Selected by General Motors to photograph the new 2015 Corvette Z06 Convertible before its debut at the auto show last week, Finkelstein, an Irvington resident, was given 12 hours of studio time to capture four dramatic images of the car.
The 23-year-old photographer shunned digital convenience to shoot with film. Finkelstein and two other New York area college students are vying for a $5,000 prize with voters choosing a winner from the gallery on show at the N.Y. Auto Show this week.
"With the Corvette shoot, I hoped to break away from the norm of automotive photography by working in a more conceptual, considered way," Finkelstein said. "Corvette has been a continually innovative brand while still staying true to it's rich history. In my photographs, I created a stylized, innovative look for the car while still referencing the history and tradition of the photographic medium."
GM Creative Manager/North American Design Stephen Gray said Finkelstein brought life to the Corvette.
“Mike took a risk in shooting on film in today’s world of digital photography, but it paid off. The result is a unique set of shots that have history to them, just like the Corvette itself. Mike’s shots are highly emotional images where the vehicle looks alive,” Gray said.
Finkelstein, who graduated from Darrow School in upstate New York before going Pratt, said he intentionally created light leaks and left dust on the film to emphasize it's quality. He plans to pursue a career as an artist, displaying his work in galleries.
"I became interested in photography in high school after taking a film photography class." he said. "I fell in love with the process of making images without being able to immediately see exactly what I got. Using chemicals to develop my images and watching them appear became an exciting ritual. As I moved on to attend Pratt Institute I decided to continue honing my skills as a photographer."
To vote in the contest, see the gallery of Finkelstein's photographs on Corvette's Facebook page. It;s open to a public vote through April 24.
"My images stand apart from the other contestants because I took a risk by staying true to my interest in the artistic aspect of the photographic medium," he said.
For more on Finkelstein's work, log on the his website.
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