Category: Photography Blog

RAW AND HONEST

There’s always more stuff to acquire. So, how much is enough?

Very few people ask this question of themselves.

Van Life folks do it every day. Check out the film Nomadland!

Long before Instagram, my wife and I lived that mobile dream for awhile. It was a good time camping on and off the road for eight years. My Steinbeck’s America book project resulted from that experience:

Steinbeck’s America

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Most of us probably would like to forget about last year and might even want to skip this year…

Here’s a tribute I created for the late Notorious R.B.G. near my home. Hope this cheers you up a little.

(This series consists of macro images I made of a 1973 Porsche Carrera RS Safari #19 1:43 scale model on my front steps. The real car competed in the 1974 East African Rally. My full feature of that 911 can seen in the January 2017 issue of PCA Panorama Magazine)

PERSONAL WORK – 2020

Followers of my blog know that at the end of each year I post a series of three personal images from a non-assignment single location.

In 2020, I took on even more commercial photography, along with some unique automotive editorial projects. That meant my personal work was even more important to provide some balance in my life.

So, I made a solo sojourn to the Palouse in Eastern Washington state in the spring of 2020 when the state’s Covid-19 restrictions opened up briefly. Here are a few of the images I made on that journey.

Happy Holidays!

THANKS PANO!

It’s a sincere honor to be awarded a cover feature in Porsche Club of America’s national magazine, Panorama.

In the December 2020 issue of Panorama Magazine, there’s a 16-page story of mine that goes behind the scenes for a photoshoot of the Emory Motorsport’s AWD “AllRad” 356 Outlaw.

In this article, I explain what goes into all my professional photo sessions. Photo tips are listed, some secrets are revealed, and a lot of fun ensues when Rod Emory coasts down a pre-planned route without a working engine!

Thanks to Rob Sass, Amy Skogstrom, Richard Baron, Vu Nguyen, Allen Lane, Doug Lloyd, and Emma Smith at the PCA!

Panorama Magazine.

PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT

As a full-time pro for over 30 years, the gear I take on assignment depends on what is needed. Contrary to what it might look like, I prefer to work with the minimum amount of equipment.

Being familiar with the gear is most important to me. To that end, I’ve always carried some form of Canon or Leica in my kit. With their cameras and lenses, I don’t have to think. I just do. When Leica discontinued their 35mm SLR film-based system, I switched to autofocus Canon EOS 35mm SLRs.

Around the same time, I also switched from Kodachrome 25 to Fujichrome Velvia 50 slide film. When digital camera image quality evolved to a more than satisfactory level, I transitioned to Canon’s full-frame digital camera bodies and their latest lenses for my editorial and commercial work. I’ve stayed with Canon’s latest offerings since then for my professional assignments.

My Basic Automotive Photography Kit For Stills and Video:

Canon R5 mirrorless bodies (2) with adapters and spare batteries
Canon 5DS-R body or Canon 5D Mk IV body
Canon 16-35mm f/4 IS EF L lens
Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS RF L lens
Canon 50mm f1.2 EF L lens
Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS EF L II lens
Canon 1.4X Extender, 12mm ext tube
Leica Q with 28mm f1.7 Aspherical lens
Memory cards, batteries, cable and remote release, ND and polarizing filters
Samsung Galaxy camera phone with DJI Osmo Mobile 6 and mount
Lowe-Pro backpack in Pelican carry on with Leica table tripod, ball head and mount
Small carry on bag with change of clothes, sunglasses, hat, dopp kit, and
MacBook Pro M2 with card readers and Samsung Drive

Checked bag:
Small Gitzo tripod
Profoto portable lighting lit with modifiers, grids, etc.
Cable lock
Car rigs and harness
Clothes

Other Stuff (as needed):

Canon 5D Mk III camera with 17-35 Canon EF lens for car mount
Canon 500mm f/4 IS L EF lens
DJI Phantom 4 Drone
DJI Ronin Stabilizer x 2
Numerous GoPros and mounts
Tascam and cell phone audio recorders
More camera car mounts, walkie talkies, monopods
More Pelican cases and cable locks
A variety of Gitzo tripods
Porsche Cayenne equipped for car to car photography and cinematography
Gyrostabilizer
Tribal Rug

For flash, the Profoto portable lighting system has proven reliable for studio shots and moving subjects outdoors. All flashes can fail, just like memory cards and external hard drives, so I also carry two, plus a spare flash tube. The lighting kit also includes C-stands, reflectors, gels and a variety of modifiers and soft boxes.

Spare lenses for film work include: Canon EF lenses 24mm f/1.4 L II, 35mm f/2 IS and 50mm f/2.5 Macro. Others are the Voigtländer 21 f/1.4, Leica R 28mm f/2.8 II, Leica R 35mm f/2 II, Voigtländer 40mm f1.4, Leica R 50mm f2, Leica R 60mm f/2.8 Macro, and Leica R 80mm f/1.4 lens adapted to Canon. A set of Nikkor lenses 20mm to 105 mm are adapted to Canon and also available to my film crew. I rent Red, Arri Mini and medium format digital as needed.

Photography equipment is simply a tool. Seeing and having something to say are MUCH more important. That said, I look for gear that is of the highest quality, easy to use, and has characterful rendering. For analog film, I use a Hasselblad 500C, Canon EOS-1V, Nikon F, Leica M3, and Leica M6.

I always shoot in RAW on two cards in each camera. After the shoot, one set of shot cards stays in a secure holder inside a zippered vest pocket on my person. As soon as I return to my hotel, the RAW files are backed up on my computer, Dropbox, and at least one hard drive. All drives are kept in different locations, or one is FedExed home. I love what I do, but I’ve also learned not to assume anything.

P.S. My kit for vacationing and personal work is a digital camera, usually the Leica Q with its 28mm f/1.7 Aspherical lens and an Leica M9 with a 50mm f/2 Summicron. This is for pure seeing, shooting slowly and deliberately.

THANKS FORZA – THE MAGAZINE ABOUT FERRARI

Thanks also… to garage manager Fred Russell, writer Jay Gillotti, and car owner Frank Mandarano (L to R), for making this recent Ferrari Daytona shoot so much fun.

Photographing two Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Spyders together is a dream come true for any car photographer. Only 122+ were made.

Look for this feature in the December 2020 issue of Forza Magazine! Continue reading “”

Image of a firefighter and his Ford/Filson Bronco concept vehicle in Washington, Pacific Northwest by Randy Wells. Automotive-photographer-car-landscape-nature-photos-storyteller-writer-location-and-studio-specialist

FORD BRONCO + FILSON CAMPAIGN GOES WILD

Bronco and Filson – two iconic American brands with long histories in the outdoors – announced a campaign today where they are joining forces to celebrate wildland firefighters and raise funds to help maintain and preserve America’s natural resources and National Forests. I was asked to pitch in.

I feel very fortunate for that assignment. See my still shots from last week’s photo assignment of this vehicle for Ford and Filson below. Five million views in the first week! Some say 50 million views, but I’m guessing that might be overall. Continue reading “”

THE PIONEER – ROTHSPORT RACING & PCA

No one knows for sure when Porsche’s 1995 3.8-liter air cooled motor was first transplanted into a pre-1974 early 911.

What we do know is that in late 1999 Jeff Gamroth of Rothsport Racing in Oregon started thinking about constructing a long hood 911 using the most powerful normally aspirated air-cooled flat six available from Porsche.

Continue reading “”