Hot Rod Photography
Recently I had the fun and exciting opportunity to attend a local Hot Rod Show at Lake Merced, CA. What a great setting. The Hot Rod Clubs were allowed to park their cars all around the lake’s perimeters near access roads and in other locations in the park area!
With the lake as a background and the subdued lighting, the stage was set. I took advantage of morning light and cool air conditions and showed up at the show at 9:00 in the morning. By that time there were several hundred cars carefully placed in the park and around the lake. Each owner was his own showman and had his own way of presenting his custom hot rod in all of its glory.
The grass was green and the lighting on the lake waters was subtle and soft! Great pictures were just begging to be taken. So, with my Nikon D-80 in hand and my 28mm to 55mm wide angle lens and my 55mm to 200 mm telephoto I proceeded to collect groups of digital photos throughout the park. I tried numerous settings and utilized the on board flash and supplemented with Nikons SB-400 Flash unit.
I reviewed the positions of each hot rod and shot each with the thought in mind that I would take advantage of the 55mm to 200mm zoom lens to capture strong angles and alternative views. Wow, was I pleased! This walk in the park really excited me and took me back to the days when I used to race a 66 Chevy Malibu at a quarter mile track in Stockton, CA. Those were the days – Muscle Cars Ruled!
You can also see an article here on racing car photography.
I was able to shoot cars under varying light conditions and many varying light reflective conditions too! Sometimes a flash was appropriate and sometimes natural lighting was the answer! I found myself utilizing the 55 to 200mm zoom most of the time to vary the close-ups and squeeze in those cool engine compartments and all the goodies!
After the day in the park, I returned 
home to download all 500 photos that I had taken and make a few lighting and contrast adjustments. As my daughter used to say Viola! I found my-self transported back in time and enjoyed every minute!
Should you find that this opportunity avails itself to you and it tickles your imagination, go for it. Take your digital camera, SD Memories, Flash or flashes, tripod, wide angle lens, and don’t forget the tele lens for those unforgettable close-ups! Your will find yourself enjoying a day of creative shooting and all of those works of art that the men & women of the world of Hot Rods have slaved over and invested significant dollars in producing eye appealing, ground pounding machines for all to enjoy!
Remember, that this is the opportunity to share your love of photography with those enthusiasts and Hot Rod owners who would really appreciate a picture or two of the love of their life. Their Hot Rods! Men of Iron – Machines of speed and excitement. You may find a few customers flocking around you for copies of your final products.
Contribution by David Corn
More qualified tips on simply bettering your photography techniques
Kathy in NH
Two years ago I took a lot of shots at the Barrington, NH Antique Truck Show, then for the past two years I have set up a vendor booth at the show. The first year it rained most of the day so only the diehards came out, but last year turned out to be the best show I have ever done. They had 440 vehicles attend the event.
You’re so right in shooting these events. These vehicle owners absolutely love their cars and will turn out to be big buyers of your photos. I had one owner order 40 note cards of his 2 vehicles and just last week he came to me for another 15 note cars of another view. He also wants me to take more shots of some other vehicles he has, but wants to wait a couple more weeks when the fall foliage is peak in his area. I strongly advise people to take advantage of these events if they can, well worth the time and effort. Happy shooting.
Kathy in NH
September 25th, 2007 at 5:38 amDave Corn
I didnt take the time to get individual owner names and pass out cards. I was just having too much fun photographing the multitude of hot rods. More can be seen on http://www.flickr.com
September 25th, 2007 at 7:59 pmmy site name there is photobud606. I shot over 500 photos that morning! I was a busy camper that morning!
Dave Corn
Dan Boughen
“…I didn’t take the time to get individual owner names and pass out cards. I was just having too much fun photographing the multitude of hot rods. ”
That reminds me..
I shot the 2007 Langley BC Cruise in, and took over 100 pics, and the cars were amazing. I recently started promoting my website by giving out shots with my logo/website address on it, but was told I had to have some permissions from the car owner.
Can you shed some light on this, or dispell it altogether?
I always thought that since i took the shot, the copyright was mine alone.
Dan
October 4th, 2007 at 2:39 pmScott Clark
As far as the copyright is concerned, they are your photos since you took them. You can do whatever you want with them as long as they aren’t used for a commercial purpose. If you plan on using them commercially, you’ll need a property release from the owner. There are some legal grey areas as to exactly how “commercial use” is defined, so you might want to do more research on your particular use…
October 31st, 2007 at 12:22 am