Texas Hill Country is well known for its quiet lifestyle, and the small town of Boerne is no different. Every so often, though, things get a little noisy when a car show passes through, and the Italian Motor Gathering (IMG) is regarded as one of the best.
In contrast to the regular shows that visit and generate crowds of stock Corvettes with disappointingly low miles (1 of 256 built on a Wednesday afternoon and painted red!), IMG is a breath of fresh air. The event draws in a crowd of young and old enthusiasts to check out a diverse display of Italian cars, from the latest supercars to racing relics. For a short time, this splash of sound and color transforms the look and feel of the quaint town.
IMG feels like a time capsule across the years of Italian automotive development, further enhanced by speakers – including motorsport legends – who offer insight into the cars on display and tell stories so detailed that you feel as though you witnessed them yourself. The smell of coffee and gasoline intertwines with a serenade of Italian opera, accompanied by a choir of V12s. It’s the perfect mixture for any Saturday morning.
For quite some time now, I’ve put my camera up on a shelf and let it collect dust, outside of a few favors for friends. My motivation to pursue automotive photography had stalled, and Adobe Lightroom had long gone unlaunched. IMG is one of the events I’ll always attend, even if it’s just to grab a coffee with friends and enjoy the art of foreign engineering. But this time around, I made a promise to myself that I’d go with the intention of shooting.
I didn’t really have any agenda or theme in mind; I just knew I wanted to capture the feeling of being there. I’ve always enjoyed photos of events that feel present and grounded, rather than the common attempt to wait for a crowd to clear before getting a shot in. I wanted to show people (and most importantly, dogs) walking around the car show and taking it in, as I would. After all, what would a car show be without spectators?
After several hours of shooting and catching up with internet friends, I came home with a full SD card and a reclaimed creative outlet. It was good to take my camera off the shelf. I think I’ll keep it that way.
