Photographing Scale Model Cars

“It’s not photography; you’re just playing with toys. And Photoshop.”  Well, it sure does look that way. This will either invite complete ridicule or slightly less than complete ridicule but it has been such a ton of fun to do that I could in fact not care less. And now I’m getting asked (and paid) to produce bespoke posters and prints so maybe I’m having the last laugh; who knows. Plenty will argue that unless you’re photographing a long exposure seascape at sunrise with the latest Nikon or hauling a massive zoom lens across the polar packs you’re not really an authentic photographer. But photographing diecast scale models has proved to be invaluable for practising composition, framing, lighting and processing, all of which are presumably essential to photography in any genre. To say nothing of demanding a little creativity, craft and invention, and that has made it far more stimulating to me than the usual travel and street stuff.

1/24 Ford Mustang on a glass worktop covered in baking soda. Widescreen bars for a more ‘cinematic’ look.

There don’t seem to be many people out there doing this kind of work but one evening earlier this year my friends and I decided after a few drinks (I like beer!) to have a go at creating action stills and photorealistic scenes using some diecast models. We weren’t entirely successful.