continued for two and a half days. The editors tore their hair out and tried to work on their DOS laptops in XyWrite. I went for long runs in the rain to get rid of the nervous tension.
About noon of the third day, the rain stopped, while a high overcast remained, like the whole world had turned into a giant set lit by a perfect softbox. It was summer and the light would last till nearly eight in the evening. I bounced between boat-to-boat shooting of the watercraft in action out on the lake, and pre-scouted locations where the cars and minivans were parked and polished. Then I'd head back onto the lake while the next vehicles were brought to the pretty locations. I shot about 60 rolls of Kodachrome in seven hours.
If the storms had given way to clear sunlight it would have been a disaster. Our eyes edit out all the terrible things strong sunlight does to the appearance of a bright shiny object like a car. A photograph does not. The plan, and why it needed an expensive three days, had been to photograph the cars in the beautiful light you have just after dawn and just before sunlight, and do the boats (and take naps) during the day. With an entire afternoon of bright overcast light, we got all the cars and boats and filled half the well of the next issue.
Posted by: carlweese | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:22 PM
Here is a link to a good friend's website. Jeremy has not been shooting professionally for "long" but the subject matter of his work has always been unusual. His cars project is one of the more interesting in my opinion...as an old grizzly shutter-nut from way back. I can remember when many of his subjects were on the road and rolling strong. Hop you enjoy his interesting take on connecting modern photographic technique with old fashioned memories.
http://jeremyholmesphotography.com/ P.S. Buy his calendar and tell him "Old Man Michael from Nashville" sent you.....
Posted by: Son of Tarzan | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:22 PM
Despite being ignorant of most other aspects of cars (compared to yer average revhead), I like taking photos of fifties and sixties American sedans, rusty or restored, and digitally post-processing the images. Came across these cars in countryside Australia ...
Posted by: Matt Mawson | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:51 PM
Images in Comments
Posted by: John Lawrence | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 06:56 PM
Hi Mike,
A few years ago, I was driving along a remote mountain road in Northern California, and I came upon these 2 old cars. Perfect for an Old Timers Le Mans Start!
Posted by: Dave Van de Mark | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:00 PM
Probably not what you are expecting but this solved my one-photo-a-day problem back in 2010. I love looking at cars but photographing them isn't something I do except as "record" shots.
Posted by: Andrew Wallace | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:08 PM
Here's my favorite:
http://www.notstockphotography.com/index.php?splash=1
There's a nice video somewhere out there, showing him on the road and at work. Worth seeing just for the van he drives!
Posted by: Gary K Froehlich | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:08 PM
I like good car pictures almost as much as I love good airplane pictures. But I find the ones I take lack a certain something. Hence, I don't do them much if at all though I gravitate to those web sites as well.
But if it's not cars for me, then what? Oh, it's barns? Yeah, my oh, my, a dilapidated old barn that's seen generations come and go out in the middle of nowhere? That tickles my eye like nothing else:
or
Sorry it's not what you're looking for, Mike.
Posted by: William Barnett-Lewis | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:12 PM
Here's the video:
http://vimeo.com/45579844
Posted by: Gary K Froehlich | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:13 PM
Well, I'm not into cars but I understand your wanting to explore an area of photography without doing it yourself. I'm a sucker for cat photos. I like cats but as we now live in an apartment I can no longer have one. Strange thing is I was never much good at photographing cats(or any pet). Still like to look at them though.
Posted by: John Robison | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:15 PM
Hi Mike, hope this perks you up.......
http://joefaraceshootscars.com
Posted by: James | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:31 PM
I also love cars and photographs of cars but never seem to spend any time photographing them myself. Here is the only car I have photographed in the last few years, a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia SS, a car with such beautiful curves that I couldn't resist taking a couple of snaps.
One of the photo projects on my long and always-growing list is a series of portraits of classic car owners with their car. Whenever I see beautiful and interesting classic car parked on the side of the road I imagine that the owner, who appreciates the beauty of such car, will be beautiful (or handsome) and interesting in their own way too.
Posted by: Jed | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:40 PM
I like interesting looking cars, esp. old ones. With owners, if possible!
Early '60s Olds Starfire, original owner:
1972 Bronco, original owner:
Customized desert rat vehicle w/original owner:
regards,
Richard
Posted by: Richard Jones | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:45 PM
Hi, its me again....I should have also linked you to this
site..http://www.irvisions.com/album/8/
MORE OF JEREMY'S CAR/TRUCK IMAGES....
Posted by: Son of Tarzan | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:48 PM
Here's one I took of an old pickup truck abandoned in the forest near my home.
Posted by: Steve | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 07:52 PM
While my passion is road tripping and landscapes, I regularly use cars as sparring partners on my neighborhood walks, be it for abstracts, detail shots, straight up or environmental portraits.
Talking about environmental portraits of cars, the Flickr group Auto Anthropology is a treasure trove on that topic.
Posted by: Adrian | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 08:20 PM
I have what some people have pointed out as an obsession with photographing old pickup trucks everywhere I go. I can't resist them and have hundreds of photographs of parked pick-up trucks in various states of existence, everything from pristine examples to rusted out relics buried in weeds. Perhaps some day I'll publish a book of all of them. I've also got this overwhelming desire to photograph trains that I blame on David Plowden, but I haven't indulged that impulse too much as of yet.
Here are a few examples...
Posted by: Josef | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 08:21 PM
it's not my normal genre, but when I see a car with nice lines, I like to see if I can find a composition.
Posted by: Howard Sandler | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 08:32 PM
I shoot rusty old trucks that look as if they have provided many years of service, mostly in Arizona and the neighbouring states. On a road trip, I was eagerly anticipating our arrival in Pietown, New Mexico, wondering if anyone actually sold pies there.
Silly me -- it's called Pietown for good reason! Pietown comprises two rival pie restaurants and not much else. After eating a delicious pine nut and chili apple pie (well, it is in New Mexico), I took some shots of what I now refer to as my Pietown Chevy.
Posted by: Gerry | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 08:43 PM
Here's one for you, Mike. It proved too big to embed within the comments, unfortunately.
It's a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, and it was parked out front of a roadside BBQ joint in Virginia. Turned out to belong to the owner. I asked permission to photograph it and he happily obliged. Here are the rest of the photos I took.
I never set out to photograph cars, but throw a shiny one in my view and I'll shoot it for sure. Just something cool about a car.
Posted by: emptyspaces | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 08:56 PM
For cars you might try Randy Leffingwell at: http://www.rleffingwell.com/
Posted by: Bill Danby | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:00 PM
Hey, Mike....I don't often take car photos either, but I appreciate vintage autos and have several friends who restore and show them. Here's a pic from a local car show(If I can get the html right....;>) I think it's an old Bel Air....
Regards,
Joel
Posted by: Joel Wolford | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:01 PM
Englishman...Tim Wallace really stands out I think
Posted by: Nicholas R. Von Staden | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:05 PM
On the Mu-43 forum, a woman who uses the tag "littleMT" posts many car images, a lot of them being her own machines. Here is one thread:
http://www.mu-43.com/f38/orange-car-e-pl1-14mm-halloween-colors-35536/
Cars pop up a lot in this forum. There's a thread titled "What car brand you drive? POLL" that has a lot of them.
http://www.mu-43.com/f49/what-car-brand-you-drive-poll-24447/
And another:
http://www.mu-43.com/f88/show-cars-5617/index64.html
Posted by: Mike Rosiak | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:18 PM
I had not photographed cars much until this past summer when I found out there was a weekly car show on Saturday mornings at a local mall outside of Baltimore. People brought cars of all types from expensive late model exotics to historic vehicles in beautiful condition. I'm not much of a car nut these days but I still appreciate a great body design. Plus, I find some of the details of these cars endlessly fascinating.
Each week I would bring a different camera and lens combination. One week it might be a big Nikon, the next it would be a MFT mirrorless. I quickly determined I did not want to be switching lenses all the time so this forced me to learn a given lens' strength and weaknesses for photographing the cars. It was also good practice at subject isolation, trying to keep as much of the background, people and general parking lot look out of the photos. I wanted the best of the photos to go beyond just a snapshot.
More car photos are here: Flickr car show set
Posted by: Jeff Greer | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:18 PM
Heh, heh... After reading the title, I looked for bullet holes for a moment. I photograph automobiles when the opportunity present itself and sometimes when I deliberately go to a classic car show. But rarely anything newer than a 1980 model - why bother?
Posted by: RRAlexander | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:39 PM
And then there are art cars such as The Camera Van.
I saw my first art cars at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville during one of their annual art car weekends. I ran back to my car to get a better lens. Imagine seeing one of these cruising down the highway as the owner headed to the Derby City.
Posted by: Jeff Greer | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 09:52 PM
I wouldn't call myself a car photographer, but I've always been interested in cars, and where I live in Zurich you see an amazing number of classics - old and modern. Like this Daimler Dart SP250
http://zurich.dailyphoto.forthmedia.com/index.cfm/Automobiles
Posted by: Richard Tugwell | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:06 PM
Must have screwed that image up - Daimler Dart SP250
Posted by: Richard Tugwell | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:09 PM
Do bikes count?
If so I have been shooting them professionally for over 20 years. Here are a few B&W examples as well as some iPhone pics to give some idea of the many and varied locals I have shot them in. Anywhere from a full studio in Sydney to a small garage in Rimini, Italy to church halls in outback South Australia to grungy workshops in suburban Melbourne to a lounge room in L.A.
For those interested, my Bikes Library has several thousand more!
http://www.philaphoto.com/imageLibrary/index.php?cat=2
Posted by: Phil | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:41 PM
Mike,
Do I shoot cars? Spent the better part of 10 years shooting cars as a motorsports photographer for Laguna Seca Raceway. I've been shooting cars since I was 12 years old....
Rolex Daytona Prototypes at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Taking this photo was a bit nervewracking as I was shooting trackside with my back turned to the cars as they entered Turn 6 at full chat, about 125 mph
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/exoticcars/PrototypesT6Web.jpg>
An A1 Grand Prix car, Team Netherlands, driven by Jos Verstappen
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/exoticcars/TeamNetherlandSoft.jpg>
The classic backlith sunset shot at Turn 6 of the Fying Lizard Porsche. The Flying Lizard Porche team is a bit of a legend in the American Le Mans GT2 series, and this car went on to win it's class in this race.
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/exoticcars/FlyingLizardPrint.jpg>
"Duel at Andretti Hairpin". This shot was taken in the evening of the 2007 American Le Mans series race right after the course went "green" after a long "yellow". The LMP1 class TDT Audi and LMP2 class DHL Porsche drivers both went flying down the hill from turn 1 into Andretti Hairpin, neither one wanting to give way to the other under heaving braking (race fans know that most passing is done under braking...). After an intense battle for the lead, the Audi eventually went on to win.
http://photos.imageevent.com/puma_cat/exoticcars/DuelTurn2.jpg>
Posted by: Stephen Scharf | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:42 PM
Mike,
Nothing would make me happier than brightening up your day.
http://jimmetzger.photoshelter.com
Click on the" Automotive " gallery and enjoy.
regards from the land where cars a but a snowy memory today, north of NYC
Jim
Posted by: Jim Metzger | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:44 PM
As I have indicated to you privately, in terms of numbers, most of my photos these days are of amateur motorsport. I don't regard them as works of art; they are simply pictures that I hope the competitor would be proud to put on his 'phone' or his 'fridge door: "This is what I do on my days off."
Posted by: Harold Merklinger | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:46 PM
I have a friend who shoots vehicles almost exclusively, cars being the most represented. He has a series titled "Wheels" that you might enjoy.
He shoots these on a Pentax 67.
http://www.ianfildes.com/cars-and-campers
Posted by: Ryan | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 10:51 PM
I got a new (used) Pontiac Vibe and I needed a car shot for project called "How We Roll" for a photo class I was taking at the time.
I lit the car from behind with strobes and "light-painted" the viewer's side with a little LED penlight. It is about a 90 second exposure.
Posted by: Richard Skoonberg | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 11:52 PM
Car photos. How about two shots of the Lola-Judd that Patrick Dempsey (of TV fame) campaigned with co-driver Joe Foster in the ALMS P2 class in 2012.
Posted by: Pierre Munson | Friday, 08 February 2013 at 11:58 PM
@Manuel - this is for you
http://zurich.dailyphoto.forthmedia.com/index.cfm/2007/6/19/European-Classic
Posted by: Richard Tugwell | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 12:06 AM
Call him to see it. Steve Grubman.
A commercial photographer, great guy.
Auto work, yes. more than that, much more.
Worth a visit, yes.
Posted by: robert harshman | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 12:44 AM
Ah... great timeless cars and photography:
Posted by: A. Dias | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 12:55 AM
Mike, I've shot cars for years just for my own fun. I worked for an German automaker for 28 years before retiring so a certain brand turns up often in my shots.
A favorite:
Cars offer a lot as a subject because you have the look of the whole car to capture, any number of possible smaller detail shots from rust to interior style to just the curve of a fender. I have a whole series going now just of the old fashion hood ornaments (mascots to some of those outside the US).
Posted by: Doug | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 01:45 AM
If you're interested in what younger professional car photographers are up to, I'll give a shameless shout-out to my son, Nate Hassler (www.natehasslerphoto.com) He lives and works in LA (epicenter of the car culture in the US,) and cars and photography are his passions. He's worked hard to combine both into a living.
Most professional car photos involve rather complicated lighting and post-processing techniques. Nate spent several years refining his style. I, on the other hand, remember the glory days when you would set up an 8x10 camera and wait for dusk...
Tom
Posted by: Tom Hassler | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 01:51 AM
I'm not a big car fan; my ideal vehicle is my current ride, an '04 CR-V equipped (now during the current Nor'easter) with Nokian Haakappelitta winter tyres
But I do get jazzed up when I see unusual or well-restored cars. At a cruise night in Lasalle, Ontario, so lots of background clutter.
Zuiko/Pan F+/Rodinal
Posted by: Earl Dunbar | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 02:05 AM
I love to shoot cars.
Throughout my life, my father was in automobile sales, so cars are what put food on the table. Sometimes we would have two different family cars during the same week!
In 1957, he imported and sold Fiats. That Cinquecento that is so hip right now was my mother's car in '57, '58, and '59.
Aside from growing up in that business,I came of (driving) age in 1963, which in my opinion, is the center of the Golden Age of US automobile manufacturing. My first car was a 1955 Chevrolet (you gassed up by flipping down the tail light, exposing the filler cap), and when the Mustang came out in Spring of 1964, we had the good fortune of having one of the first ones available in St. Louis, Mo..
Most of my friends were gearheads, and hot rodders, the hackers of our day.
I am so lucky to live in California now, where the road salt didn't corrode all of that beautiful sheet metal, and there are vintage and custom on the streets as daily drivers, as they were designed to be.
I love to photograph them as they roll by, usually just as a cell phone grab shot.
Posted by: Jimmy Reina | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 02:32 AM
Hi Mike,
I like to photograph old cars when the opportunity presents itself. I just love feeling those textures, the dereliction and the sense of things gone, of nostalgia. The B&W photos of these old cars in the first 3 pages of this gallery are about a car cemetary in canton of Bern, Switzerland, that no longer exists:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/hosting/showgallery.php?cat=4956&page=1&sort=2&perpage=12&what=allfields&=
All the best,
Santiago
Posted by: Santiago Schaerer | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 03:15 AM
Hi Mike, I shoot cars, link to my website below:
http://robsmithphotography.com/
This is probably one of my favourite shots:
I was shooting this ZR1 for a client when something disturbed all the pigeons in the alley, and just as they took off I manage to get one shot off. All the other planned shots are technically better, but I like this one because it of the juxtaposition of the $100K+ car, the alley, and the scared wildlife.
Also, if you want to drive something special, go test drive the new Caddy ATS with the 3.6L engine, and the flappy paddle gearbox, most fun I've had in a long time!
P.S. Thanks for a great site, I love reading it.
Posted by: Rob Smith | Saturday, 09 February 2013 at 03:35 AM