Jack McMillan
Up To Speed
Cars are so much more than a way of getting from one place to another. They are freedom.
The freedom to go anywhere and do anything on your terms. The relationship people have with
cars is out of this world. That feeling of being alone on an open road in a beautiful scenic
location is irreplaceable.
This relationship with cars is one I feel deeply about, and I wanted to show that freedom.
This project reflects everything I have learned in my time here at NAU. I tried to push the limits
to create highly constructed images that required professional technical procedures. I utilized
many lights and strategically placed them so they could all come together in photoshop to make
the cars bold and beautiful. My photos convey the pride one feels about the vehicles and what
emotions they present. The beauty of each car shot demonstrates how the past is still relevant.
Passion and pride are represented in each image.
Through this project, I was reminded of how much freedom cars possess and how much I
have learned here at NAU. I was able to have complete creative freedom over everything, which
felt incredible. Cars are my favorite thing to photograph, and it feels great to have expanded on
my car portfolio. This project utilizes various techniques used both on location and
post-production. All of the pictures include a circular polarizer technique of multiple exposures
taken of the paint color and all of the windows to capture the highest quality picture and
display the vehicle's true colors. All of the photographs in the series are multiple exposures
combined into one final image. In addition, many in the series also utilize off-camera flash to
help save the shadows. I have greatly expanded my knowledge in off-camera flash on location
and become more confident and qualified to work in Lightroom and Photoshop professionally.
Lastly, the images are made with the intent of editorial publication since all of the pictures in
the project are taken vertically. This project by John Jackson largely inspired me. I came across
one of his images when submitting to a photo contest, and it was the perfect car fine art image.
He focuses so much on the relationship between the owner and the vehicle. I want to focus on
the relationship between a car and nature. During this project, I visited some beautiful places,
which furthered my drive to connect cars and nature.
This shoot represents everything I have learned at NAU and where I want my future to go.
I can show my passion for the subject and the artistic methods I learned through my education
and experiences. I hope to make the world more interesting, fun, in contrast, bolder, colorful,
filled with texture, and a deeper understanding of ourselves and the passion we have for our
cars. What is inspiration without the inspired? I am very proud of what I accomplished with
this shoot and cannot wait to continue with my photography career.
