A photographer for almost 35 years, Chris has a unique way of choosing his subjects, he finds beauty and interest in unexpected ways.
Sometimes when I go out to shoot I know exactly what I want to capture (or try to capture). I have in my mind’s eye the lines, shapes, textures that I’m looking for, or I have an idea of the idea I want to express. Other times, I just go out to shoot whatever happens to be in front of me.
This day I went to an outdoor car show. I’ve been to indoor car shows, but I prefer the more natural lighting of the sun, even the harsh noonday sun. There are several options when shooting a car show, and many people choose to shoot entire cars. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s just not my style. I prefer to shoot details. When I find a car (or truck or motorcycle) I like, I spend some time evaluating the car and reflecting on my interest. “Why did this car catch my attention?” Usually I’m drawn because of some small detail of the car. This particular vehicle stood out to me, in all the right ways. In the midst of a car show full of completed projects with shiny paint and perfectly smooth bodies, I discovered this project-in-process, covered in primer.
When I first shot it I didn’t have any processing in mind. There were too many other surprises to discover. But once I started, the processing sort of evolved into this. The darker I made the background and corners, the more it seemed obvious they needed to be completely dark. I spent a lot of time on this, much more time than I usually spend, blacking out the edges and between the lines of the grill. Because this car is a work in progress, the surface had a lot of defects - and I healed every one of them. I think the result allows my attention to focus on the beautiful lines and curves of a classic car. I like the contrast of shapes: rectangles in the hood, the circles of the headlights, and the long lines of the grill. I like the contrast of sharp lines and soft lines which seem to work together perfectly.