My First Steps Into Automotive Photography

I’ve always admired automotive photography.

The dramatic lighting. The rugged landscapes. The perfectly framed vehicles that somehow make you want to pack your gear and head for the mountains.

What I hadn’t done was actually create those photos myself.

That changed during our first camping trip to Big Bear with my Canon EOS R100.

While the trip was primarily about spending time with family and escaping into the forest, it also became my first real opportunity to experiment with photographing our vehicles in the environments they were built to explore.

I quickly realized that taking pictures of vehicles is about much more than pointing a camera and pressing the shutter.

The Environment Is Part of the Story

One of the biggest lessons I learned had nothing to do with camera settings.

It was about location.

A vehicle parked in a driveway tells you almost nothing.

The same vehicle surrounded by towering pines, mountain roads, campfires, and dirt trails suddenly has a story.

Throughout the trip, I found myself looking beyond the truck itself and paying attention to everything surrounding it.

The campsite.

The trees.

The mountains.

The morning light.

Those elements became just as important as the vehicle.

I Didn’t Have to Chase Perfection

Going into the trip, I expected my first photographs to fall short.

And honestly, many of them did.

Some compositions felt awkward.

Some angles didn’t quite work.

Some lighting was harsher than I realized at the time.

Instead of being discouraged, I started seeing every photo as practice.

Photography isn’t about creating a masterpiece every time you press the shutter.

It’s about learning why one image works better than the last.

Light Changes Everything

One thing became obvious almost immediately.

Midday sunlight is unforgiving.

Harsh shadows, bright reflections, and blown highlights made many of my early images look flat.

The photographs I liked most were taken early in the morning or later in the evening, when the forest softened the light and the vehicles seemed to blend naturally into their surroundings.

It gave me a new appreciation for patience.

Sometimes the best photograph simply requires waiting.

Every Detail Matters

I also learned that automotive photography isn’t just about the vehicle.

It’s about preparation.

Before taking a photograph, I started noticing small distractions:

Dust on the paint.

Items left on the dashboard.

Recovery gear sitting where it shouldn’t.

Even the direction the wheels were turned changed the overall appearance of the truck.

None of these things seemed important until I looked at the photos afterward.

The camera notices everything.

Adventure Creates Better Photographs

Some of my favorite images weren’t carefully planned at all.

They happened naturally.

The trucks parked beneath towering pine trees.

Camping chairs sitting beneath the awning.

Morning coffee brewing beside camp.

Recovery gear quietly waiting in the background.

Those moments felt genuine because they were.

The photographs became more than pictures of vehicles.

They became memories of an experience.

My Biggest Lesson

If there’s one thing this trip taught me, it’s that automotive photography isn’t really about cars.

It’s about storytelling.

The vehicle simply becomes one character in a much larger scene.

As I continue learning photography, that’s the mindset I want to carry into every adventure.

Not just documenting the truck.

Documenting where it takes us.

Looking Ahead

This trip was only the beginning.

I still have plenty to learn about composition, editing, lighting, and camera settings.

But every adventure adds another lesson.

Every trip offers another opportunity to improve.

And every photograph becomes another step toward finding my own style behind the camera.

That’s part of what The Open Mile is about.

Not pretending to have every answer.

Simply sharing the journey as it unfolds—one adventure, one lesson, and one photograph at a time.

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