This time last year I posted a small retrospective of my favorite/most meaningful pictures in 2014. I've been shooting since mid-2013 and I have to say 2015 was the first year I made a full effort to get out of the hobbyist category. 2015 was also the year I sold all my Canon gear and moved to Nikon, which I have yet to regret (here's hoping 2016 treats my Nikon and myself just as well). So anyways, here's some of my favorite images on the year in no particular order.
Click any image below to view in a high resolution lightbox.
One of my favorite (and most wet) shoots of the year was blasting along GMR in this foggy Japanese countryside-esque day in late February with James and his race-ready Civic EF hatch. Full set here.
This shot was an out-the-window snapshot moving locations with a Hakosuka, R32, and R34 Skyline down in Long Beach. It was definitely a neat experience I couldn't have wrangled on my own. Thanks again, Jack!
The Scion Auto Influencer event was my first time getting an invite to an event solely off my photography. The event was great, held on a Scion back lot with some of the most noteworthy cars I have seen in person. Here's a couple features including a 2J-powered Toyota Crown, the first real looks at the iA and iM, and a pack of lowriders that showed up near the end of the event.
The 86 Dynamic Driving academy with Moto Miwa and Taka Aono was another great day and the first time I tried Nikon's huge 80-400mm lens. Here's Taka's Flying 86, Luis's 4AG AE86, and some coverage of the event!
This shoot with Ken Gushi, Young Tea, and Meng Tea sold me on the thought of owning a 35mm lens. It's not the most impressive glass, but the field of view and tack sharp images I've gotten at f/2.0 is grand. This was a huge opportunity while the Tea brothers and Gushi had a rare day off and I'm super happy with how everything turned out. Check out the full set here.
This crazy RB-swapped Datsun was the first time I met up with Project Definition and Autocon to shoot in DTLA and it wasn't the last. The bagged GTR below was my second shoot with them, and the AIMGAIN Lexus below the GTR is a preview from my most recent and unreleased photoset with the guys.
Joe's great EK Hatch was a blast to shoot out in the California sun, and was my first foray into shooting for print. This story was published in Honda Tuning Magazine, a UK based Honda enthusiast magazine.
This Mercedes AMG GTS was a quick snap during a day of work at Motor Trend shooting some of my coworkers installing clear protective vinyl on the test cars. It was definitely one of those "I'm sure glad I took the time to set up my tripod" moments in the darker-than-preferable garage.
This shot of Ken Gushi preparing for a long day at Formula D Irwindale was one of my favorite photos this year, and definitely boosted my confidence in my behind-the-scenes/candid work.
This pair was my co-favorites for favorite photo of 2015. After deciding to take up an invite last minute and not running to rent a longer lens like I usually would at an event like this, I captured these two with my 85mm lens as Rob Chairslayer Parsons finished off the day at All Star Bash 2015.
Pinky's FRS was one of my last features of the year, and I think it really helped to show my improvement through 2015. Shooting with the sun sinking below the horizon is always a fun and nerve wracking experience and I think this really turned out as well as I could have hoped. The details, tones, and angles I got for this shoot was something I was really proud of.
Finally we have the Purist Toy Drive. You can see the rest of the coverage here on Driving Line (the newest publication I contribute to) but this was one of my favorite shots on the day. There was a good amount of waiting involved to get a clear shot, and I still had to photoshop out a guy or two in the background) but the way the white and rose gold turned out against the blue sky was better than I expected.
So that's a small taste of what I shot this year (over 45 events, shows, and features) so check out the rest of the website for what else I shot. Thanks for looking and here's to a strong 2016!