My First Photo Shoot
Most of those that know me know that my interest in automotive photography began during a high-school project. Our assignment was to combine two things we enjoyed and see what we came up with. I enjoyed cars and photography so automotive photography came to mind very quickly. When I got home I went on different car forums and found several local owners with exotic cars. I sent out dozens of messages asking owners if they could take an hour or so out of their busy schedule to help me out. I had no experience, no previous work to show, not even a decent camera to use! I quickly recieved a response from a Ferrari owner who unfortunately could not do a shoot but had a good friend who would be willing to help out. He told me to come to Nashville Cars and Coffee that same weekend and we could set it up.
A few days later I met up with the guy I had talked to online and he introduced me to the owner I would be doing the photo shoot with. To my amazement, the car I would be shooting was a Lamborghini LP640. The car was painted in an incredible color called Grigio Telesto (Battleship Gray). I looked over the car for several minutes, not believing my luck. Although I did not think it could get any better, it did. A Lamborghini LP560, in a matching Grigio Telesto color, pulled up and to me suprise was friends with the owner of the other Lamborghini I was going to shoot. They asked if we could do the shoot of the two cars together, and of course I agreed!
We left to go to the location for the shoot and couldn't stop looking in my rear view mirror, seeing both cars following me every turn I made. I think that was the moment I realized that I really wanted this to be more than a hobby! We got to the location and I had the cars positioned in several different ways and made some individual shots. In my mind the shoot could have not gone any better!
Looking back several years later it is funny how things turned out after. I continued to take car photos and have made a sort of career out of it. The owner that let me shoot his LP640 later became one of the people I currently work for and that very same Lamborghini later became the first Lamborghini I ever drove. Looking back I think the location for that first shoot was terrible and I have never used the location since. At the time though, I was just too inexperienced and overwhelmed to know any different. However, I would not have changed anything because that shoot paved the way to do what I love every week. "If you love your job, you will never work a day in your life!"
If you would like to see my very first shoot, CLICK HERE
