How close is too close? How much form can be found on one fender? These are questions you don’t ask the first time you see, say, a Porsche 911; for photographer Rachel Shuler, however, automotive details have been elevated to an art form.
UK-born, U.S.-based Shuler’s work may not be for everyone—there’s no tire smoke, motion blur…or even complete cars. There is, however, an attention to shape that only those intimate with a particular make or model of car will be able to recognize. After all, why show a particular vehicle in the same way everyone else has?
As Shuler says online, “Abstract images spark curiosity and conversation among car enthusiasts,” and her work is often applauded by non-enthusiasts who are able to focus on form as if it’s sculpture. Since vehicles still start off as clay models that are honed by hand, actually, she’s really reverting the models she photographs to their original function: shapes to flow over the mechanical components underneath.
You can check out Rachel’s work on Facebook and a selection of her work is available in the Petrolicious Shop. The next event her art will be featured at is the Raffalidini Winery Euro Car Event in North Carolina on July 24—just make sure your trunk is big enough for a few prints.
