Attending Amelia Concours in 2024 was a first for me. I have read about Pebble Beach, Quail and Amelia in online articles and some magazines for many years, so when I started to photograph cars, attending those events was always in my mind.
The 3rd day, Saturday, The Hangar Ameila took place hosted by the owners The Bridge Hamptons. My expectations were high and they were met as I was blown away. Many race cars as expected, but it was the exclusivity of the event that made it exquisite. There were no crowds, there was no pressure of jusges and contests. It was just car people hanging out enjoying the cars and eachothers company. One hour into the event, it rained. The bar was raised and set for future events as the mood it set made the rest of the event even more special. The rain darkened the tarmac and created reflections that just enhanced the beauty of the cars and the images we were all capturing. It was an unforgettable afternoon of cars and jets.
I was not expecting the crowd sizes I saw at Amelia. For a moment I thought I was a Disney World, but the cars and vendors on the golf course reminded me where I was. When I arrived at the media room to set up, I was told by on of the Hagerty people that he had given my contact info to RUF and asked me to go to their display and talk to them about helping them with some pictures of their display.
They wanted a few pics of people interacting with the cars, which was no problem for me since I was there to photograph cars anyway. I took some pictures, edited them quickly on site and send those to them. As a thank you for helping them out they had one of my pictures featured in an article on Forbes.com. after I was done I continued to explore the event but hours went by as if time has sped up and before I knew my phone reminded me to go see the award ceremony.
It was definitely an experience I will not forget. I met wonderful people and gained a few friends that I hope I can see again if I can go back next year.