Photographing cars is lots of fun. They come in a staggering variety of sizes, shapes, and colors and each one is interesting to photograph for different reasons. There are the classic lines and strong vertical grilles of vintage cars, street rods with colorful paint schemes and swoopy lines, and sports and foreign cars abound with styling idiosyncracies and flourishes.
All of these fascinating kinds of cars make great photo subjects and the fact that they’re gathered together at car shows makes it possible to photograph lots of them on the same day. That doesn’t mean they’ll be easy to photograph–or does it?
Find a show
On any given weekend there’s a car show or Concours d’Elegance happening somewhere. You will find information about these shows in newspapers, enthusiast publications, and the Internet. A growing phenomenon within America’s car culture is impromptu shows not associated with a special event or organization but occurring regularly at a local donut shop or burger joint. These gatherings are harder to find but it pays to make the effort because they are smaller in size and attract a different breed of enthusiasts and cars too.
Visit shops that cater to cool cars, such as tire and specialty wheel stores, upholstery, or paint shops–in short, any place where you see interesting cars parked outside. Ask about upcoming show dates and locations, including those informal events. The cars are out there so you won’t have to look hard.
Inside jobs and gridlock alerts
Indoor car shows have their own sets of challenges. Working with a digital SLR, such as the Canon EOS Digital Rebel I used to capture this Subaru concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. It makes it easy to adjust color balance and ISO settings by using feedback from the camera’s LCD preview screen. One of the complicating factors at all shows, indoors or out, is that they’re crowded with people, hardware, and other distractions. Here, Photoshop’s Motion blur filter was applied to a second background layer to eliminate clutter and focus on the car.
The good news about car shows is that hundreds of great cars can often be found in the same place. The bad news is that thousands of people typically gather there too, making photography more of a challenge because you won’t have the car you want to shoot all to yourself.
A passion for your subject
To take interesting photographs at a car show, you need to start with the right attitude. You gotta love cars. A passion for your subject is always a plus and enables you to look beyond the surface of a car to see its essence, its soul.
Photographing at car shows can also be the prelude to having an in-depth photo session away from the show. To do this you’ll need to talk with the car’s owner, but you needn’t be an expert on a particular marque or even cars in general. Most owners can talk for hours about their cars because there never was a restoration project that didn’t have some interesting twists and turns.
Tip #1:
Do not make photographs with the car hood or bonnet as the British say—raised. Many owners like to display the cleanliness or sparkling chrome underneath, but that’s not the best way to photograph any vehicle because it breaks up the car’s lines. Since he or she is probably nearby, ask the owner if they would close the hood so you can take a photograph. In exchange, offer to give them a print. That print automatically positions you as a photographer who cares–and opens photographic marketing opportunities.
Tip #2:
It’s a good idea to remove show placards. Such as the identification cards placed on the dash or under the windshield wiper. Ask the owner before touching any part of his or her car! It’s best to have them do it, so ask politely. They want you to make the best possible photograph and this interaction can provide some potential print sales as well as better photographs.
This classic Jaguar saloon was photographed at a large, annual English car event that’s held in a park. I noticed that the light was perfect for this shot. So, I first made the image with a Canon EOS 10D and 28-105mm lens. Then searched for the owner to ask him to remove the show placard. By the time I found him later that day, the light was gone. So while I would prefer to have taken the shot without the placard, I like the lighting on this image much better. I would never, ever touch a car like this without the owner’s permission.
Tip #3:
The most important thing to bring to a car show is lots of memory cards or film. While some digital photographers only use one brand, I’ll confess to using whatever is on sale. (OK, shoot me.) For the film, which I shoot rarely these days, I prefer Kodak’s Elite Chrome Extra Color slide film, whose vibrant colors make cars look like they are jumping out of the slide mount.
Whatever you do, pick a film whose palette is neutral in color but punchy in saturation. You can also use black-and-white film for a vintage look. Since I like to work fast at shows, I only bracket exposures when using slide film. With a Canon EOS-1N, I do 1/3-stop brackets on either side of aperture-controlled automatic exposure. One or more of the three shots is always usable.
You don’t need an expensive camera to make interesting car photographs; you don’t even need a car show. I was taking a test drive of my friend Lance’s VR6-powered New Beetle (NB fans will get that one) and when stopping for some refreshments saw this awesome air-cooled VW in the parking lot. Using the Minolta Dimâge Xt, which I always take with me when running errands. I raised the camera high over my head to give the shot a more interesting angle and made some exposures. I used Photoshop to add Motion Blur to this shot too, but just because I thought it looked cool.
Tip #4:
Be sure to make images of parts of cars. Don’t be frustrated by the lack of space and crowded working conditions found at shows. Use that to your advantage by finding small details. The refined delicacy of a Bugatti’s grille or the sensuous lines of a street rod’s fender. And capture them in sharp focus. I prefer wide-angle zooms that let me get in close, which is the suggestion.
For this photograph of a classic Bugatti radiator, I used a Canon EOS 1n and a 28-90mm lens. Also, with Kodak’s Elite Chrome Extra Color slide, my favorite when shooting cars with film.
Tip #5:
Get close to the car. Begin by working in close and gradually back off until non-car details or people start to appear in the frame, then crop them out in the camera. Wide-angle lenses or wide-angle zooms let you fill-up the frame with part or even the entire car. While making sure distractions are eliminated, but make sure your lens allows close focusing. I once purchased a 28-85mm zoom lens specifically for photographing cars only to discover it didn’t focus close enough to do me any good.
Here I am in a typical pose at a car show. Always searching for an interesting angle to capture cars. Something that will be covered in Part II. © 2002 Mary Farace
Except as noted, all photographs Copyright 2003 Joe Farace
Joe Farace is Colorado-based photographer/writer who has written or edited 24 books and 1300 magazine stories. You can see more of his automotive images at www.joefaraceshootscars.com and http://farace.smugmug.com.
