cars captured at sunset make up kevin mccauley's photo book

kevin mccauley’s photo book captures car at sunset

Kevin McCauley’s first automotive photo book reveals more than 100 cars he has captured as the sun comes down. Titled Waiting for the Sun to Come Down, his car photo book visually details the use of natural light and focuses on different vintage and modern vehicle models as the main subject. Kevin McCauley releases his automotive coffee table publication with Carrara Media, comprising of more than 100 car models across over 125 pages.

The photographer says that his car photo book is the culmination of years of shooting vehicles in unexpected lighting situations. He captures the vehicles and their shadows under the natural light, demonstrating the contrast between the sun-lit highlights and the deep black silhouettes. ‘Sometimes the camera can capture a drama in these scenes that you don’t always notice in person. That’s what I am always chasing,’ Kevin McCauley says.

all photos by Kevin McCauley, courtesy of Carrara Media

Aerial shots taken without using any drones

The car photo book ‘Waiting for the Sun to Come Down’, published by Carrara Media, attempts to look at vehicles from a different light as Kevin McCauley photographs them as much as he can and as the sun starts to set. The photographer says that while he can appreciate the benefits of overcast skies as ‘nature’s softbox’, he finds the setting boring. ‘You know exactly what you’re going to get, and it’s often dull and washed out,’ he says. It’s unlike sunlight, which for him can make the photographs hostile or exude the atmospheric air of magic once captured.

Another feature he notices, thus a reason he has shot the cars as the sun comes down, is how natural light can provide an overlooked contrast between the subject and the scene. In this case, it’s the vehicle and the surroundings, whether the car is on the street, about to leave the parking space, or in time for its own spot in an empty lot. Some shots in the car photo book resemble aerial views, and Kevin McCauley affirms that he hasn’t used a drone. ‘I was standing above the street, on an outdoor walkway that crosses over the road and has a big circular cutout in it,’ he clarifies. This results in images where the shadows appear blacker and the edges sharper.

Kevin McCauley’s car photo book visually details the use of natural light

Kevin McCauley documents 100+ cars in his photo book

In a way, Kevin McCauley manages to make the over-100 cars in his photo book appeal to fans not because of their features but because of the settings, photography composition, lighting, and surroundings. Readers see the light presentation first of the images before the car model. Sometimes, the vehicles appear as if they were peeking from their shadows, as if they were about to speed away as they usually do. Other times, they stay immobile, frozen in time before the night falls, giving Kevin McCauley the chance to document them in the kind of light he seeks.

the main subject focuses on different vintage and modern vehicle models