Rock and Roll Rendezvous – Birdwood Motor Museum – Ashley Hoff

Where – The National Motor Museum is located at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills.  It houses the National collection of motor vehicles and sponsors events like the “Bay to Birdwood” and “Rock and Roll Rendezvous”.
According to their webpage The Rock & Roll Rendezvous is an annual day of fun and entertainment celebrating everything to do with rock and roll.  This year it will be held on Sunday April 9th
Why – Chrome baby, Chrome!  There will be cars – acres and acres of cars.  Plus dancing, music, vendors and also access to the motor museum.  OK, so I am biased.  I like taking pictures of cars and the event like the Rock And Roll Rendezvous is a great way to see a big variety of vehicles on display.
Ashleys Tips:  Below I will go through a few pointers:
  • Firstly, be respectful. Whether its an expensive restoration, or an original with lots of added patina, the cars are generally someones pride and joy.  Treat them with respect.  Don’t lean on, or touch the cars.  Also, if you see the owner, say hi and even have a chat.  Most enthusiasts are more than happy to talk about their cars and like it when others take an interest.  You might also learn something about their passion (& believe me, there are plenty of good stories that go with these cars).
  • What should I photograph?  Like most subjects, there are many ways to photograph cars.  As car shows regularly have cluttered backgrounds, isolating the subject can be hard at times.  But, this doesn’t mean there are missed opportunites:

Look for classic lines and shapes:
Ashley 1
Or mechanical details:
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Headlights and tailights work well:


Badges are very cool:
Ashley 5And sometimes, you can simply get that nice shot of the whole car (try different vantage points and don’t be afraid of wide angled lenses!):
Ashley 6

The other good thing about events like this are the people.  As this is a Rock And Roll “Lifestyle” event, expect to see people dressed up:

and having a good time:
Ashley 10
Yes, there are plenty of opportunities at this type of event.

  • What kit to bring.  That comes down to personal taste and style.  I tend to use a wide angled prime, a normal prime and a short telephoto prime.  While I don’t use a flash often, then can be useful to fill in shadows on full sun days.  Just make sure, that you only bring enough gear for you to comfortably carry.

Anyhow, I hope this gives you enough inspiration and I hope to see you on the day.

Cheers  Ashley

Now go and see the attached page to see how the excursion turned out.