It’s been a minute since I’d made it to a local car meet. Life, work, and everything in between has conspired to keep the lens cap on far longer than I’d like to admit for automotive stuff. But that familiar itch, to seek out beautiful machines and frame them in my eyesight, finally got the better of me. So, when the event popped up on my feed for the open day at Elite Car Detailing Studio, I thought I’d head out and scratch that itch.
Armed with my trusty Nikon Z8, and my new DJI Mavic 4 Pro, I rolled in ready to shoot from every angle. The Nikon Z8, was paired with my all-rounder Tamron 35-150mm, letting me get up close and personal with some nice machinery. The bright colours of the interiors, and exterior paint works, the curves of the classic cars, or the sharp lines on more modern streeters, I can never get enough of this stuff.
But the real fun kicked in once I got the Mavic 4 Pro into the air. Using both its 70mm & 168mm lenses, I was able to capture dynamic aerial compositions and sweeping footage from a distance, all without breaking any laws, thanks to flying clear of people and crowds. The perspective shift was immediate and refreshing. I’ve flown drones at events before, but the triple-lens setup on the 4 Pro is something else. It unlocked views and motion that ground-level shots just can’t replicate. I can capture very different perspectives of the cars, but still manage to seem like I’m only a few meters away from them, when in reality, the drone is at times close to 50 or more meters away.
Before I knew it, I’d taken way more photos and footage than planned. Honestly? I had an absolute blast. The drone added a whole new dimension to the process, and I burned through all three of its batteries without hesitation. There’s just something about being back out there, surrounded by like-minded enthusiasts and the machines we all admire.
Capturing a clear image of a car with no people in the background, is a very rare occurrence at a busy car meet. However, by using the drone, I can easily shift perspective to single out a car, and with some calculated timing, minimise the folks that might show up in the photo.
A couple of quick clicks later in Photoshop, and the handful of admirers standing close by are easily cloned out, removing any distractions from the final image.
This outing reminded me how much I’ve missed getting out and about with the camera, amongst the cars. I find it very therapeutic, to wonder around looking at all the unique cars, and I enjoy the process of making photos also. I might start hitting more local meets soon, and maybe even dip back into some editorial stuff.
I like spending a bit of time on each car and studying all the aesthetics through the lens.
You can see the entire photo gallery here: ELITE CAR DETAILING STUDIO OPEN DAY – JUNE 2025
