Last weekend I traveled to the Detroit area specifically to photograph some of the most beautiful cars in the world. Most of the automobiles were classics, from horseless carriages (prior to 1915) to the antiques (up to 1927) through the classics (to World War II). The annual event was held on the grounds at the stately Meadowbrook mansion built by the Dodge family. Of course, I had to deal with hundreds of people and less than ideal backgrounds, so the pictures you see here have had new backgrounds pasted behind each car to make the images look much more beautiful than had I not done this. Over the next week, I'll be uploading more of these to my website in the category Americana and then classic cars. It obviously takes time to do the Photoshop work and make it look flawless, as if I had arranged with each owner to park their vehicle in an ideal location.
Each car has its own history. For example, the rare 1932 Bucciali (only 5 made in the world) was built by a French World War I pilot. The flying stork on the side of the automobile was the emblem of his squadron and it was painted on their bi-wing fighter aircraft.
My favorite car in the show was a 1929 Duesenberg. It was a work of art, and it was thrilling to look at it through my camera. The two-tone red and blue made a stunning visual statement, and the elegant and luxurious lines took my breath away. All of these pictures were taken using a tripod, a low ISO, and a small lens aperture for maximum depth of field.
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