2019 was a busy year for me. In addition to re-starting Midwest Automotive, I took multiple cross country road trips to Yellowstone, Colorado, Nashville, and Charleston. I finished the modifications to my Mustang, did some burnouts, and started planning for my first track day. To say that it was a busy year for car related topics would be an understatement. But I did manage to get some shooting done too. Below are my 10 (or 11) favorite images from 2019.
1. Andrew Schulte | Gridlife Midwest 2019
I have been working on my panning shots the last two years. Almost each time I go out I add another portfolio shot to my gallery, and it has been extremely motivating. This one from Gridlife Midwest is my newest favorite. 300mm, and some of the slowest shutter speeds I have experimented with. The blue of the wall/sky, the green of the grass, and the pink of the car all came together perfectly.
2. Andrew Cook | 240sx Paint
It was such a difficult decision for me on which photo would take my #1 spot. The drifting photo is my favorite action shot, but this may be my favorite photo I have ever taken. I would put money on it that in 5 years this will be my favorite image ever taken. But for now, it sits firmly at #2. After years of hanging with friends and working on cars together, I decided it was timeto take it serious and photograph some work being done. When Cook decided he was going to finally do the bodywork on his car, I asked to photograph the process. I grabbed a bunch of photos that will eventually end up in a story here on the site, but this is without a doubt my favorite image of the weekend. Once the full story comes out, you will see how beautiful the car looks. But the low angle, the concentration in the eyes, the shallow DOF, and the banner/toolbox in the back being covered in plastic makes this garage paint job photo just perfect in my eyes.
3. Zach Noble | Supercharged 1LE
I love photographing white cars. Especially with my shooting style of long, compressed images at dusk, they just punch out of the photo. The new Camaro has a bodyline half way up the door that really helps to put a sharp, defined shadow on the door that really looks great in photos. This story was recently released here on the website, and although the shoot was a quick 30 min, a few stunners appeared with the sunlight coming through the trees in the background. This particualr photo has less sunflare, but I felt it was the cleanest of the images becuase of it. In reality, 2-3 different shots from this shoot could be swapped out here, but this is my choice.
4. Cong Nghiem | Evo VIII
Have I mentioned that I love shooting white cars? If my Mustang wasn’t black, it would have been white. There is just something about a clean white car. This shot of Cong’s Evo is one that I have always seen people shoot but never quite could figure out myself. However, after picking up a 35mm F1.i lens for the first time, I started holding the camera well over my head (roughly 7ft high) and using live view to frame. I have done this with a few shoots recently, but this Evo photo stood out from the rest. The bright white paint contrasts the dark asphalt, the ultra clean headlights really pop and the lime green wheels throws a bit of contrast into the image. The remainder of the images from this shoot will be coming in a future article coming late January, but this quick teaser photo from the shoot did make my list of favorite shots of the year.
5. Stephen Uecker | Hellcat
This is the image that made me buy a 35mm F1.4 lens. For years I have seen people posting awesome 35mm lens photo and always enjoyed the perspective and the DOF that you get at 1.4 in this focal length. Never having had the chance to try one myself, I just never really enjoyed using my 24-70 at 35mm and F2.8. But I then got a chance to use Benjamin Marten’s Sigma 35mm Art lens during this shoot, and I fell in love. I was worried that I wouldn’t know how to frame images at this wide of a focal length, but this image is what sealed the deal. The Hellcat is my favorite car in my group of friends, and the front end is my favorite part of the car. That SRT logo and the opening for the air intake is just awesome. When the lights are on and the yellow “Eye” looks back at you, it just has a presence about it. The combo of the car and the significance of this photo convincing me to buy and start using a 35mm lens is what makes this appear on the list.
6. Andrew Cook | 240sx Shoot
This is the final result of the photo at #2 in this list. I love the darkness of the photo, the rust on the handrail, the bright white window sticker, the slight incline of the loading ramp. This complete shoot will be on the website later this winter, along with the painting progress photos and a few early shots. This may not be one of my best technical photos of the group, but becuase of the car it is, it undoubtably makes my top 10.
7. Carbon NSX | Road America
This photo is on this list simply becuase I love the contrast. The unsual angle, the contrast between the gold and the carbon, and the asphalt below. I personally don’t know much about the car, but I loved the look. I know the “JDM” angle thing is a hot topic among some, but for this image I think it works.
8. Photographers in the Snow
This is a combo spot. The photo on the left was taken during the Steel Shoe Fund motorcycle races. I know it’s not strictly automotive, but I love the way the other riders are out of focus in the background, and the photographer is in the traditional shooting pose with the rider mounting his bike right in front of him. The photo on the right is during the Gridlife Ice Battle during January of this past year. After taking the photo on the left a few weeks earlier, I knew I wanted to get another of a photographer alone in the snow. After shooting cars all day in the below 0* weather, this shot came up and I took it. I enjoy it becuase it gives the feeling of solitude, one thing that most photographers deal with but many outsiders don’t realize. All of the time spent driving to shoots, and especially editing photos can leave the photographer feeling alone and wondering if it is all worth it. This photo speaks to me in that regard, and I felt that it deserved a spot (a shared one albeit) on my list.
9. Brandon Deuster | Airlift Subaru
Being able to shoot Brandon’s car was a pleasure. I don’t get many chances to shoot the popular Air/Fitment setup cars and I wish I shot more. This is the same spot that Brandon shot my Mustang when it was stock, so I thought it was cool to shoot it where he shot mine. In this photo I like the tall dead grass in front of the car and the setting sun. Oh, and did I mention I like shooting white cars?
10. My Mustang
This isnt one of my favorite images of the year, But this is most likely my favorite image of my Mustang that I have taken. For the first 3-4 months I had the car done, I dont think I even shot a single photo of it with the DSLR. However I knew I would regret it, so I started snapping a few here and there. While waiting for a friend to show up and shoot his car, I snapped a few photos of the Mustang. I need to find the perfect lighting situation as I really do hate shooting black cars. Even this photo I am not really happy with, but it is the best of it yet, and that makes it onto this list.
