Much can be, and has been, said about the influx of notifications that constantly beep and bong from our "devices" on an endless loop; is it natural for the human brain to operate in such a way that allows pretty much anyone to walk into the Dr.'s and come out with a script for attention deficit drugs? Is it the mark of interconnectedness and sharing, or instead a needless flow of noise with little lasting value? It's both. And it depends.
If you've configured your internet life to bombard you with contrived celebrity gossip ("You will not believe what Angelina Jolie's divorce lawyer had for breakfast!"); Trump tweets (because covfefe is something that matters...); or Groupon deals ("Save $5 when you bring a party of 10 and each spend $500!"), I'm not sure there is any persuasive force in the world that will call your attention to the question of "why?" But, as with everything since the start of whatever the universe is, there are ways to utilize what's available to us in beneficial ways. Sometimes that means enjoying a slice of triple chocolate sugar loaf for desert instead of the whole thing as your dinner (though maybe that's not the best example!), and sometimes that means forgoing both sides of the partisan news cycle to focus on what's truly important for living a fulfilling, enriched life: an endless stream of beautiful automotive photography of course!
This week's quintet is more heavily leaning on the creative side of things, what with a head Hot Wheels designer, an automotive artist, and a photographer with what I think is a remarkably reserved but intriguing style largely separate from today's heavy reliance on post production. Of course, the other two accounts below deliver more than enough aesthetic appeal in their own right, and if you like Audi Sport, you're in for a treat.
Here's this week's collection:
Stephan van Leiden is the aforementioned photographer with a uniquely un-modern feel to his work. Don't think for an instant that that means it isn't worthy of appreciation—this is no grainy nostalgia trip, it's just a refreshingly crisp and un-muddled treatment of the subjects he shoots. You never get the sense that his portfolio is forcing the image to appear more interesting than it is. And yet, there is that nebulous and difficult to place "it" that makes his subjects pop out from reality just enough. It's easy to go overboard with the sliders in Photoshop, but Stephan transcends that crutch to produce a of expertly composed photos of architecture, people, nature, and of course, a smattering of unique cars from the world's eras and areas.
Jochen Paesen recently shot a very nice collection of Group C machines for us at Spa-Francorchamps, but his talents extend well beyond any lens. An accomplished artist with a very cool mixture of automotive renderings in impressionistic and yet easily identifiable style, Jochen's Instagram account is a bevy of beauty consisting of finished art, works in progress, and of course, a sea of photographs in keeping with his abilities displayed in that Group C article mentioned above. He does not discriminate with his camera, but of course we prefer his work in the vintage arena, of which he captures some of the most iconic vehicles in the many famed race tracks and venues of the automotive globe. Flame-throwing race cars at full tilt and carefully constructed art pieces share space in one of my favorite accounts as of late. Check him out.
Jared Houston leans on the modified and slightly more modern side of what we like to display at Petrolicious, but vintage purists fear not, for he pays equal attention to that side of the spectrum as well. He pulls off the high-contrast style without making that the forefront of the "feel" of his page, and though we are all here for the cars, he peppers in just the right amount of subject matter of the non-auto bent to break up the flow of wheels. This is also one of those accounts that does a great job of blending professional photoshoot products with slice of life scenes, all with the same underlying eye for color and perspective. Plus, if you're into NA Miatas, his is one of the more interesting I've come across.
Fans of the four rings rejoice, Aigo_photography has your S and RS and QUATTRO needs handily taken care of. A seemingly endless current of all things good about Audi, this page is replete with the Ingolstadt brand's best wares, often tastefully modified with the likes of fellow teutonic titans BBS. You really cannot fault an Avant squatting down on a set of the famous gold-colored meshes of Baumgartner Brand Schiltach. Of course, Aigo wouldn't be featured here if they weren't also able to display such greatness with consummate talent in their own right. With just the right bit of post work to make the cars pop just a bit more than reality, the brightly-hued Audis are perfectly posed in front of the ideal backdrops for the marque; the mountain roads and lakeside towns that characterize the brochures of countries like Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.
Though I do not know Jun Imai personally, he is nonetheless one of my favorite people involved in the broader automotive industry for his work at Hot Wheels. I'm one of those people who never stopped collecting the 1:64th-scale diecasts, and though I quickly sift past the rack's goofier offerings consisting of things like supercharged animals on oversized wheels, I can count on a consistent release schedule of some of the best sports and motorsports cars because of people like Jun. His Instagram feed offers a view through his eyes at the kinds of machines that inspire him, and he isn't too shabby with an SLR or a phone camera, not at all. Offering scenes of travel, a bounty of Japanese classics, and a few peeks into the Hot Wheels design process. To hear from the man himself on all that goes into his intriguing work in the miniature car space, check out our in-depth interview with him and fellow top designer Ryu Asada recently published.
The Petrolicious Marketplace is equal parts art and auto offerings, so even if you aren't in the market (though if you're easily persuaded by gorgeous cars this account may be change that), take a look at the cars we feature here.
The Petrolicious presence extends to pretty much every format of the internet, and our Instagram feed will not disappoint for fans of our films and articles. Take a trip to vehicular bliss on our page, which is positively crammed with content.
