6 Exclusive tips from photographer GFWilliams
Photos: @gfwilliams
George F. Williams, known as ‘GFWilliams’, is one of the most influential and acclaimed automotive photographers across the world for his unique and commercial style of automotive photography. Taking photos of cars is such an interesting activity; every time you shoot a car, you’ll learn something from it! That’s why we would like to share some basic recommendations with you.
1. One of the best shots of the TDF: Creativity is key for special content, how did the idea of a red carpet come to mind?
I wanted the car to feel like it was a VIP, the TDF deserves a red carpet so it seemed a natural fit! The execution of making it work was the real challenging bit with this photo!
2. How much time and dedication does it take to make such a composition?
The composition is very simple, I walked around the car and chose an angle I felt was flattering and would look good. Making the water fall in the right place was quite challenging as water isn’t very predictable. I had the owner of the car throwing buckets of water at his brand new LAF! When shooting, you have to visualize the final image and where the water is, to make sure you have even spread of the water, so this is quite hard to get right, but having done a few similar shots before I got it in the end!
3. In your opinion, what’s the best shutter speed to use for rolling shots?
As slow as possible. This shot was actually a static shot that I made a moving shot in Photoshop as it wasn’t possible to get a moving shot on parliament bridge in that style without a rig or chase car.
4. Lighting and shadows have to be the most difficult part of a studio shoot; how much time did it take you to master them?
I’m still learning, a lot of photography is about experiencing. I have an idea of what will work and what won’t, but I try to always push my comfort zone.
5. How hard is it to find the perfect and new location for a special shoot? Especially since most locations are well-known to most photographers.
Locations are very challenging, probably the most challenging part of the job. Google Street View helps a lot, but something you need to get out and explore yourself. I try and spend a lot of time driving around looking for new places!
6. How special was it to shoot all of these limited-edition pieces of art? Definitely one of the best shots of the decade.
It was very special, but I wasn’t really thinking about the cars at the time as I was more thinking about the layout of the cars and getting it all laid out perfectly. The TDF doesn’t quite line up with the Speciale behind, so that’s what I notice the most!
