Shooting Car Shows: Crowds, Cars and Photo Ops

by | Aug 28, 2018

Today’s Post by Jamie Zartman

Because I live in Colorado, I’ve tried to get to the warmer climes of Naples, Florida in mid-February, which just happens to coincide with the annual Ferrari Club Street Show.

This is a remarkable affair with some of the best classic, muscle and sports cars in the country on display. It also poses some significant challenges for photographers trying to grab photos of these cars. The street is jammed with crowds of on-lookers, the bright Florida sunshine can be harsh, and getting a relatively clean photo requires tight cropping, patience, and grabbing the shot when just a few seconds of opportunity are presented. So here’s a few tips:

  • Everyone is trying to take a photo! The cars are parked very close together (there’s one block just for red Ferrari’s) and here’s where tight cropping can help.
  • Reflections abound, including your own, so be careful and wear dark clothing.
  • Holding the camera over the engine bay works when you stretch when using a small camera like my Panasonic LX100. (Note from Joe: Panasonic recently introduced the Lumix DC-LX100 II, look for a review on my New Blog real soon now.)

Above all, respect the cars, go early if you can, and enjoy some of the worlds finest automobiles.