…when photographing cars, really helps.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” ― Mother Night
If you want to make interesting photographs, you gotta love cars. You don’t have to be an expert on a particular marque or even cars in general but you should be curious and polite when considering a car that might make an ideal photographic subject. At car shows, if you see the owner, be sure ask them a question or two. People who own unique cars often have fascinating stories to tell about their cars because there never was a restoration project that didn’t have some peculiar twists and turns before the car reaches the state where the owners wants to show it. off
How I Made this Image: The above image was captured during a British car show in Arvada, Colorado using a Ukrainian-made Horizon 202 panoramic film camera. Mine was a gift from a friend but they can be found on eBay for $200-300. The Horizon’s rotating lens takes in a 120° panorama and produces 22 shots on a 36 exposure roll. The film used was Kodak Tri-X, exposure unrecorded. After having the film processed and delivered uncut, I hand trimmed the negatives and placed the strips in one of the film holders that Epson provided with the one of their old scanners that I used to own.
Before making any photographs…
…try (key word) to make sure that the cars hoods—bonnets if they are British—are lowered. Some car owners like to show off their meticulously clean engine compartments, but that’s not always the best way to show off the car’s overall lines. At most car shows, the owner may be nearby so ask politely if they would close the hood and, in exchange, offer to e-mail them an image file that they can post on Facebook or Instagram.
At many car shows, chances are there may be an identification cards placed on the dash or under the car’s windshield/windscreen wiper. It’s also a good idea to remove show placards It’s best to have the owners do it, but always politely ask the owner before touching any part of his or her car! TAas before, offer to provide a print as a thank you.
Don’t be frustrated by the lack of space and crowded working conditions that are typically found at many car shows. Use that to your advantage by finding small details, such as the delicate nature of a grille or the sensuous lines of a fender and capture them in sharp focus. Try low angles and tilt the camera. Work in close and gradually back off until extraneous non-car details or people appear in the frame. Then you’ve gone too far, but sometime you want people in the frame.
Don’t just photograph the beautiful cars; photograph some of the people too. At the races, you may be able to get into the pits and photographs the drivers on practice day, with their cars and most International car shows have beautiful models on hand who are always glad to pose with the car for you.
One of my favorite books—and maybe the best one on the subject—about photographing cars is James Mann’s How to Photograph Cars. It’s available on Amazon for just $22.95 with used copies starting around fourteen bucks.
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