I am a big fan of going to car shows, but they are always a challenge to photograph due to how close cars are parked together, and of course people walking all around them. For that reason, I usually bring a 50mm lens and focus on getting detail shots. This time, I decided to bring my new Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master lens so I could still get wide shots, but also shallow depth of field to make the busy car show background start to disappear. Like everything I have used this lens for, I really liked the results. The Park in the Park Car Show in Rio Rancho was celebrating its 20th anniversary with over 300 cars, all of which had to be 35 years or older, which is just fine with me as anything newer than that is not classic in mind.
In 2020 I visited the Art Cartopia Museum in Trinidad, Colorado where I was treated to views of the most creatively decorated cars you can imagine. One year later I was back in Trinidad, and just happened to be there the very day that these cars and many more took part in ArtoCade ArtCar Festival 2021. Seeing the cars out in broad daylight and in motion is a very different experience than seeing them parked in a dimly lit museum. This was the way these artcars were intended to be seen! After the parade, they parked on the closed off main street so you could go and get a closer look and see all the details that went into making each car a unique expression of automotive art in motion!
BMW car photography for Bring A Trailer in Albuquerque
Bring A Trailer contacted me about photographing a local client’s BMW Z4 M right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being a passionate BMW M3 owner myself, I was extra excited for the opportunity to make great car auction photos of a BMW. I met the owner, Eric, at a location near the Tramway Station for the shoot. It was a real pleasure to get to know Eric over the course of the shoot. The Z4 M not surprisingly photographed very well with its timeless design and silver color. Thank you to Eric and Bring A Trailer for this car photography opportunity right here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Local for National BMW Car Photography in Albuquerque
Our local BMW CCA chapter will be featured in the upcoming national BimmerLife Magazine with a theme of youth for the feature. So I met two of the youngest members of the club on Tramway at sunset time to make a series of roller car photos to be the highlight images for that article. It was actually my very first time to attempt this kind of shot. I was kneeling backwards in a convertible BMW Z4 to get these shots and at times did not feel the most stable! It was a good learning experience and I was glad to be able to at least get these shots to send to the magazine for the feature. Thanks to Shiv, Rob, Christina, and Dan for a team effort in creating this car roller shots.
Electric Car Photography with a Porsche Taycan in downtown ABQ
Julia was my very last client of 2020 visiting the JCP Home Studio for a business headshot. She recently contacted me again for a very different type of photography, car portraits for her stepdad, Mark. I always really appreciate when clients continue to choose me as their photographer. I went and scouted a location for the car photography shoot in downtown Albuquerque. Mark drove up in his Porsche Taycan Turbo in a stunning "frozen blue" color. This is Porsche's first fully electric vehicle to rival the likes of the Tesla Model S. It is no secret I wish I could be exclusively a car photographer, so I really enjoy the chances I do get to photograph a car like this, with Mark in many of the shots for creative car portraits too! Thank you Julia and Mark for choosing me as your car photographer!
Electric Car Photography for Bonhams in Santa Fe New Mexico
If I could do nothing but car photography I would! So whenever I get the chance to photograph a car, especially for Bonhams, I am always grateful and excited for the chance. This time for Bonhams I went up to Santa Fe to photograph a Tesla Model S P100D. The seller had a spectacular mountain background view right on his property for photographing the car on. If you like this car, get your bid in now!
The Unofficial Photographer for the BMW Club and more!
Besides being a full-time professional photographer (since 2009), I am often the official or unofficial photographer for every group I belong too. Such is the case for the BMW Car Club of New Mexico. I enjoy these unofficial photographer titles because I like to contribute to the groups I belong to. Even during the pandemic, the BMW club organized many Covid-19 safe destination drives to points all over New Mexico. I of course always bring my camera with me, and sometimes the drone too. These photos go out in the club newsletter, and twice a year it’s a personal highlight to see some of those photos in physical print in the Bimmer Life Magazine. Thanks to Dan and other club members for writing the great copy in the magazine, even though I was incorrectly credited for both the writing and the photos.
