In the automotive world, competition is everything. The urge to break new designs and technologies, to be more efficient, to lap faster, or just to make the most beautiful car you can, is ever present.

This competitive edge of producing the best also applies to car photography.  Wanting to challenge himself and avoid the average, photographer Kyle Meyr says he’s constantly trying out new techniques, new styles, personal projects and gear, which includes the Sony Alpha 1. “I’m always trying to advance, progress and come up with new ideas,” he says, “like how can I blend composition with narrative, how can I show the car’s personality to its fullest, or include the perfect lighting or background?”

A great example of that is his ‘Found in the Forest’ project, shot with vintage Porsche 911’s lit under sheets held up by trees. “This wasn’t a commercial job,” Kyle explains, “but a way of flexing and testing myself, like letting off the creative handbrake. I can’t go too long without doing these kinds of passion projects. It can compensate for clients who want to play it safe with more standardised shots, but it also gives them a taste of how far we can push the boundaries together.”

“I think of the car as a personality,” he continues, “and we can leverage its character with the way it’s shot. I find backgrounds or locations that work as tools to help me build the story I want. These Defender photos use a boxy and sharp backdrop that reflects the car’s character. It's harsh, almost brutal, where the car belongs. But with a different backdrop you’d build a different story.”

In another example, Kyle shot this Lamborghini on a mountain pass, freshly ploughed of snow. “Here, the idea is that this iconic V12 monster has such a large and strong presence on the road, that there really is nothing else around it. It's all by itself, dominating this road. In these locations, when you’re working, you can also spot nice parallels like the verticality of the doors and pylons.”

Sometimes many facets come together in the same shoot. “The Porsche 917 was the car that transformed the Le Mans 24-hour race,” Kyle says. “It took the event from one where you had conventional cars lined up for races to models specifically built for Le Mans.

“We were shooting with a replica,” he continues, “in that environment, you can see the power of the car as it kicks up snow, which I’ve frozen at 1/800sec. But also its speed with a 1/80sec panning shot..”

In parallel, Kyle sees similarities with the Sony Alpha 1 he now uses for his work. “The Alpha 1 has many of the same qualities as a Le Mans car,” he nods. “It’s extremely powerful, but when you look at what it can create, it’s beautiful. The pictures from it are like trophies, made by this incredibly dynamic tool. It’s a camera that’s ready to go through war to give you the most beautiful outcome.”

“For commercial work, the value of the camera’s dynamic range and resolution is huge. For instance, 50 megapixels gives me the room to back up and tell the full story with as much background as I need, then crop later if I need to. And its speed is peerless. I know I can shoot trackside from the hip at 30fps in RAW mode, which is indispensable. I don't know if I could go back to a slower camera after that.”

The Alpha 1 also offers split-second AF performance with Kyle using its Expandable Tracking Spot mode to effortlessly follow 200mph track cars. “The way it acquires and sticks to subjects without dropping focus is incredible, and I can trust it with my life. That’s so important when maybe a car is only going to make one pass, or there’s an unrepeatable moment as it battles with a rival.”

“It’s a camera that is very intent on producing the best,” Kyle finishes, “and I think that’s something which photographers can learn from, too. I’ve found that the only way to meet or exceed my own targets is to be very purposeful. If you're going to shoot a photo, you need to intentionally spend time making every element of it perfect. You need to decide early what elements of technique and location help tell your story best a long time before you’re on location.”

This is particularly true in car photography, he says, where it’s easy for photographers to be carried away by their subjects and just take photos for the sake of it. Don’t get overwhelmed and stick to achieving the best possible result – because you can bet that’s what the Alpha 1 is going to do, too.”