Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Pitzl.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always enjoyed taking photos but never took it too seriously. I’d snap a cool shot whenever I saw something I thought looked nice, but then I’d move on. After showing some people my photos and hearing good things, I thought it might be fun to start a social media page where I could share my photos with more people.
I started simply using my phone but I’ve stepped up to using an actual camera in recent months, which I believe has helped tremendously. I enjoy taking photos of nature, which is what I started with, but I also have a huge passion for cars and the automotive world. I started to mix these two interests and fell in love! As of most recently, taking photos at car shows and for car dealerships has been what I’ve enjoyed most.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It certainly has not been easy! As a college student with a part-time job, finding the time for a hobby/business can be a little difficult. I have also found it quite difficult to grow and gain more followers on social platforms as there are simply so many other things that can grab people’s attention.
Overall, I enjoy taking pictures and sharing them and I understand that all good things take time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The work I am most proud of is my automotive photography. I would certainly label myself as a car enthusiast as I spend the majority of my time doing car-related activities. Because of my passion for cars, I believe that through photographs I can capture the details that others might miss when looking from a distance. I simply enjoy taking photos in general and am always interested in taking photos of something, or someone, else!
Photos are a way to show the perspective someone has on the world and they show the parts of a scene or object that stand out to different people. Photos are also an incredible way to stop something in time and save it as a memory that can be kept forever. I enjoy sharing my photos as an art form and as a way for others to look at things from a different perspective.
What do you think about happiness?
Cars of course! Cars… and family, and friends, as well as learning about and interacting with other people and seeing what interests them. Throughout my life, I have spent time engrossed in the topic of cars via countless hours of TV shows, movies, video games, podcasts, YouTube videos, and attending car events. Of these, my favorite way of interacting with cars has been through events centered around them.
Car shows have been the most common event that I have attended that has allowed me to experience cars in person. I have been to car shows close to home, such as the monthly car shows in Minneapolis, and to shows further away, with some of the most memorable being in Indiana, Ohio, and Florida. Another car-themed event that I have attended includes the Indianapolis 500, the slogan of which states that it is “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” I would certainly agree, as the Indy 500 is an unforgettable experience, from specially built cars flying past you at over 200 miles per hour to averaging less than one mile per hour in the outrageous traffic before and after the race.
All of these events provide for extraordinary experiences of knowledge-building and memory-making, however, they pale in comparison to the feeling I get when I am placed in the driver’s seat. Like a child on Christmas Day, I am the happiest person on the planet when given the opportunity to drive a car that is fast, sporty, stylish, or, for a lack of better words: COOL. The sounds, sense of speed, and necessity of concentration work in unison, providing an invigorating experience that I never want to end. Learning about, talking about, and experiencing automobiles have been past times of mine from an early age and I fully intend for them to stay that way.
Transitioning my love of cars into an art form has been an incredibly interesting experience. I love to see what methods work and what ones do not. In the future, I would like to assist businesses with their images and social media presence as it is a growing space that can be seen by many.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/autolensstudios/
- Twitter: twitter.com/autolensstudios
