Eight years ago, Tim Wallace decided he wanted to photograph luxury cars. So, the newly unemployed executive built a business plan and got to work, teaching himself lighting and digital imaging from the ground up. Today, an award winning photographer, his work is often described as both conceptual and dramatic. Tim works internationally with many high end brands and clients such as Land Rover Jaguar and Morgan in the UK to Kenwood and Audi in the U.S. Not to forget to mention, Tim is the world’s most renowned and pre-eminent Aston Martin photographer.
Then came his first break: “People ask me, how the hell did you manage to get Aston Martin as a first client? It’s not just a case of how I want to shoot cars, I’ve got to think about what will make people want to buy this particular car. What will make the hairs on the back of their neck stand up?”
He has been shooting Aston Martins for over eight years, and in that time has worked with some of the world’s most iconic and rare cars, from the £1m One-77 to the classic Le Mans DBR2 of the Fifties and infamous DB5 of James Bond fame. Wallace has even driven over 460 of these luxury beasts. You could say that he is a man who knows his cars, but most of all, through his work, it’s clear that he is a man who has a passion for his craft.
Tim Wallace often shot out on location rather than in a studio, giving you a real sense of not only the car as a personality but also the possibilities of what that car can create emotionally and as a personality in its own right. Each car and each range are different and in creating these images Tim approaches his shoots very much in the same way a photographer would approach a portrait, trying to capture the essence of what is being shot.
“For me it’s more than just capturing the car, it’s about capturing its soul, how it makes me feel when I first see that specific model,” Wallace states. “Each car is very different and has its own personality. My challenge is to create the image that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you look at it. That’s my gift and my passion. Photography for me is not a career, it’s an obsession. Being out there shooting is where exciting things can happen.”
