In July, we spent the evening at Rock n Ribs, the three-day American-themed festival at the Bath & West Show Ground in Somerset. This wasn’t a paid job. When there are American classic cars and bikes on show, we’re always going to take a camera, and the smokehouse BBQ was a welcome bonus.
Days like this let us combine two things we love, classic cars and photography. They’re also a good chance to practise our skills away from client work and add some fresh images to our portfolio.
Photographing classic cars at a busy show takes patience. There are people everywhere, cars parked close together and reflections on every panel. We spent time walking round each car before we took a shot, looking for the angle that showed off its lines without a crowd or a gazebo in the background. Getting low often helped, and so did coming back to a car when the crowd around it had moved on.
The chrome was the biggest challenge. Bumpers, grilles and badges reflect everything around them, including the photographer. We moved around until the reflections worked for the picture rather than against it, and used the bright summer light to make the paintwork and chrome stand out. Close-up detail shots of badges, wheels and interiors were some of our favourites from the day.
The bikes gave us something different to work with. We picked out the engines, tanks and handlebars, and the people who’d clearly put a lot of hours into keeping them looking that good. There was plenty more going on too, from the vehicle parade to the monster trucks, which gave us practice at capturing moving subjects as well.
Taking our cameras to events like Rock n Ribs keeps us sharp. The skills we practise on a show field carry straight into our paid work, whether that’s car photography, event photography or filming for businesses across Taunton, Somerset, Devon and the South West.
If you run a car show, festival or event, or you have a classic car you’d like photographed, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
