In the automotive world, it is not only about cars; there are other cultural aspects such as fashion and photography that are included in it. Among all these aspects, photography hits home the most because it captures some of the greatest moments that happen on racing tracks, or showcasing the sleek lines and enticing body of sport cars. In our previous coverage on “5 Automotive Accounts to Follow on Instagram”, we selected five Instagram accounts that feature great automotive photography and one of those is owned by British photographer Amy Shore.
在汽車範疇之中，除了最主要的汽車和賽車之外，所延伸出來的還有生活文化層面，包括時裝、攝影及飲食等等，相當多元化，而在我們 Blackbird 團隊心目中，攝影就尤其重要，因為通過攝影，不但能夠將賽車場上風馳電掣的精彩一刻準確捕捉，又能夠將賽車的誘人身段以另一個角度呈現，因此攝影於我們來說可算是非常重要。早前我們就以「5 個你需要知道的汽車主題 INSTAGRAM 帳號」的專題帶大家欣賞過在 Instagram 上精彩的汽車攝影作品，介紹了幾位專注於汽車攝影方面的攝影師，而當中就包括來自英國的女攝影師－Amy Shore。
While the field of photography is mostly male, Shore is one of the few female photographers that focuses on automotive photography. Her work is known for capturing a different side of the racing events in a photo-journalistic style. The way she uses color, compositions and the combination of shutter speed and aperture make her photos look vibrant and gives out a vintage vibe, which makes her work more recognizable. Her clientele includes publications like Octane and Classic Drive and automotive companies like Ramp, evo and Revolution; gradually climbing up the success ladder in the photography industry.
在汽車攝影這個經常被認為是男性主導的行業當中，Amy Shore 是眾多攝影師中的少數女性代表，她的作品比其他攝影師的照片帶有一種特別情懷，令人感受到賽車場上除了速度和競賽以外的一種人文氛圍，將汽車攝影通過自己的鏡頭和感官重新呈現。Amy Shore 的作品亦常見於不同汽車雜誌之中，例如《Octane》、《Classic Drive》，以及 Ramp，evo 及 Revolution 等等汽車公司都邀請她合作，令她在攝影界中漸漸打出名堂。
// Tell us about yourself. How did you get started?
I never studied photography but have always had creative interests. My dad is a watercolour artist and showed me how to notice light and moments, pointing out the way the light caught the cigarette smoke of a passing stranger or reflections in street windows in the low sun. The actual act of picking up a camera didn’t really begin until I was in my teens and I always imagined it would just be a hobby, photographing the odd wedding as a side job to a ‘normal job’. I never, in my wildest dreams, expected I’d become a full time automotive photographer! I have a couple of lucky breaks to thank for that!
// 你是怎樣開始接觸攝影呢？
「我從來沒有學習過攝影，不過卻一直將它視作為一門興趣創作。我的父親是一位水彩畫家，他教我如何捕捉光線和時間，指出如何利用光線將路人吸煙時所呼出的煙霧拍攝下來，或者在日落時將街頭上窗戶上的倒影拍低。到我正式拿起相機時是我青少年的時候，那時我以為攝影只是一種嗜好，而且把婚禮攝影視作為兼職。就算再瘋狂幻想都好，我從來都沒有想過將來會成為了一位全職汽車攝影師，這些都是我感激的好運氣。」
// What camera and lens do you usually use?
In my camera bag is my Nikon D600 (which was the first full frame camera I ever bought), my Nikon D750, a Sigma 35mm 1.4 lens, a Sigma 85mm 1.4 lens and my trust Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens (which is the first non-kit lens I ever owned). I also have a HoldFast Moneymaker harness which is absolutely amazing for shooting the kind of events I do. Having the ability to use both cameras with different lenses within a second of one another is so, so handy. And if we’re really going into detail of what I’ve got in my camera bag, I also have batteries, SD cards, lip balm, my Goodwood Revival photographer’s wristband and an empty chocolate wrapper. // 常用的攝影裝備有哪些？
「我的相機袋裡有一部 Nikon D600（我第一部買的全片幅相機）、我的 Nikon D750、一支 Sigma 35mm 1.4 鏡頭、一支 Sigma 85mm 1.4 鏡頭以及一支我信賴的 Nikon 50mm 1.8 鏡頭（是我擁有的第一支非套機鏡頭）。此外，我也在用 HoldFast Gear 的 Money Maker 相機帶，它在攝影工作時特別有幫助，因為可以同時間將兩部相機和不同鏡頭快速交替使用，相當方便。其他配件還有電池、SD 記憶卡、潤唇膏、我的 Goodwood Revival 攝影師手帶和一張朱古力包裝紙。」
// Can you share a little of your technique?
When shooting, I have to be constantly alert (which becomes increasingly difficult by day 3 of Festival of Speed after minimal sleep!) in an attempt to see as many opportunities as possible. I try to attempt to guess what people are going to do next such as, if a couple look close amidst the bike exhaust fumes of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, are they about to kiss? Or I see a chap running towards the pit wall at Goodwood and I expect he might vault it? A lot of what I try to shoot is just trying to notice what’s going on around me. This regularly causes me to apologies to people I’m in mid conversation with as I see an awesome shot I really don’t want to miss!
// 可以跟我們分享你的拍攝心得嗎？
「在拍攝時，我需要時刻保持警覺（然而因為缺乏充足睡眠，在第三天的 Festival of Speed 活動時就變得越來越困難），盡可能去捕捉每個機會。我會嘗試猜測人們的下一個動作是什麼，例如一對情侶在 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride 活動時，在電單車排出的廢氣前對望，他們是否準備要接吻呢？又或者我在 Goodwood 時看到有一個人衝向加油站，他會否跳過去呢？很多我想拍攝的東西都是在我嘗試留意身邊正在發生的事情，這經常令我需要向正在與我聊天的朋友道歉，因為我不想錯過拍低精彩的一刻。」
// Who do you look up to when it comes to photography?
I truly admire Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado and Ragnar Axelsson for their work and truly hope that one day I’ll be as good as them!! The first photographer I saw that inspired me to photograph cars differently to how I’d ever seen photographs of cars was Laurent Nivalle. I saw his set of a past Le Mans and fell in love with his style of shooting.
// 誰是你欣賞的攝影師？
「我真心欣賞 Henri Cartier-Bresson、Sebastião Salgado 和 Ragnar Axelsson 的作品，真心希望自己將來都能夠像他們一樣優秀。而第一位啟發到我改變對汽車攝影看法的攝影師是 Laurent Nivalle，自從我看過他為 Le Mans 拍攝的一系列照片之後便令我愛上了他的攝影風格。」
// Racing sports is often seen as a masculine kind of sports. As a female photographer, what do you see yourself in automotive photography?
I think females are definitely beginning to make more of an appearance in the automotive world and I think it’s great! When starting out, it was also helpful to me as I was more memorable as ‘that girl that photographs cars’, which was helpful in gaining the interest of new clients. I’ve might get the odd sidewards glance from someone who is wondering what a girl is doing with a camera in a restoration workshop and regularly get asked if I’m photographing for my University course – they don’t always believe me when I tell them I do this for a job!
// 賽車經常給予人一種男性主導的感覺，作為一位女性攝影師，你認為自己在汽車攝影中有什麼特別之處呢？
「我覺得女性（攝影師）在汽車世界裡肯定是開始嶄露頭角，我認為這是好事。剛開始時，對我有幫助的是大家對我的印象是『那個拍攝汽車的女孩』，這樣能夠幫助我吸引新客人的注意。我曾經因為在汽車維修工場裡拿著相機而被別人報以奇怪的眼光，他們想知道我在做什麼，而我也經常被問到是否為大學修讀的課程而拍照，然而當我告訴他們這是我的工作的時候卻總是不相信我。」
// Any tips for photographing racing sports?
Don’t think that racing sports is all about the cars. The cars are awesome, yes, but they’ve been photographed thousands of times from all angles on every corner of the track. The moments that are happening with the people you are with are new moments, new people. The cars become the secondary subject at racing events. Also, hang around until after the sun goes down. Some of my favourite photographs of events have come from wandering around at night when the crowds have gone and you have to look for light to work with.
// 對於拍攝賽車運動你有什麼建議？
「不要想到賽車運動就只有汽車，這些汽車固然是非常厲害，可是它們已經在賽道上的每個角落從不同角度被拍攝過數以千次，當你和身邊的人在一起所發生的每一刻，賽車場上的汽車就會成為次要。此外，還要留守到太陽下山之後，一些我在（賽車）活動拍攝的照片便是在夜晚流連時所拍下的，當時人群已經散去，所以還得尋找光線以進行拍攝。」
// Is there one kind of racing that you particularly enjoy?
It’s quite difficult to answer that as I’ve actually very little experience in race events. I’ve never been to Le Mans, MotoGP, any Formula 1 event – I need to get myself to some of these! I’d love to have a crack at Le Mans Classic or the Mille Miglia. So I guess the answer would be Goodwood Revival. It’s always going to have a personal draw to me as it was the first race event I ever got hired to shoot and I love going every year.
// 你特別喜歡的賽車活動？
「這個問題有點難答，因為實際上我只有很少參與這些賽車活動的經驗。我從來沒有去過 Le Mans、MotoGP、任何一級方程式賽事，我需要令自己參加這些活動。我想參加 Le Mans Classic 或者 Mille Miglia。所以我的答案會是 Goodwood Revival。它對我有著特別的情意結，因為是我第一個被聘請去拍攝的賽車活動，而且我每年都喜歡參與。」
Check out Shore’s website to see more of her works or follow her on Instagram @amyshorephotography.
更多 Amy Shore 的作品可見於其個人網站以及她的個人 Instagram 帳號 @amyshorephotography。
TEXT & INTERVIEW | ZTEPHEN LEE
PHOTOGRAPHY | AMY SHORE
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON BLACKBIRD AUTOMOTIVE JOURNAL
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