Twisted Indifference

In this post we will be looking at the commercial vehicle segment. It will be from the photography angle not from the angle of a automotive journalist. I look at the colours and the angles of the vehicles. I look for aerodynamics but only because streamlining is an aspect any photographer would admire. You wouldn’t want to shoot a woman with all the curves in the wrong places now would you?

Tata and Ashok Leyland have dominated Indian highways for a long time now. The market has however been flooded with a multitude of Commercial Vehicle manufacturers for the past few years. Volvo came in with their Behemoth; trucks in the 400 - 500 horsepower range. They towered over the trucks on the highway then, looking down with disdain. Times have changed.

I have been an avid truck lover for a long time now. My love story started with the Mack trucks. Passion and online research led me to Volvo. That was a long time ago and I never would have imagined being able to shoot these monsters so soon. I got the opportunity a little less than a year ago. The Volvo plant in Bangalore. I’ll get to that soon.

I had no complaints with what was displayed at the expo but I had plenty about the way they were displayed. What you will notice in most of the photos is either the lack of proper lighting or irregular lighting. I can understand every manufacturer would like to have the sexiest looking booth but please realize the photographs are what will remind people what the display was like.

More than the lights, my major headache was the lack of space. It is a given that at an event of this magnitude hordes of people will be inevitable but when you have to take each and every shot at 18mm it starts getting on your nerves. I mean wide angles are fun but when used judiciously not when used as the only option. You still have a job to do and you do your best to get a good shot but yes the ‘I could have done better’ thought lingers in your mind on the way out.

Regardless, you cannot be in love with automobiles and not have fun at the Expo. The truck displays alone were enough to put me at risk of getting a whiplash. So yes, Ashok Leyland has done good work, I loved their designs and the fact that they did not forget one important point, the fairing along the sides. Not everyone here remembers that. AMW was the first amongst the Indian manufacturers.

The next post will be on the Honda cars. Their hybrid models and what they may or may not decide to bring into India. I am sure you would like to see something about the Tata Nano too, but it failed to impress me. I will of course be still putting it up soon. Make sure you check back!