Automotive Photographer Profile: Shawn McCann

Name: Shawn McCann 

Business Name: Static Photography 

How long have you been shooting?

My mum was a photographer for a newspaper up in Queensland, so I’ve been around it my whole life - some of my earliest memories are of developing photos in a dark room in our house! I think I was around five or six years old when I first picked up a camera and started learning how to take photos, and what constituted good shot composition. 

I definitely had a guiding hand along the way - I could always ask mum questions as I learned to shoot on film, but when it came time to transition to the digital realm I had to learn that all on my own as mum had retired. Some of the basic principles applied, but with digital cameras you had a whole new way to control light.

What do you shoot on?

I grew up shooting on Canon, but for Summernats a few years ago I thought I’d deviate from that and tried a fancy new mirrorless camera from another brand. Long story short, as Jake Myers was about to do the opening skid on Skid Row, my brand new camera overheated and died! I had to run back up to the Media Centre and grab my trusty old Canon workhorse to finish the job. 

I got home from that trip and sold all my new gear from that other brand and bought a full suite of Canon gear right away! 

I currently shoot on a Canon R5 mirrorless body. I’m really impressed, it’s been really good, especially for panning shots at the race track. There’s just so much data in the images now that you can afford to shoot really wide and crop into the perfect shots.

What’s your favourite car show to photograph?

Down in Victoria we have an event called Chopped - old school dirt drags with a real rockabilly vibe, all pre-1965 chrome bumper stuff. I’ve got my old pick up so Chopped really speaks to me. I’ve managed to balance shooting the event to cover it, whilst also enjoying a weekend away with mates.

People probably know you best for your feature photography - how did you carve out your own style here?

It was just a natural progression. I’d been shooting for so long that I just created my own style naturally - of course there’ve been some hits and some misses when we’re trying to push the envelope stylistically, but I always try and work out my crazy concepts by practicing on mate’s cars before I try it on a client’s photoshoot!

The most important thing is that you don’t try and copy what other photographers are doing - learn the basics of photography and add your own style from there. You also have to be mindful about the medium you’re shooting for - for car magazines for example you have to stay a little wider so that the designers can add text around your photo, but even within these constraints you can still try and bend the rules a little.

And you’re branching out now and shooting video as well as stills?

It’s been a fun journey! I don’t love shooting video as much as I love photography, but I see where the industry is going and it’s a necessity. What we do is quite niche and there’s a shortage of talented automotive videographers so I’m getting the call up more and more - I’ve already got my eye in from a stills perspective so I can apply that to shooting video, but editing is another skill again! Editing a photoshoot can be done in a day whereas editing video can take a whole week! 

What’s your number one tip for someone looking to take better photos?

Always check your surroundings. If you want to take a better photo, make sure there are no trees or bins or fences ruining your shots or in your reflections. Make sure the background isn’t too busy - remember what your subject is and keep the focus on it. 

And finally, what projects have you got at home in the shed?

A 1963 Chevy C10, fleetside. It’s got a turbocharged small block Chevy with a draw-through carby setup - you can obviously tune the carby yourself unlike EFI which was a real benefit, and you don’t need an intercooler as the fuel helps cool the compressed air charge down. 

I did everything on the truck myself, with the help of a mate who’s a fabricator - we cut the chassis and notched it for the airbags, fabbed the turbo kit and the bodywork to preserve the patina finish. The only thing I sent out was the interior upholstery! It’s on Club rego’ and you get 45 days a year to drive them under the logbook scheme, and my goal this year is to use every one of those 45 days! 

Where can people see more of your work?

Website: www.staticphoto.com.au 

Instagram: @shawnstatic