While I am not a car photographer, I can appreciate a nice automobile. When given the opportunity to spend some time with a few models and art on wheels, I generally jump on it. Thanks to a friend with some connections, I’ve had a couple of chances over the past few weeks to play with the cars. Even better, I got to catch up with some old friends and meet a couple of new ones in the process.
Generally speaking, these opportunities are fun get gatherings. We get to play. I took advantage of the opportunity to play some more with one of my new favorite toys: a Kenko 180 Fisheye lens. It is a challenge going to manual focus when faced with a wide angle of view in the viewfinder. For anything resembling a portrait, I’ve got to get close. At the same time, I try to make sure the horizon (or something in frame) is level. Sharpness? Quite the challenge.
Fortunately, thanks to a solid creative team, these experiments are just that. No amazing expectations are being set and we all get to smile at the slightly off-kilter images that result. They have a quirky feel to them that I am growing to love. One part of me would like to get a more modern fisheye. The other would like to grab a newer lens that takes the focusing issues out entirely. But would it still be the same, unexpected fun? As I work with it more, I expect that the ratio of good shots to weirdness will begin to even out quite a bit.
Between that weird lens and creative story-telling, time with models and cars generally results in several enjoyable images. A huge thank you to the car owners for bringing their rides. Kudos to the models that have joined me on the playgrounds lately…both literal and asphalt varieties.