An Old Motorcade

Photographing this scene with the Leica M9, I was conscious of wanting to hold the atmosphere of a summer night where history and spectacle meet. The procession of vintage cars is framed by a corridor of spectators, their attention divided between living the moment and documenting it through their phones. The motorcade moves away from me, which allows the viewer to share my vantage point — both a participant and an observer, close enough to feel the heat of the engines, yet outside the flow of the event.

Compositionally, the perspective lines of the barriers guide the eye straight to the lead car, and further still down the illuminated street into the darkness beyond. The two drivers in the foreground car are largely obscured, which paradoxically strengthens the sense of timelessness — they could be anyone from any era in the last century. The man in the yellow shirt, positioned prominently in the right foreground, becomes a visual counterweight to the illuminated façades on the opposite side of the street.

Exposure was tricky. The Leica M9’s CCD sensor has its own temperament when dealing with mixed lighting, especially under sodium vapour lamps and cooler LED sources. I opted for settings that kept detail in the bright areas of the building while letting the shadows fall naturally, avoiding overuse of artificial fill. The colour rendering is true to the moment: warm tones from the architecture and skin, cooler reflections from the cars and metal barriers.

It’s not a photograph about speed or competition, but about procession — an unhurried movement through space, the cars and their drivers as much on display as the crowd gathered to watch.