Auto Digest recently met Andi Hedrickan experienced automotive photographer who has worked in the industry for many years on projects for brands such as Audi, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari. His stunning images have been featured in magazines, point of sale displays and PR pieces everywhere, in an attempt to attract customers to a brand by showing them the perfect angle of their new model.
I originally messaged Andi on Instagram asking if I could use his photos on this site after seeing his content in one of my Car and Driver magazines. But recently I realized there was an opportunity to cover his work.
His interest in photography initially stemmed from the skateboarding and BMX world in high school, where (and these are his words) he “wasn’t very good at it, so I took pictures of my friends instead.” This seemed to work for him socially and creatively. Fast forward to his college days, where he tried his hand at regular academic life… studying business at a local university and crunching numbers late into the night. After some time he realized that this idea of the ideal life he was pursuing was probably not for him. As he became more dissatisfied with the usual course load, Andi spent long hours in the university’s darkroom developing photographs taken in his coveted free time. It was there, alone in that room, just him and the photos… where the rest of the world would disappear for a moment.
After doing this for enough time, he thought it was probably time for a change.
“I remember calling my parents one day and saying, ‘Hey mom, I’m going to drop out of school and completely change my major.’ They weren’t excited, but they were supportive… and that was pretty cool.”
His first paid photography job was for a ski and snowboard company. At the time, he was making $7.50 an hour taking product photos in the store. It was small, but he realized he could make money with photography alone. After this, he did fashion photography in Chicago for a while, but the startup company he was working for had lost their funding and had to close up shop. Startup life!
New beginnings
After losing his job in the fashion industry, Andi had a few weeks to figure things out. The following month, he was visiting family in Detroit and randomly came across a car photographer (perfect, right?) This guy must have seen potential, because he invited Andi to participate in a project where 50 Audi TDIs were filmed in front of the main building (right across from the FBI… maybe that obvious display of hubris is what sparked Diesel Gate).
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The best way to get into this industry is to find a photographer you work well with, help them, and then network and take on your own clients. That was my first push. It’s a combination of luck and putting energy into it once you get lucky.
In the beginning he didn’t make much money, and he lived with his parents for about a year before he got a foothold in the industry.
The Yin and the Yang
Andi made a point of emphasizing how volatile the automotive photography industry is. He said that there are always a lot of false starts along the way that can be discouraging… especially if someone is new to the game. Traditionally (in other industries) when you get a call from someone and go to an interview, they are serious about the project, but in the past two months, Andi said he can count almost a dozen jobs that have been “put on the back burner or canceled.”
On the other hand, if you succeed, it’s quite rewarding. Andi came from a working-class family that was the same as many of us… there were some career options that were realistic and, to be honest, photography wasn’t really one of those.
During the interview, Andi said that he is rarely satisfied with the nuances of his work, and that he is his own worst critic… but a certain level of constant drive for improvement is what clients admire in his work. Whatever he’s doing seems to be working well… I mean, he’s taken pictures of a multi-million dollar one FerrariSP3 in New York City.
“If I deliver work and I’m doing well, I’ve done what I needed to do technically and handed it over and the client is satisfied, then I will most likely still look at that and think that it could have been better. If you’re always excited about your own things, you won’t take yourself to the next level.”
Andi commented on the three levels of car photography, with Level 1 being the least profitable while Level 3 makes the big bucks. Due to the experience he has gained over the years, he has recently found himself at the higher levels.
Who is your Max Verstappen of car photography?
That’s one of the questions Andi got. He said most people offer unique style elements. However, Marc Urbano stands out for Andi as a mentor in both his career and personal life. He helped Andi become a better photographer, and even more a better person.
“Marc has a great family, is a great husband and people always want to have their picture taken with him. He operates at the highest level possible and yet is so humble when you talk to him. Stylistically we go in opposite directions but as a photographer and as a person I would be very happy if I could hit those points of what he has done. Dude got to shoot the Isle of Mann and lived a little bit in the glory days of the industry travelling the world.”
Marc seems to be something of a guiding role model for Mr. Hedrick, and Marc’s work is also frequently featured in Car and Driver magazines.
A bit old fashioned
Social media has changed the game for people who make a living taking pictures of cars. Andi said that anyone can now build an audience and make a name for themselves. However, social media isn’t something he’s passionate about, so he’s largely avoided it until now (we’ve connected on Instagram, but he’s not super active and certainly doesn’t consider it part of his “business development” or professional duties). When he does use us on social media, he often posts weird and wacky stuff. He doesn’t want to put the same work he does for OEMs on Instagram. He understands that it’s a great way to share art and connect with people, but feels like it’s counterintuitive that we’ve made it so that everyone has to be their own self-promoter 100% of the time, telling everyone how awesome their life is.
Andi hides the number of likes on all of his posts.
He believes he could be an “influencer” if he made it more of a priority and showed brands and potential customers his engagement metrics… but he said he would hate himself if he went that route.
Golden Age of Industry
Speaking specifically about the business side of it, there was a time when a photographer, if he had the contracts that Andi has now, would make millions of dollars a year. Since then, it seems like the industry has changed a bit and budgets have come down because photographers can do more with technology in less time.
Oh yeah…and AI. It’s inevitable, we had to touch on it. Andi opened up about his gripes on AI and how he thinks it will change and turn the industry he loves inside out. He thinks the agency world will be the first to be hit and that he (as an individual) is a bit more insulated from the effects of AI. It’s a generational thing and Andi thinks people who grew up with regular (non-AI) photos will always be hungry for authentic photos.
It’s a wild situation, especially if you work for yourself and you just hope the salaries keep coming in. It’s a lot to adapt to in a short time. (commenting on the effects of AI and technology on his career)
Andi said the transition from film to digital was the highlight. 2007, 08 and 09 were great times when film was at its peak and people were making a lot of money thanks to big project budgets. Andi believes the profession was more respected when things took longer and technology wasn’t the great equalizer. At that time, people would go to small Italian towns and say, “This shot looks great, but those power lines look bad. Can we put them underground?” The locals rolled their eyes, but perhaps the paycheck eased their pain somewhat.
Growing up in a working-class family, he never had to get on a plane until he was 25, but now he flies 70 to 80 times a year. Hopefully he’s signed up for Sky Miles! This signifies the severity of the lifestyle change that photography brought about in this Midwestern man’s life. Good photos can go a long way.
Andi also bragged about the cool cars he gets to drive on the job (let’s just say they’re driven in a “spunky” manner). He complained that it’s kind of a struggle to drive Audi RS7s or Porsches and then go back to the airport parking garage and get into his very reliable, but slightly less enticing 4Runner.
Thanks for reading to the end of the article. Here’s a crazy photo of the man, the myth, Mr. Andi Hedrick.
Andi, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.