One of the fun things about being an automotive photographer is getting called out to see fun and funky vehicles like this 1984 Land Rover 110 Truck. They needed some classic truck photography for it as it went to auction. I can imagine this thing driving across the African savanna with the side of the back cover rolled up. Photographers would be hanging their lenses out the sides to photograph cheetahs chasing antelope or a herd of elephants at a watering hole.
The truck version is something I haven’t seen up close before. The basic straight forward design would make this a great vehicle to own as a ranch drive about, whether as a restored classic truck or as an upgraded modern version of the 1984 truck. The light green is even a great color for it.
I love the canvas bed cover and the very basic fittings. It’s from the 80s so the design seems surprising. It date back much further. Land Rover maintained continuity with their early vehicles pretty well still. It reminds me of very early jeeps (they have also maintained a pretty consistent design/build aesthetic). That isn’t surprising since it’s inception dates to just after the birth of the Willys jeep in the US and it is designed to tackle the same sort of problems.
Funky Classic Truck Details
One of my favorite things about this truck are all the simple details, and the patina the truck has. This truck isn’t a frame off restore. It’s more of a “make it nice again” restore leaving all the stories the patina tells in place while replacing worn out parts.
Classic Truck Photography Challenges
The window to photograph this classic truck small. The auction start date was fixed. Like many projects, it was being finished up just before the deadline. A couple days of heavy rain right in the middle of the window didn’t help. We ended up having to shoot just after noon when the available light wasn’t great. Luckily, we have big lights and adding a couple of fill lights allowed us to soften the shadows and make this classic truck pop in the photos.