Shooting Portraits on Location at A-1 Auto Repair.
Every now and then you get an amazing lead on a good location to photograph portraits. More often than not that location is something like a beautiful historic mansion, or a wonderful farm landscape or any other number of amazing, but slightly cliché backdrops. However, sometimes that location is something completely different than pretty much anything else out there.
Such was the case when a friend of mine suggested A-1 Auto Repair in Canton, Ohio. When another friend of mine, Chase the Matrix, needed some photos for his promo material I knew this new location would be perfect. Set against the farmed hills west of Canton proper, A-1 Auto Repair is an old-fashioned type of a place. A land that time forgot, but refuses to let go of. When you first pull up you’ll notice a long wall made entirely of old rims and hubcaps, and trust me when I say that would be enough to make this place cool. But it gets better. In front of the fence are several vintage, rusty cars. Again, perfect backdrop for portraits that need to be a little different in look and style.
Behind the fence is an entire, over grown junkyard. Old rusted cars with trees growing through them. Old rusted appliances, old rusted oil cans – old rusted everything! Everywhere you turn your lens there’s an amazing landscape of rusted Americana. Okay, okay, I know rusted cars can be a cliché photo backdrop as well, but not if the location is more than just that, and A-1 Auto is filled with portrait photography possibilities in all 360 degrees.
Now, I should mention, I’ve never shot here before nor had I ever even seen this place with my own eyes until the day we rolled up there for the shoot. That’s pretty risky, especially when you don’t know how the owners will react to you strolling up with a camera and some lights, asking if you can be on their property for an hour. Luckily, the owner and employees were as nice as you could ask for in people. They graciously let us have the run of the place and we did our best to make sure we just didn’t get in the way of their business.
Over all it turned out to be a great place for a portrait session that needed a little extra edge to it. It could even be a great place for some adventurous wedding photography too with the right bride and groom.
