not too many

[c0ntr0lz]

car/hot rod photographers out there
is there a market for it or not

doing a search on google and you don't see to many people out there doing it for a living.
is that cause they have a wide range of things they shoot to draw in more money/work, or cause they just think it's lame just to shoot cars?

just wondering where the rest of the people like me are.

[eric1]

i would think with all the car clubs out there it would be easy to sell potos. maybe try approaching the clubs. i knew one guy in a club, he hooked me up with about 10 people $30 bucks a pop. easy money.

[c0ntr0lz]

yeah that's the plan
i'm just not sure why there's not someone that EVERYONE knows for car photography
like all the famous fashion, sports and swimsuit photographers out there.

[Aylwin]

I don't think there's such a huge audience for car photography that someone would actually be famous for it. If you really want to specialize in this and do it professionally, I'd imagine that your main source of income would be magazines. As mentioned, car clubs may be another source. They might use your photos for promotional material, newsletters, etc. Individuals might pay for nice photos of their cars but I don't see this as a regular thing.

[eric1]

i think there are photogs like that, but they're woking for mags, and advertising. no reason why you can't work the club members, and make a stack of jack. who wouldn't want a GOOD pic of they're fine ride?

[Persian-Rice]

controlz, I actually have several friends who asked me to photograph their car's a couple weeks ago. The best thing to do is go to these ricer shows or other car events and hand your card out to those owners who look like they have invested a lot of time and money, most of them want nice car portraits, but nobody approaches them.

Cheers.

[c0ntr0lz]

those are my plans guys

i will be the GOD of car photography!!!
MUHAHAHAHAHAHHAH!!!

yeah that's why i started designing the busi card, to hand out at the car shows. now i need to start producing the portfolio to hand out to the mags

:D in due time, in due time

[Andy_T]

controlz, I actually have several friends who asked me to photograph their car's a couple weeks ago.

Do post some pics!

Best regards,
Andy

[CoolToolGuy]

One of the problems with car photography is there are so many different tangents - do you do racing photography, and if so what type - race cars like the ones people drive (Trans-Am, SCCA) or specific racecars (LeMans, Formula cars). Then there are show cars, custom cars, street rods, yadda, yadda, yadda. Unless you are doing specific events or a single type, you will need a pretty large portfolio to cover all the bases.

If you want to see some interesting racing photography that is not all cars check here: http://www.jessealexander.com/
Jesse Alexander is one of the most famous racing photographers ever published.

Hope this helps.

Have Fun,

[c0ntr0lz]

thanks for the link
and i'm more into show cars

:D

[Vegas Poboy]

I do Cars & Karts @ the local track & it is a back & forth business it can be done and the ones who pays the most is the drivers. Make sure you get photo release (property) & if they plan on submitting thier photos to any publications you get the credits. It is easier for them to submit photos than you. Car clubs is a great way to get started & some type of website is a great way to have a portfolio. Pbase or one of the other sites until you build your own.
Good Luck

[CoolToolGuy]

thanks for the link
and i'm more into show cars

:D

Try hooking up with the promoters of the shows. Many times one promoter will run a series (or several series). Do some web searching on 'custom car show' or similar, and then try backing into it by finding out who the promoter is.

On a local level, look around for the local events and get in touch with the car club or sanctioning organization that is putting it on. If you plan to be there, take out an ad in the program or become a vendor. If you hook up with a national organization like a Corvette club you may be able to make a name for yourself.

One tip: if you can provide 'on the spot' prints, I think your sales will go up, even if you also provide after-the-fact products.

Have Fun,

[iwatkins]

Of course a lot of car photography comes under the "Product Photography" arena. fair bit of money to be made but there again fairly expensive to do (i.e. dedicated studio, lots of lights, lots of other gear).

Examples below:

Cheers

Ian


http://www.asrv84.dsl.pipex.com/Type25/Studio/aggresive-front-800.jpg

http://www.asrv84.dsl.pipex.com/Type25/Studio/interior-800.jpg

http://www.asrv84.dsl.pipex.com/Type25/Studio/spoiler-800.jpg

[eric1]

i like those Ian, very appealing shots.

[Aylwin]

Very nice, Ian!

I don't believe product photography of cars is what controlz has in mind though. Although making the photos look like product shots might be a good idea.

Another potential group of clients: custom car shops. Shops that do mods, paint jobs, etc. will want nice photos of their work. They'll use these photos mainly for advertising (magazines, brochures...). They can also have large prints made and hang them on the walls of their shop. Controlz, this will be good advertising for you too, especially if you have your signature or credit on the photos.

[c0ntr0lz]

thanks yall
cool tool guy that's a good idea
the yellow rose show is a big show here in DFW and i might be able to talk to my friend that helps set it up and see if i can get the name of the promoter. about the prints, i'm thinking of producing a small book of photos about 5x7 shots and walk around with it, cause alot of these guys aren't on the net to see the site.

Vegas already have mine thanks :D

Ian now that's what i'm talking about, once i get going, that's what i want to do.

Aylwin that's a great idea too, hit up the shops that have a bit more money than the regular ol joe and shoot some shots for them.