The Art of the Rig Shot

Motion, only captured motionless. Of all the photos we publish, rig shots are among our favorites. Sure, their production consumes a disproportional amount of logistics and can fray the photographer's nerves, but there's simply no better way to illustrate a car's personality than to capture it dead-still while in motion. It's a kind of magic.

Oh, and it's "rig," not "rigged" — a rig shot refers to the structure that holds the camera fixed to a vehicle in motion. The complexity of a rig varies widely. Elaborate ones can consist of several rigid arms affixed to the car via suction cups or other benign devices while the camera hangs in space tens of feet away at the end of the structure.

The photo target might be the side, front or back of the vehicle to which the rig is attached, or in some cases we'll rig a car that serves simply as a chase vehicle for the subject car. Pavement is no friend of expensive camera bits. Neither are street signs. Or cliff faces. Some days are better than others in this regard.

Here's a small secret — the car that looks like it's going a thousand miles per hour is probably being pushed by hand while in neutral. Vibration is anathema to rig shots, and as a result many rig shots are long exposures taken while the car creeps along at 2 mph. Burnouts and gravel sprays, however, are incompatible with 2 mph and require complex rigs engineered to withstand theses forces.

We've included one "behind the scenes" image that provides some insight to the technique. Enjoy.