AMY SHORE: Through Her Eyes
PHOTOS | AMY SHORE
Amy Shore is a professional photographer whose clients include Classic Driver, Goodwood, Octane, evo, Drive, Ramp, Iron & Air and more. Her passion for gasoline culture was bred into her at and early age and is evident in her work. Her Instagram account and blog are full of images of vintage Jaguars (swoon!), Porsches (double swoon), Aston Martins (swooning it hurts!), aerobatic planes (losing blood to my brain!), and vintage Indians (just kill me, the jealousy hurts!). She is keenly followed by fellow gasoline nuts the world over, and it's no surprise - personally I'm utterly addicted to her work, every shoot tells a story of the vehicle, its vintage, its design and the people around it, like characters in a short story. Amy clearly loves what she does and her enthusiasm permeates her work, so I was lucky enough to grab her for a moment in her busy schedule in Leicester, United Kingdom to ask her a few questions.
HG: Where did your passion for gasoline culture start? What do you love about it?
AS: My passion began ever since I was a kid. My dad used to work for Lotus Formula 1 in the 80’s and has always been involved somewhere in the car world, whether it’s restoring classic sports cars or painting crash helmets. He would always try to take my brother and I to race days and introduced us to Formula 1. For me, I love the looks, smells and sounds of racing. The smell of exhaust fumes or the distant growl as the group approaches… I love the design of cars, too and if I hadn’t become a photographer, I would have loved to have become a car designer.
HG: What is a week in the life of Amy look like?
AS: Ha, the week of Amy! Where do I begin… It changes regularly but it’s always full. I’ll usually have 2-3 shoots in a week, and regularly a wedding at the weekend. My next seven days consists of a car shoot, hanging out with a bunch of pilots as they practice (I’m definitely going to have a fly!), and then a weekend in London for two fun events happening there (The Tweed Run and a car meet run by a fab Petrolette called Hannah Burgess aka, The Female Petrolhead). In between that, I’ll be sat at my desk editing and hunting for new music, playing badminton and seeing friends!
HG: Your instagram feed looks like you have a lot of fun and get to shoot some INCREDIBLE machines! Do you love your job as much as it looks like you do?
AS: Oh boy. I honestly, with all my being, can’t express how much I love my job. Every. Solitary. Day. Sure, there are days where I’ve got to be up at 5am and shoot until midnight for three days in a row (I’m looking at you, Festival of Speed) but at any point where I think negative thoughts about my job, I remind myself about how awesome it really is. I meet some amazing people (who end up being great friends), hang out with incredible machines and work from home. There’s very little I can complain about!
HG: There is always a personality in the photos you take, they're like portraits of vehicles (which I love)! Do you look for a personality in the car/bike/plane and choose locations to suit?
AS: I never tried to shoot a car like a car. I try to shoot a car like it’s its own creature. When I shoot vehicles, whether it’s a car, bike or plane, I try to find locations/colours that suit its story. That’s why I prefer shooting classic cars as I feel I’m telling its story rather than simply showing it off. Some clients I work with are great at figuring out that story for me, such as Classic Driver. Its also why I love to shoot the people around the car, too. The people who fabricated it, nurtured it, drove it, loved it - they become very personal to people and I think the relationship between human and car should always be shown.
HG: Being a female photographer in this scene, is/was your experience positive or negative trying to get gigs with publications?
AS: Ha, good questions. When I first started out, I got a lot of funny looks. Heck, I still do now! In saying that, I’ve never experienced anything too negative from those I’m working around. All of my jobs are gained through word of mouth so when it comes to new clients, I’ve usually been recommended by someone the publication trusts. That gives me the chance to show the new client what I can do and usually, they’re happy with my work!
HG: What is the culture like for women?
AS: The culture for women is definitely becoming far more flexible than it was. There are so many more women appearing in the automotive world now, whether it’s race drivers, pilots, writers or photographers. I bump into a lot more women than I thought I would when I started out in the culture and it’s really, really great.
HG: What do you drive/ride... OR what are your dream wheels?
AS: Okay, so I drive two cars. My day to day car that is ever so faithful to me is my bright red Ford Puma (nicknamed Red Thunder). Sadly, I think that’s going to have to retire soon so I’m currently on the hunt for something else, but being around very nice cars all the time, my budget is too low and my bar is too high!! For my social commutes, I drive a 1985 Austin Mini Mayfair (nicknamed Mayo as it’s the colour of mayonnaise). It’s got the steering wheel of a 1962 AC Cobra that my folks got me one birthday and I adore it. My Pa and brother have both got Minis too so the three of us go for drives together when we can!
The following photographs are all taken by Amy Shore; together we compiled our favourites from her collection, however I couldn't edit them down because I love them all. For more from Amy visit her blog.
Heleana is a force of nature. The founder of In Venus Veritas and The Petrolette, and a co-founder of Rising Sun Workshop. Heleana shares her love of vintage cars, riding motorcycles, and (not-so-secretly) dreams of flying planes and piloting a riva aquariva (a la Sophia Loren) very fast through the canals of Venice. Supportive and connected, community is her lifeblood, and she is as real as they come.
