I recently read an article by a photographer about what photos to capture at corporate type events or weddings, and it was very good, but not quite applicable to me as an automotive photographer. Therefore, I decided to create my own version: Eleven Photos to Take at Every Car Show.
This is a basic list of what I look for at car shows when I have my camera in my hands. Whether I’m covering the show for a magazine, or I’m just there as a spectator, these are the types of shots I take, with a brief description of each.
1. “The Wide” – You need an establishing shot to show the scope of the event. Was it a huge car show with hundreds of vehicles, or a small club meet with a dozen? “The Wide” gives context.
2. “The Venue” – Include the venue in some of your shots; it’s part of the scene. If it’s a business, show their sign in the background, or their employees checking out the cars. Stop at the main entrance and get a shot with a car and the business’ entry sign. You get the idea.
3. “The Cleaner” – What’s the first thing car people do when they arrive at the show? They clean their ride. It’s always fun to capture people taking care of those last-minute details.
4. “The Candid” – Candid shots throughout the day of people hanging out at the show can be some of the most interesting shots of the day. Capturing what folks do as they spend their day with other car fans is always an interesting study.
5. “The Samples” – Of course, you’re here to see cars – so take photos of cars! Use your own style, your own eyes. Everyone is going to be taking photos, make yours stand out the best way you know how.
6. “The Weird” – At every show, there is something different: an odd build, something you’ve never seen, a strange paint job…you know, something weird. Photograph it. People love that stuff!
7. “The Details” – Finding fun detail shots in cars is always a good time, and everyone sees different things in each vehicle. Making the time to do it is the difficult part.
8. “The Row” – Just about every show has the cars lined up in rows. Back up, put a long lens on your camera and get the shot of “The Row”. Even if you don’t have a ‘long lens’, still get a shot of the rows of cars. Unless the event is small, it’s nearly impossible to take a photo of every car at a show, so “The Row” is your best shot at including as many folks as possible.
9. “The Trophies” – Head to the registration table at some point in the morning and look for a stack of trophies. Do this well before they are going to give them away and try to get some photos. You’ll have a much easier time taking photos of awards as ‘still life’ on a table, than when they’re giving them away in a crowd later.
10. “The Host” – When the event host grabs the microphone to make an announcement or award a prize, grab a few photos. They work hard to put on these events and deserve to be recognized. Make sure to take a few shots, because inevitably if you just take one, they will have blinked. Also, always be ready with a flash, plenty of awnings and hats to cause shade in this scenario.
11. “The Winner” – If there’s a Best of Show winner (or something similar) take a photo of them with their trophy AND their car together. It’s not only a keepsake for the car owner, but also a good shot to have if I’m covering the event for a magazine.
That’s the short, or not-so-short list of what I do at car shows as a photographer. In the end this provides the viewers the best “I was there” feeling I can bring them; which really is the goal of event photography.
Thanks
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Eric
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