Please enter your email and website or LinkedIn to receive more information about our free and paid accounts.
Please enter your email address below and we’ll send you instructions on how to change your password.
Chevrolet wants their customers to know that the journey of life matters more than the destination. Simply, an automobile’s purpose is to transport you from one place to another, but whether your favorite band is playing in your city, or you’re packing up for a week in the mountains, Chevy cares about the comfort and safety of your trip and the memories you will make along the way.
Austin-based photographer Craig Washburn had previously done work for Autoweek, which is published by Crain Custom Content. An editor from his previous work at Crain recommended Craig to shoot for Chevrolet. The project was for Chevrolet’s owner’s magazine New Roads and their various other marketing outlets.
Chevrolet wanted to showcase the Chevy Colorado, which has an available long range diesel engine. The images needed to show a remote location at Inks Lake State Park, in Texas, that an outdoor enthusiast could travel to and from on a single tank of fuel. Another goal Craig’s team had was to highlight an accessory system for the car that mounts kayaks and stores gear.
Logistics were the highest priority when it came time for planning and pre-production. Craig’s team scouted the park and identified potential locations for the shots. His producer, Chris Sommella, had shot there before and knew the park staff, the landscape, and challenges that the team might face.
The truck ended up coming in on a full-size car carrier direct from Michigan and for legal/GM policy reasons we could not drive the car on public roads.
However, the park roads were too narrow for the car carrier and couldn’t fit in most places. The team ended up bringing in a flatbed tow truck to maneuver the vehicle from location to location. Finally, a professional driver from Los Angeles helped move the truck into the correct positions.
A big challenge for Craig was his tight timeline. With just two weeks from the initial contact day to the shoot, Craig had to organize and assemble a plan for getting budget approval and booking a crew, models and sourcing props. He owes the success of the shoot to good planning, great weather and a professional crew that made sure everything went smoothly.
Craig considers himself a car guy and always enjoys shooting automotive photography. He was satisfied as he watched the final pieces come together and Chevy was thrilled with the end result. Since this project, he has done more work for Crain and Chevy.
To see more from Craig visit craigwashburn.com.