ben dollery supercar photographer
Photo by Ben Dollery

Ben Dollery is a UK supercar photographer with over 8000 followers on his Instagram feed, BD Supercars. Ben posts consistently high quality car photos on Instagram and he is great at engaging with other car enthusiasts, bloggers, vloggers and photographers. Living near the famous Goodwood circuit means that Ben has amazing access to some incredible cars, so if you love supercars, check him out on @bdsupercars!

1. Where did your passion for supercars begin?

My passion for supercars began at an early age. Watching Formula 1 with Michael Schumacher, who was my hero growing up, driving for Ferrari – that love of Ferraris really started the whole supercar passion for me.

2. How did you first get into car photography?

I started out in car photography in July 2015, but that was just a couple of photos here and there with my iPhone. I didn’t really get started properly until January 2016 and that’s where BD Supercars began.

3. Has it been easy to get access to the cars?

It has for me because I live 10 minutes away from the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex, UK. The majority of their track days and events are free except the Festival of Speed/Goodwood Revival and Members Meetings. But other than that, it’s pretty easy there. At other events I go to I don’t have a problem in seeing what I want to see, so I’m quite happy by the end of the day.

4. What sort of equipment do you use?

I use a DSLR camera. It’s a Nikon D3300 with Tamron 18-200mm lens with polariser.

5. How important is social media to what you do? Which work best for you in promoting your work?

I only use one social media platform and that’s Instagram. I find Instagram really easy to share photos with other car enthusiasts compared to the likes of Flickr.

6. What motivates you to do what you do?

Seeing how other photographers grow and also seeing my photos getting better. I want to be like those photographers with a very big following, and have people recognise me at car events without having to wear a sponsor t-shirt with my logo on it.

7. Do you have any role models working in this area?

The big photographers like Alex Penfold.

ben dollery supercar photography
Photo by Ben Dollery

8. What’s been the biggest challenge?

Probably choosing the right photos and editing them right so they are suitable for posting. Also posting photos at the right time of day to get the most coverage.

9. Have you any tips or advice for anyone starting out in car photography?

Planning ahead is key. Find out what events are about and what you can attend. Make sure you take lots of photos and research other car photographers to find out how they take photos e.g. angles, edits, scenery. Build relationships up with others and comment on other people’s photos.

10. What would be in your dream three car garage?

Ferrari F12, Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG (daily) and Lamborghini Huracan.

11. How can ChangingLanes.ie readers follow your work?

Follow me on Instagram: @bdsupercars and #bdsupercars

Thanks to Ben for taking part in this interview.