Most photographers probably started out their careers shooting things they wanted to shoot. Shooting it the way they liked to shoot it and ended up with just the images they wanted to get. I know I did. We’re ofcourse learning all the time, experimenting and often failing to get what we had in mind. For me personally, this proces taught me everything I know about photography. As soon as the hobby turns into a job though, all that changes.
Shooting for clients often comes with briefs and fulfulling demands. In my experience, people often have a clear idea of what they want and ask the photographer to deliver just that. Sometimes it’s a challenge bringing these whishes to life, in a good way. In other instances, I just don’t agree with clients. Those are often the instances where clients are used to be in control of every aspect of their business. This is ofcourse a good thing, but when hiring an expert it’s sometimes wise to use the expertise they bring. In all honesty, this is something I’ve learned in the process of creating this website myself. I had ideas, I had wishes and I was stubborn at first. But I’m very happy that I listed to my webdevelopper and ended up with something a little different but in the end far better than what I had in mind.
Don’t get me wrong, photography as a profession is different from only taking pictures as a hobby and I love it. Working within briefs to bring ideas to life and meet demands add challenging aspects. Those challenges make every job a new experience and interesting. It also results in knowledge and experience that help me do a better job for clients that don’t have briefs but hire me to improve on their branding. Every once in a while though, private owners want some shots of their pride and joy. Different from other jobs, with these photoshoots I can often go all out and do exactly what I want. That’s exactly how the series I want to tell about today came to be.
The first time I met the owner of this car was in the streets of my than home town. He told me he owned an AC Cobra replica and invited me to his home to take some pictures of it. Years later, he gave me a call telling me he had a new car and wanted me to come shoot it. The car turned out to be a stunning Shelby Daytona Coupe replica by Superformance. He had no demands, just that we’d do something special. I offered to tell a story about a barnfind in a short series of just 5 photos, that would take a full day to shoot. He agreed to this fitting concept and after we set the date, the work could begin. I took out a full day to scout for locations, asking locals to see the properties I came across and writing everything down. Pages of adresses, contact details, location sketches and sun positions lead to the final planning.
The Barnfind Story:
The photos were going to tell the story of a barnfind. Finding a rare car stored in a barn and forgotten about untill it someone unexpectedly stumbled upon it. Although this Daytona Coupe was a replica, to the detail I must add, the real deal is such a rare and expensive car that this concept was a perfect fit. We told this story in just five images. The first two images show finding the car in a backyard barn and admiring it from every possible angle. The third image shows taking the car outside into the sunlight for the first time, showing off the sleek lines of the Coupe. Taking the car for a spin to see how it runs and to hear the impressive sound of the V8 engine was visualized in the fourth image. The fifth and final image depicts checking up the car to see the technical state of the car and what’s needed to bring it back to pristine condition. Both the owner and myself were very happy with the outcome of this project. I hope you are too. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions for me.
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