Support Your Local Nobody

I consider myself a nobody in this industry. From what I can tell, I haven’t really been on anyone’s radar. So, as 2018 came to a close, I took a chance and decided to reach out to some publications that I admire (perhaps you saw my letter to Super Street?). Since I started shooting more seriously, especially with vehicles, it's been a dream of mine to be a part of that world. There's just something about seeing your work in print, and watching other people enjoy it and go out of their way to look at it again and again, that brings absolute joy to my heart. This was my goal and I'd hoped I'd made enough progress to see it come to fruition in 2019.

Street Trucks responded to my inquiry almost immediately, letting me know they were very interested in featuring Brandon's truck in an upcoming mini truck issue. Sharing the exciting news with Brandon, we set a date to create some fresh new content and so we did. At the time, I was just thrilled to be a part of such a fantastic and established publication. Little did I know that my first time being involved in their publication would yield not only a multi-page feature but also the cover!

This is a feeling I've never known in photography. A 20 year old publication, with a well established following, so happy with the work I provided for them that they're willing to bank their monthly sales and reputation on it. I had no words. "Thank you," didn't seem sufficient. "I can't believe this," felt disrespectful. It's one of the most humbling experiences of my life - and I'm so incredibly excited to share it with my friends and family. So, for those who haven’t yet seen it, here’s the June 2019 cover of Street Trucks!

Night Shooting

For a variety of reasons, I've recently become obsessed with shooting at night. While I've been terrified of dealing with artificial lighting in the past, educational opportunities and experimentation have pushed me out of my comfort zone and into a completely new realm of photography. So far, I'm over the moon about the possibilities. The tones you can control when working entirely with artificial lighting is probably my favorite part of this whole experience.

Making use of a Yongnuo YN-360 and an Einstein E640, I've been pretty content with the results so far. Mixing in techniques like shooting the car at a higher aperture (to ensure it's entirely in focus) and then blending a background from the same angle but shot at a shallower aperture setting, has helped give me more control over the final image. This is by no means a new technique but it's definitely one that has helped me in isolating my subject, holding onto sharpness across the entire vehicle, and gives me a long enough exposure time to paint the vehicle.

If it's possible, I've been opting to leave filters off of my camera when shooting at night. Sure, cutting reflections is valuable when working with glossy vehicles but, for me, battling the more pronounced refraction issues of that extra glass filter just isn't worth the hassle. Honestly, if you're shooting with a strobe, you can typically shoot at a higher shutter speed to cut the ambient reflections completely out. If you're working with a wand and light painting, that's a different story.

When deciding which method I'll use to light a car, light painting or strobing, it typically boils down to a couple of factors:

What color is the vehicle? If the vehicle is any color aside from black, I'm pretty game for strobing it. To me, strobing it produces some nice gradients in the color and light, which feels more natural. Since black vehicles don't have any color to help carry the light across the body lines, they typically react better to light painting (or strobing with large modifiers) to show contour and shape. That said, even when light painting a black vehicle you will find better results if you make use of a softbox to help make the light source larger and softer. (The two black vehicles in this post are great examples of what happens if you don’t use a large light source for painting - they basically look like outlines.)
Where will I be shooting the vehicle? If I'm working with a location that has a lot of ambient light, I'm more likely to strobe my subject vehicle. It's harder to leave the shutter open longer to paint a vehicle with light if I'm battling overexposure from various local light sources. (I know, I know.. Couldn't you use ND filters or stop the aperture down more? Sure - but that means you'll need to increase light output from your light painting device to compensate.) But, if I'm working in an area that has little ambient light to worry about, I may opt to light paint the vehicle. Once you get the hang of light painting and how to position the light to hide it in the body lines, it can be faster than messing with strobes, battery packs, light stands, modifiers, etc.

Keep in mind - these are not rules. I won't only light paint vehicles with color on them, or not strobe a black vehicle (though I've yet to do this). They're just some things I've run across when shooting that have helped me create a baseline when deciding how to approach lighting a vehicle.

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 17-40 4L, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 70-200 2.8L I, Canon 85 1.8, Tiffen CPL, Yongnuo YN360, Einstein E640, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

Todd Grant's incredibly clean Hondas (TBC)

A few years back, when I was fully devoted to building Cinemauto and figuring out automotive videography, I was in search of more local builds that were unique and clean. Let's face it.. Wichita doesn't exactly have the most booming car scene. Outside of race cars and classic restorations, the culture in these parts is fairly milk toast. In a moment of sheer desperation, I took the advice of a couple friends that suggested I meet with a guy (Todd) who had two uber clean Honda builds. (It's not that I dislike Hondas or their fan base - but Fast & Furious didn't really do any favors for the community and our local Honda scene was already knee deep in clapped out sedans with stainless fart cannons, aluminum wings and neon gauges. Still can't imagine it? Pep Boys was our equivalent to The Racer's Edge.)

As luck would have it, Todd and I both ended up reaching out to one another simultaneously. He had seen some of the previous video work we'd done and I decided to live dangerously and gamble our future on the most common place cars around. Or so I thought. Upon actually meeting with Todd, I was swept away by some of the simplest, cleanest, most tastefully modified cars I'd ever laid eyes on.

The cars were gently lowered to a position that enhanced the existing body lines. They just looked like they were already on the move, and they were sitting perfectly still. The subtle addition of air dams, splitters, and rear lips ushered away all notions that these were the same daily driver your dad drove to work. And while I'd love to talk up his choice of wheels, Todd runs wheels on his cars like Sneakerheads run Jordan Ones. They're the best of the best and they're only on until he gets bored, when another set, even better than the last, tags them out for a brief intermission.

Anyway - for the folks interested in some backstory on his cars, here's a link to the video we did a couple years back. You'll notice that the Civic has already seen a few changes compared to my photos, and the Integra will likely look different once I'm done with that set!

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 85 1.8, Tiffen CPL, Yongnuo YN360, Einstein E640, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

Dear Super Street,

As a lover of import vehicles with style and speed, I've been a fan of your magazine since before I could drive. I'm from a part of the country where, back then, we had very little in the way of car culture. To be honest, aside from some beastly drag cars, we're still more of a truck culture around here. Your magazine was a window into a world I always wanted to be apart of. A place that I knew existed but just couldn't quite escape to.

Some twenty years later, still living in the bread basket of America, I'm still picking up issues of your magazine and dreaming. Though I'm older and more financially responsible these days, so I tell myself, I'm still pretty much just a spectator in the world of car building. While I love a good turnout at my local cars and coffee, and occasionally join my local VW enthusiast group for a monthly meal out, doing more than daily driving my car is still outside of my wheelhouse.

While builds still haven't become a huge part of my life, there is one part of your magazine that has truly resonated with me all of these years. The photographs. The images your photographers have created to share these incredible build stories with your fans are absolutely superb. It's hard to do these unique vehicles justice in just a handful of images, and yet your team manages to pull it off, time and time again. Your visual presence is where I first fell in love with your publication, and it's now where I dream to find myself within the automotive community.

In the last few years, I've focused my interest in car culture on documenting it. While I've still got much to learn, I'd love to share some photos with you of a local build that I think would be a perfect fit for your publication. (Heck, you've included a shot of his car in your events section in the past - so it's clearly up your alley.) It's a 1987 Volkswagen GTI, purchased 20 years ago by a high school freshman, that's been completely transformed.

Of all the car magazines out there, you are the one who introduced me to tuning style and culture. While I know your focus isn't primarily on European cars, I also know that you've included some truly exceptional European builds in the past. I ask that you consider this one for your magazine, and that you review the private gallery I've passed on to your editor. It would be a dream come true to see my friend's build in the pages of your publication - especially if it were my photos used to share it with your fans.

Update: They accepted my request and gallery! The feature was released in the special Euro issue, in July of 2019. You can see the story and photos on their site!

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS I, Einstein E640, Yongnuo YN-622C Triggers, Neewer Light Stand, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

Cars & Colors 2018 - The Shows

In late September, I returned to Telluride for the 4th Annual Festival of Cars & Colors. Much like last year, I was immediately swept away by the colorful trees, the incredible mountains, and all the beautiful cars. Even two days before the show, we happened to spot some really special stuff that was just out and about. That confirms just how special and unreal this place truly is.

This festival boasts a variety of activities for attendees over the course of 3 days - though it's worth it to show up a day early so you can register and join in on the free eats from local restaurants. Friday marks the launch of the festivities, with a morning meet up that shares everything you have to look forward to that day; information about the road rally, the poker run, the medallion hunt, and much more. Since the rally is my primary interest for the day, I can't speak to how awesome the rest of the events for that day are - but who wouldn't want to cruise through the San Juan Mountains with a variety of super cars, vintage race cars, and other fun luxury vehicles? The sights are worth the gas and the friends you meet along the way make the whole drive worthwhile.

We closed out Friday with a car show on Telluride's main drag, Colorado Avenue. It draws in spectators from all over the state, as well as the locals. Just when you think you've figured out what to expect at a show like this, you'll catch a curve ball here. While I'm not much of an event photographer, I did grab a shot my favorite three vehicles during the show.

Saturday kicks off with a free breakfast at the Telluride Airport. Have you ever had breakfast on the tarmac of an airport sitting over nine thousand feet above sea level? It's not a bad place to watch the sun rise over the mountains. And when you're finished, you're free to walk the ramp and check out the old warbirds display - including checking out the interiors and even signing up for a trip to the clouds inside one of the planes. Of course, if planes aren't your thing, you can swing into the hangar and get a preview of Saturday night's reception lineup. This year included a hyper car display and Danny Thompson's Challenger 2.

For those who are left wanting more, Saturday also offers an American Concours event located at the Telluride golf course. If you haven't been to a car show on the side of a mountain, I urge you to consider it. Between the cars and the views, you couldn't possibly be disappointed. If you think that's all, think again. The festival coordinators have also managed to pack in another car show back downtown on Colorado Avenue. Sure, you may catch some of the same vehicles spotted during last night's show - but there'll be plenty of other vehicles out on display, too.

Capping off the 3 day festival, Sunday's schedule puts attendees back out at the Telluride golf course for the International Concours event. All those fancy Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other European cars you've seen cruising around town the last few days? This is where you'll get a chance to see them up close and personal. And for the fans looking for things on two wheels, both days of the Colorado Ave show and Concours events include vintage and restored motorcycles.

I know this sounds like a great big, multi day car show and, to some, that may be all it is. However, for the folks who enjoy meeting new friends, sharing their passions, and traveling to incredibly beautiful places - this is it. The Telluride Festival of Cars & Colors is more than an automotive event. It's an experience. Something to share with friends, old and new. There is no place on earth like Telluride. Don't believe me? Come see for yourself at next year's show!

View the full gallery from the 4th Annual Telluride Festival of Cars & Colors.

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS I, Tiffen CPL, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

Lamborghini Countach (A Cars & Colors Set)

Event photography is literally my least favorite thing I've ever done. The hurdles you deal with are something that tend to push my patience past its limits. While some events are easier than others, such as car shows over social parties, I still stray from participating in these types of gigs. For those who love them and really thrive when they're surrounded by people and chaos - I commend you!

So - last month, when I attended Cars & Colors out in Telluride, I focused my efforts more on video. Capturing footage of people enjoying the cars and the cars in motion.. well, that's a different beast. However, there are occasions where I run across vehicles that I just can't pass up. Finding a Lamborghini Countach, with its doors CLOSED and not surrounded by other cars, is one of those occasions. The location wasn't ideal for a simple shoot and edit but, with a little masking and some fine tuning, it was a decent candidate for a background swap.

As I ran through edits on my first image and tried to identify a style I wanted, I stumbled across some retro wave music I hadn't listened to in a while. That got me thinking.. what if I aimed for retro tones and a dusk vibe? While I tend to lean more toward the warm edits, this direction felt like a good fit for the Countach.

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Tiffen CPL, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

Cars & Colors 2018 - The Rally

I was offered up the opportunity to head back out to Telluride again this fall to cover the Telluride Festival of Cars & Colors for the second year in a row. Though last year's trip pitted us against some rain and less than ideal outside conditions, this year promised nothing but sunshine and perfect temps. I hit up my buddy Jake, who recently picked up a Lexus SportCross, we talked out our plans, filled the sport wagon to the brim with gear, and didn't look back.

Day one of the festival kicked off with all the same activities as last year's event - a poker run, a car show on main street, and the Million Dollar Highway Road Rally. Of course, like most of these multi-day events, it's not possible to hit everything.. so I made the choice to focus on the rally this year. To be honest, the 240-mile rally was our key interest at this year's festival. Where else (in the U.S.) can you drive scenic mountain roads with some really amazing vehicles?

Since my main focus was videography this year, we spent about an hour building out a DIY camera car rig that would support my DJI Ronin. Since my primary objective was to get some great rolling footage during the rally, and to do it safely, this seemed like the best and most cost effective way to handle this. Though we encountered a few snags along the way, the overall set up worked as we'd hoped it would - and it looked pretty rad, too!

While the cars are the main draw for this event, I can't ever stop myself from taking a few landscape images along the way. This part of the country is truly one of the most incredible places you'll find. Getting to roam these roads with people you know and cars you love is kind of like a dream come true. The icing on the cake is having access to gear to help capture these moments so you can remember them and share them with others!

More photos from the event are coming soon!

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS, Tiffen CPL, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

A.P.E. Challenge: Cheap Car

I recently participated in a photography challenge posted by the Facebook group, "Automotive Photography education." In this challenge, participants were to go about the process of planning and photographing a cheap/ordinary vehicle. There had to be preproduction planning (location selection, time of day, lighting) as well as an artist's statement sharing this information. Also needed in the statement were settings and editing details. Here is what I came away with..

In an attempt to properly capture an ideal environment for today's Crossover vehicle, I decided to find a location that offered the attractive scenery of a road trip along with a family friendly event space. Working with a base model, I figured that the location should reflect a destination fitting of the owner's financial situation. Sure, they'll still go places and do things but perhaps those activities would be more budget friendly and less grandiose.

Having already planned to visit Colorado this month, I chose to do a little investigating via Google Maps. Happening across their rodeo grounds, with plenty of parking, and views along the horizon that helped sell the idea of adventure, I knew I had my spot. Coupling that with mild weather around sunset seemed like the best choice. A little texture in the sky from some clouds would help provide interest and color. The warm tones of golden hour would be ideal for creating a summer feel, selling the story, "It's OK to stay out late tonight. Tomorrow is the weekend."

I used the natural light provided by the sunset for my images. The camera (Canon 6D) was placed on a tripod, set to bracket for three exposures (-1.3, 0, +1.3), at F9 and ISO 100. I used a Canon 24-70L with a Tiffen CPL and did two turns resulting in six photos total. I shot these at approximately 50mm. I had two reasons for shooting at this focal length:

1. To reduce wide angle distortion on the vehicle.

2. To capture a wide enough image to produce a nice scene. I wanted to show an environment where the vehicle fit in without drowning it in the surrounding neighborhood or making it look like it's deep inside the mountains, off-roading.

After taking my photos, I ran them through Photoshop's Camera Raw to pull back highlights and bring up shadows a bit. I then opened all six images into Photoshop, layered and blended them manually to accentuate highlights and shadows where I wanted. My next step was color grading through a couple built in Photoshop LUT's and Gradient Maps. Once that was done, I pulled the image back into Camera Raw to crop, sharpen, and make a few small adjustments with contrast and clarity.

Unfortunately the rodeo grounds didn't have any events planned during my time in Colorado - a realization I came to once I arrived. While I wasn't able to capture the essence of the event location in use, a prime component of my plan, I do feel like the location was still a nice fit for the vehicle. That said, I should have been more prepared and come up with a contingency plan to avoid ending up in this kind of situation.

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Tiffen CPL, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

New lighting & new techniques.

Last year I started purchasing some online classes geared at automotive photography. At this point, it's the first time I've looked into education for improving my photography. While I've always been an avid researcher and learner, I've never looked into any sort of formal training. Considering the wealth of free information on the internet, it felt like a waste to pay for something I could likely find on YouTube or Google. Of course, obtaining a diagram for free isn't all that useful if you don't understand how to read it or use it.

After watching a couple classes on lighting cars, I decided it was time to consider adding some higher quality lights to my setup. For years I've been pretty happy with my Canon speedlights. They're portable, fairly powerful, and have worked for all the portrait endeavors I've been hired to shoot. That said, these small lights just can't match the light output of a studio quality strobe. They also aren't capable of bright, continuous output.

My first step was to research continuous lighting options so that I could try to improve my light painting game. While everyone involved in photography is familiar with the Wescott Ice Light, they're probably also familiar with its price tag. As someone who mainly does personal projects and very little paid automotive work, I didn't feel like spending that kind of money. After doing a little digging, I ran across the Yongnuo YN360. It was affordable, had pretty solid reviews, and there were plenty of example images of this being used in automotive work. Add to cart.

Then, just a couple months later, a friend reached out to me about his Einstein 640 strobe. He changed platforms a couple years back and just wasn't shooting much anymore. Having borrowed his strobe in the past to shoot some outdoor portraits, I knew it was capable of battling even the brightest of sunny conditions. Since I'd recently purchased a class on using a single strobe to light an entire car, this felt like fate. Sold.

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Tiffen CPL, Yongnuo YN360, Einstein E640, Yongnuo YN622C II, Sunpak Tripod, Custom Tube Guard Light

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop

The Wichita Chief

Last weekend, as I was driving through our small but attractive downtown area, I noticed quite a variety of unique vehicles cruising around. Spring weather does seem to bring out some of the best eye candy in town. During this trip, I happened to catch an incredibly interesting looking truck out of the corner of my eye. We passed each other underneath a train bridge, making it hard to fully process what I'd just seen. Were there multiple vehicles? Perhaps it was a custom limo? I hadn't a clue but also didn't have time to turn around and investigate further.

Not too worried about it, as my neck of the woods really isn't that big, I continued home. Since I spend a decent amount of time attending local automotive events and photographing cars, I figured I'd run across it again sooner rather than later. Sure enough, I happened across the vehicle and its owner the following afternoon. Determined not to lose out again, I began the pursuit.

After paralleling the owner for a couple blocks, I was able to make my way back to him at a stoplight. Window down and all smiles, he was eating up all the honks, waves and support being fed his way. Who wouldn't? Thankfully our lights downtown are unnecessarily long and, after what felt like 10 minutes, I got his attention. With nothing but a DSLR in hand and a shrug behind the wheel, he smiled, motioned to a nearby parking lot, and it was a date.

Over the last few years I've really grown in the photos I take. I've spent a lot more time scouting locations, setting times to work with the best possible light, and networking with people to try and make bigger things happen. Of course, none of that matters when you happen across an opportunity like this and it's a last minute thing. The only thing you can do to prepare for a situation like this is to have your gear with you at all times, and know how to make the most out of a less than ideal situation.

So, making due with what I had, I snapped a few angles of this crazy looking truck, had the owner give me the rundown on what exactly it was I was looking at, and promptly zoned out during his spiel. You see, that's the thing about being hyper focused on something you love.. It's really, really hard to split your attention. Instead of coming away with some great photos and the details to share about what you're looking at, I got some random snaps in a parking lot and virtually no backstory to accompany them. I realized this truck deserved more than that so, after consulting with some other local photographers about backdrops, I dove into my old archives and dug up some scenic shots from western Kansas.

Here's what I can remember about the truck: The owner, Monty, has only recently finished the vehicle up enough to get it out on the road. When I ran across him, he was practicing driving something with such a long front end. He's actually a sculptor, which is where much of the inspiration comes from on this truck. Almost every panel is handcrafted by him. He calls it, "The Wichita Chief," and it's meant to be considered a rat rod. It's not done yet! He's got plans to add in some arrow head details along the front and a coat of clear to keep it from rusting. It's built on a truck chassis. I believe he said the cab is from an old Dodge pick up. And that's pretty much it..

Gear: Canon 6D, Canon 24-70 2.8L, Tiffen CPL, Yongnuo YN360, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Camera Raw & Adobe Photoshop