Color. Reflection. Shadow. Tone. Line. Angle. After four annual visits to the Mecum Spring Classic muscle-car auction, I am beginning to get a good feel for these photographic elements when I move in close to the cars. I’ve had some good luck in past years, but this year I feel like I relied less on luck and more on application of things I’ve learned. Some of that learning came from having shot hundreds of cars now, and some of it came from absorbing other photographers’ work that I admired.
I loved how the light oozed across the hood of this 1972 Dodge Charger. This car was outside in a thin white tent, which acted as a giant diffuser.
Every year, I take this shot of a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. I never get tired of it. Growing experience meant that I moved in and got this shot the first time, rather than needing to take it six or seven times until it felt right, as in past years.
Ditto this shot of a 1969 Dodge Charger. There’s always at least one Charger in this room with the skylights that splash so interestingly across that wide C pillar.
I like this composition, although my irrational love of the 1967 Chevrolet may be impairing my judgment.
These headlights from a 1963 Buick Riviera are my favorite shot of the day.
I shot this1956 Cadillac Series 62 and 1956 GMC 100 for their candy colors and almost parallel lines. I think I shot this a dozen times trying to get the lines to be perfectly parallel, thank you OCD.
For all the intentional shooting I did this day, this shot turned out well by accident. It wasn’t until I looked at it later that I noticed how well the building’s exposed trusswork framed this 1935 Ford. Bonus: Find the napping car owner.
I also love to find classic cars on the street. Check out the ones I photographed last year!
