In addition to my passion for all things automotive, I’m also a bit of a photography buff. OK… that’s an understatement. I earned an associates degree in photography a few years ago and continue to explore new methods of improving the images I create. Currently, I’ve gotten to the point where I’m happy with my images from a technical standpoint but they tend to lack any serious emotional impact. There are a number of photographers that I look to for inspiration who do so much more than just capture a scene.
Floating Headlights – Limited to a print run of just ten archival prints, signed and numbered by Troy.
One photographer that I keep coming back to is the very talented Troy Paiva. He specializes in long exposure photographs with additional controlled lighting used to put emphasis where he wants it. It’s this controlled lighting that has set him apart from so many other nighttime photographers. The long shadows and crisp highlights add a drama and a sense of the supernatural to one of my favorite subjects, the automobile.
He doesn’t just photograph any cars he happens to come across either. The bulk of Troy’s images feature decaying cars from a local scrap yard where they are either rescued for restoration, broken down for parts or just finally sent to be melted down as scrap metal. The thoughts of these cars being rescued always warms my heart but looking at the photographs I get the feeling that the world would be safer with them melted down. A less beautiful place, but surely safer.
Blue in the Red Booth – Troy captures the menace of a custom creation by Gene Winfield
Attending one of Troy’s workshops in southern California is something I would love to do. In the past, the scrap yard owner cut a car in half and suspended it off the ground to give students an interesting subject to photograph. Without living anywhere near to California and not living a jet-settingly amazing lifestyle, I will have to content myself with reading through Troy’s books and attempting to create stunning images of my own.
