Meet Edward Lutz, a Northern California and Colorado-based photographer whose journey into the realm of automotive photography began subtly and grew organically over time. Starting from humble beginnings at local car shows, Edward's early fascination with capturing the elegance of cars on his iPhone has blossomed into a more serious and focused artistic endeavor, shaped significantly by the automotive culture and events he encountered along the way.
In our upcoming interview, we'll explore Edward Lutz's approach to automotive photography. How does he capture the perfect blend of a car's mechanical beauty and artistic elegance in his photos? What strategies does he employ when starting new projects, and what challenges does he face in the specialized field of exotic car photography? Edward will share his personal techniques and provide tips for those looking to delve into automotive photography.
To see more of Edward Lutz's impressive work, check out his Instagram page.
Automotive photography for me was one of those things that just kinda slowly molded its way into my life, to put it simply. When I was around 13-14 years old, I started going to car shows and just taking pictures of the nice cars I’d see with my old iPhone. The main cars that really inspired me were the Nissan R35 GTR and the Lamborghini Huracan. I grew up in Colorado, so there weren’t very many crazy cars so I had to take what I could get.
Over time, I started to get more detailed shots and started playing around with the iPhone settings to edit my photos and as time went on, it just slowly progressed from there. It wasn’t until about 2 years ago though, that I decided to take photography more seriously and put more time and effort into it, and it wasn’t really one specific car that inspired me to really say “this is what I want to do”, it was a whole event called Monterey Car Week in Monterey, California that really inspired me.
In my opinion, what makes a great automotive photo stand out is the amount of effort you can see the artist has put into the photo. I am not drawn to certain angles or lighting conditions because I feel like you can get amazing shots no matter the settings. When it comes to styles, certain ones invoke emotion in me and to be honest, I still struggle to find my “style” and it has been the absolute hardest aspect I have encountered within this industry.
Sometimes I think I got it, then a week later I look back at the edits and I think to myself “What was I thinkin?” and it can be very unmotivating at times. I used to lean more towards a very flat and dark style that was more calm and evoked more of laid back emotion, but now my style is way brighter, oversaturated and just pops out at you a lot more. I love both styles and have a hard time just sticking to THE one, but one thing I have learned from this industry is that every moment is a learning experience and a chance to grow.
The most challenging photoshoot I have done so far was actually pretty recent. It was at Car week 2023, and we were shooting a handful of cars which included a Pagani Huayra BC roadster, an Mercedes Benz AMG 6x6, 2 Porsche Carrera GT’s, an Lamborghini Aventador SV and a few other cars on the beach. The area we shot in was pretty small and trying to get all of the cars and trucks packed together to fit them in the shot quickly was difficult.
There were hundreds of people that started to storm the area to check out the cars and take pictures of their own so we had maybe a 5 minute window to take as many pictures as possible. I got a few decent ones, but the best picture that was taken was of the Pagani parked right in front of all of the vehicles with the ocean in the background, and I got to upload the pictures and come to find out a lot of the photos were corrupted unfortunately. Luckily, there were still a bunch that came out good, but I wasn’t able to save any of the Pagani.
I would say the piece of gear I couldn’t live without would have to be the memory card. Without that you literally have nothing!
So this kind of goes back to question 2. I am always struggling to find my style and keep it fluid within my content. I admit that it’s very difficult to stay innovative and unique when you’re still stuck in the beginning experimenting with what edits you like best and trying to find that perfect style.
Oh man, automotive photography is extremely competitive, especially with how the Instagram algorithm works, but that's another story… It can also be very collaborative which is great. I’ve noticed a lot of artists in this industry are very helpful and friendly. I’ve met so many great friends and collaborating with others has opened the doors to some incredible life changing opportunities.
The biggest piece of advice I would tell myself is to get a camera and learn how to use Lightroom and photoshop sooner. I could only imagine where I’d be right now if I had gotten a camera and learned to edit 5 years sooner than I did.
I don’t really have a favorite photo to be 100% honest. I am my own biggest critic, so I will choose someone else's work as my favorite before my own, but when it comes down to it, it's too hard to choose just one favorite photo. The artist that invokes the most emotion in me though would have to be @zuumy. His style and the way he edits has inspired me and it always motivates and pushes me to be better and keep going.
The absolute dream photoshoot of any 3 cars would have to be the Pagani Barchetta, Aston Martin Valkyrie, and the Apollo Evo. Of course there's still thousands of other cars I would add to that list in a heart beat.
We're grateful to Edward Lutz for taking the time to share his experiences and knowledge in automotive photography with us. His journey, marked by both passion and technical proficiency, is not only inspiring but also rich with practical insights. Edward's skill in capturing the elegance and strength of cars through his photography is remarkable. We value the expertise he has imparted about his craft and are excited to witness his future projects as he continues to enhance the landscape of automotive photography.
Check out more of Jack's work and download the TCN app today and immerse yourself in a world where automotive beauty meets high-end technology. Stay tuned for our regular updates, and let's drive into the future of automotive enthusiasm together!
