Location, Location, Location

When it comes to photoshoots for motoring magazines it’s all about the location. Well, and a bit of skill, experience and artistic ability.

- SIMON COOKE

I’ve lost count of how many photoshoots I’ve been on for motoring magazines; I suppose an average of a couple of weeks for the past 25 years, with a large percentage of them over the recent five years or so for VW Camper & Commercial and its sister magazine VW Bus. For example, I think I shot half of VW Camper’s front covers in 2019 - and every shot is different. I personally put a lot of time and effort into finding suitable locations. Apologies if I have shot your VW because you may have heard some of these stories during the shoot - and if I’ve yet to feature your VW - and there are still a few in the UK I’ve not - because you may well hear these again while I’m rolling around on the floor in front of your pride and joy!

With years of experience under my belt when it comes to arranging a photoshoot, I have picked up a few tricks of the trade along the way, in the hope of making life easier and the photos better.

For starters I always ask the person I’m due to shoot if they have any suggestions that they think would be suitable for a photo location - maybe a local place they always camp at, a deserted car park, or dead-end country road, or maybe a mate is a farmer with a selection of fields we could use, or works in the gardens at Hampton Court Palace, can get permission from the boss, and can let us in the side gate. I have actually done the Hampton Court shoot years ago with an owner who did work and actually live there - so I always ask!

That asking in advance has also got me onto airfields and into factories in the past too. It’s often about who you know rather than what you know. I’ve also managed to get permission to shoot at racetracks, a fort, an army base, fancy suspension bridge, and even in an abandoned prison.