Featured - Phil Sills on car photography

Life in the fast lane – Phil Sills on car photography

Vue photographer Phil Sills has been in the business of photographing cars for many years, so we thought we’d pick his brains about just what’s involved and if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

Vue: So, Phil, how did you first get into car photography?

Phil Sills: It all started when an art director was doing a brochure for Ascari, a British built super-car, so it was a pretty good start, to be honest!  I treated it like a big still life product because this is what I knew and it actually worked really well as I got some lovely composed images based around the unique design features of the car.  I still take the same approach today....

Vue: What is the one thing that you really have to get right?

PS: Over the years, the one thing that remains constant about car work is the need to accentuate the lines of the bodywork and if possible to find interesting shapes that may not be obvious from the first glance.  

But because it’s on such a large scale and the images take such a lot of people and effort to create, car work is really all about the team, which creates a really dynamic work place. Organising the team into a cohesive unit that will work together well takes a bit of doing, but once you are up and running the jigsaw pieces fall in to place. 

The retouching stage is also important to be involved in, as an image can be enhanced ten fold by good care and attention post shoot.  I like to work alongside a retoucher, and make sure they understand how an image needs to be presented.  It’s always so satisfying to see that final car shot when you’ve been involved with the whole process from start to finish.

Vue: Shooting cars would be a dream job for many men, but what do you enjoy most about it?

PS: For me, the overall experience of working in car studios is still really exciting because everything is on such a grand scale.

But personally, I really like creating dynamic interior shots that need a careful balance between symmetry and creativity. It’s nice to get quite literally stuck in the car with a wide angle lens and get the camera into a really tight spot…..although it can be tricky to rig up the equipment, it is always well worth the extra effort.

Vue: What do you think makes your shots stand out?

PS: Lighting has always has been a big thing for me, and as with any product photography, I always try to find the most suitable light for the shot.  I look for textures and chromes and make sure that everything is covered so that in retouching the finish of the car can be realised.  This is particularly important with luxury cars like a Lexus, where style and comfort are placed equally with performance.

Vue: Tell us about your most full on shoot?

PS: Shooting Lexus brochures in Brussels was pretty full on, with back to back long days and no breaks.  But that’s not unusual to be honest, it was while I was right in the thick of it that I got a call from my wife - she was going into labour with our firstborn. I had thought I’d be able to get through the shoot before that happened! Anyway, I arrived home, said hello to the baby, then got back on a plane to finish the shoot....I’ve been paying for it ever since!

Vue: OK, newborn babies aside, are there any other shoots really stand out for you?

PS: A particular job I remember well was for Peugeot where the PR was huge for the special black and white 308cc cars. I had to collaborate with a fashion photographer and a retoucher to come up with the images.  It was a great opportunity for interesting compositions but as I was shooting first, I really had to be very clear about how the angles were going to work with the fashion shots, while still making the quality of the image my own.  There was a lot of freedom though. We had a great art director who would let me know what he wanted, then leave me to it, which is the best situation to be in.  

The whole mixed genres of fashion and cars worked, as it made the images much more engaging to work with.  I had to really use my imagination on the shoot to see how I thought a shot could work, and then put my faith in the fashion photographer’s ability to be equally as interesting with her compositions.  It all worked really well.  A lovely book was created as well called "La vie en noir et blanc” - seeing the images included in something more then just a passing advertisement made all the effort worthwhile.