Michael Furman
Automobiles in Elegant Studio Photography
“I care a lot about the cars, I feel an obligation to each one I photograph. It’s my job to express that car. If I do right by the car, then I’m satisfied.”
For the world’s preeminent photographer, Michael Furman, fine automobiles deserve to be seen as fine art. Growing up in Philadelphia, the photographer recalls his family and friends’ love of cars. “I got involved with photography after a neighbor of mine had a camera, and we started taking pictures of things. That was 50 years ago, and we’re still friends.
His father knew I was interested in photography and taught me some things. The first car I photographed was a 1963 Split-Window Corvette.”
To Furman, the cars are the stars. His artful approach creates what he prefers to call, portraits – elegant studio photographs that express the historical and aesthetic importance of each car. He succeeds in presenting each one from the perspective of the designers and engineers who create them, visually communicating their thoughts, motivations and the social and political context in which they worked.