Inspirations: O. Winston Link – Film Photographer
Inspirational Photographer: O. Winston Link
Website:http://www.linkmuseum.org/
Location: USA
Genre: Locomotive
O’ Winston Link (December 16, 1914 – January 30, 2001) was a commercial photographer who on the side had a passion for photographing steam trains.
(Photograph by O. Winston Link)
During his prime period of the 50’s, he experimented with creative lighting to create some amazing studio styled lighting on these steam trains and the result was magnificent. He somehow put these vehicles in the spotlight and recreated them into highly artistic pieces of machinery. The quality found in these photos is overwhelming even in today’s standards and I personally find them highly inspirational.
As this was roughly 60 years ago, Link needed many assistants to achieve his desired lighting and with film cameras the pressure was always on to achieve the perfect frame. Because unlike digital cameras there are a limited amount of photos (large format film photographers usually carry enough film for about ten photographs) that can be taken, which makes the planning and execution so much more important.
(Photograph by O. Winston Link)
This level of planning and leadership demonstrated by O. Winston Link is something I find highly inspiring for working as a photography assistant or being the photographer. Unlike today where we have histograms, memory cards and .raw files the photographers of old really had to know their skills like a science.
Besides that, the work he has created is just amazing, the level of detail captured is something you essentially never get to see and the surprising thing is that these photos are over half a century old. People who think that digital is better in every way compared to film should view his work, and compare it because in my opinion these photographs still have not been beaten.
You can only view high resolution images of his work hosted on flickr photo-streams. Please follow the link to check them out, they are truly amazing.
Click Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4573733184/
References:
First Image:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/OW_Link%2C_Hotshot_Eastbound.jpg
Second Photo:
http://www.rgusrail.com/vaowlm.html
Flickr Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/4573733184/
Book:
Garver, Tom, O. Winston Link: the Man and the Museum, O. Winston Link Museum, Virginia, 2004.
Inspirations: Matthew Everingham – Automotive Photographer
Inspirational Photographer: Matthew Everingham
Website:www.mattheweveringham.com/
Location: Sydney, Australia
Genre: Automotive
(Photograph by Matthew Everingham for Street Machine Magazine)
Matthew Everingham is an up-and-coming photographer in Sydney, who has personally mentored me over the years with important photography tips and tricks. It has been invaluable information to receive and is fantastic to see his suggested skills be implemented in his photographs.
Outside of his day job, Everingham spends his time running his business and passion of automotive photography, whether its a private shoot, social event, or motorsport event he will usually be there in his Mitsubishi Evo shooting as many cars as he can see.
(Matthew’s self portrait of his Mitsubishi Evolution)
He has recently reached some important goals for his success from being published in Street Machine and 9TRO (automotive magazine in Malaysia and Singapore). He states about the Australian auto-culture:
“It’s a great compliment not just to my work but to the whole Australian Automotive Scene! Sure a lot of our recipes for success are based on imported platforms like Nissans, Toyotas and even Mercs and BMW’s but one thing that’s noticeable across the scene when you step back and compare internationally is that Australians have a unique style and our own brand of ingenuity that gets applied to Aussie modded vehicles.”
It is a great achievement to being published internationally and is something I personally dream of achieving one day myself. To know that your work is appealing to an audience around the world is something that must give a sense of satisfaction.
Everingham uses a range of lighting techniques for his automotive photographs. These include studio lights, reflectors and also light-painting (my favourite). His images can incorporate a wide-variety of these lighting techniques in one shot which is followed by some Photoshop manipulation to create some stunning photographs.
I have personally gained some big tips from Everingham about my own work and in-particular helping me learn much better light-painting skills, which took from to a completely different level or lighting skill-something I am very thankful for.
(Photo Matthew Everingham took for 9TRO magazine of a R34 Skyline)
Everingham has extensive experience with shooting motorsport events, something I have never done personally (but hope to) his work captures some amazing images that surprise me how good they are. His images are astounding, especially considering these are event photographs, yet somehow the lighting and quality of these images seem near-studio quality. Personally, Everingham has set the bar for motorsport photography.
(Motorsport Photo by Matthew Everingham)
Matthew Everingham is an amazing photographer and growing bigger by the day. Social media is spreading his work around the world at an incredibly fast rate gaining him ever-growing renown. His work to me is very inspiring and and it much appreciated the tips and advice he has given me over the years.
References:
Matthew Everingham’s website:
www.mattheweveringham.com/
Matthew Everingham’s Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/mattheweveringhamphotography
Inspirations: Easton Chang – Automotive Photographer
Inspirational Photographer: Easton Chang
Website: http://www.eastonchang.com/
Location: Australia
Genre: Automotive / Commercial
Photographs by Easton Chang 2012
Easton Chang is in my opinion the definitive commercial automotive photographer. Chang is in such demand now that he no longer shoots ‘private cars’ and works strictly on a commercial level shooting for automotive magazines internationally and has access to shooting the dream cars such as Lamborghini’s and other super-car vehicles. This is a dream I hope to achieve myself one day.
Chang doesn’t just create a pretty picture that the specific driver would appreciate; he actually creates a photo that has universal appeal and appreciation. Each image captures a mood and creates a real sense of spirit of what each specific car was built for.
Chang uses digital format cameras and performs the majority of his photos inside a studio or using an on-location studio set-up. This gives Chang many creative possibilities; he also uses a ‘rig’ (an extension arm that attaches to a car and captures vehicles with motion blur but keeps vehicle perfectly sharp). This creates the feeling of speed, and gives these images extra excitement.
Easton Chang is a self taught photographer, who in an interview with speedhunters.com said, “I started out on online photography communities and forums where I could anonymously post my work and receive real world feedback.” This idea is a very smart one, being able to take criticism is tough and by posting work up anonymously will lead to more raw and harsh comments; which are vital tools for learning.
Criticism of automotive photography is hard as each client has a vision of their ‘dream photo’ of their car. Each client may have a radically different style-request than what you are used to doing or were planning to do prior to arriving at the shoot. Some may want light streaks on their car, some don’t and some want a totally different location.
What is tough is gaining your confidence and professionalism, Chang states in the same interview that, “I literally had to be pushed by a photographer I had met on a forum and coached me into being confident enough to send my work to magazines.”
At university a photography student must endure a lot of ‘wanky nonsense’ related to their work in their photographic series. Therefore it is such a relief to shoot something simple such as cars, or anything commercial that does not need to have a story or message. However, Chang states, “I learnt that you can’t conceive images on an individual basis, but as an entire set or story layout,” which I found fascinating to hear. A professional photographer of his calibre, Easton is still imagining the story behind the series he is shooting. He does this amazingly with the mood he captures in his images, which follow through in each particular series.
Magazine briefs is something Chang discusses in his interview informing readers of the editorial briefs that detail the clients requirements for the photo shoot. He suggests that the conflict between following the brief and on-location decisions is an issue. And how even small things such as a magazines colour scheme may change decisions of photo shoot.
In a Youtube video on Easton Chang’s account he shows some behind the scenes videos. Showing the size of his assistant crew, some of the methods of how the feature cars are transported and covered between shots, and the incredible size of his rig shot stretching meters into the air. This is all very impressive and serves as a great source to find inspiration and motivation.
Easton Chang is in my opinion the greatest automotive photographer of our time. It would be an amazing feat to personally achieve work to his standard, and is something I personally dream of reaching as I continue the endless path of learning new photography skills with each click of the shutter.
Easton has a great online identity as he started promoting himself through online forums that spread his name across the different auto-culture groups. His website launched in 2006 and now has a booming Facebook page. Chang even likes to entertain his followers by creating his own photography related memes that he regularly posts. With use of online forums and social media Easton’s name is regularly popping up all over peoples networks.
Go check it out his amazing work on his website:
http://www.eastonchang.com/
References:
Links to mentioned articles and websites:
Easton Chang’s Images:
http://www.eastonchang.com/random/rotate.php
Easton Chang’s Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/eastonchangphotography
Speedhunters interview:
http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/01/photographer_blog_gt_gt_easton_changb/
Easton Chang’s behind the scenes video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ927f0h0S0
Cad Photography 
