Photography has become an indispensable medium and the car is one of its most important subjects. Photographer Hendrik Gergen tells us how a picture conveys the special fascination of a vehicle.
Hendrik Gergen has made it his mission to capture life through the camera lens. He has already staged many of Mercedes-AMG’s automotive dreams and conveyed the brand's Luxury Performance in pictures. Through this wealth of experience, he has developed a special eye for the intricacies of a motor-centric shoot. We wanted to know from him: What makes the AMG brand unique as a photo subject? What distinguishes the perfect photo? And above all, how does working with a car model differ from a human model?
It doesn't take long to answer the last question: "Both have their own unique appeal,” Gergen says. It's a balance between control and spontaneity: "The good thing about a subject is that I can determine exactly what it should and shouldn't do.” With living subjects, on the other hand, it's all about the mood on set. “You have to make sure everyone feels comfortable. A car doesn't mind, but a person has to feel that they can be themselves. After that, it's all about timing. The rest is coincidence," Gergen says. When asked what he prefers, he replies, "Interestingly enough, I tend to lose patience with still objects more than with people. I'm mostly drawn to dynamics and interaction."
Special vehicles, however, can break their static and develop their own personality when set in motion. Cars like a Mercedes-AMG: "The nice thing about AMG shoots is that the cars are on the move," Gergen says. This transforms rigid objects into something alive and combines these two ways of working in a very natural way.
