Night Rider at Asilomar During Monterey Car Week 2026
Lowriders, classic cars, music, art, and event photography inside Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove
My relationship with Asilomar Conference Grounds has given me the opportunity to photograph many very different events there, so I was glad when their team invited me back for Night Rider during Monterey Car Week 2026. This time the familiar underground garage was transformed into a colorful celebration of custom cars, music, art, and the people who came to experience it.
Back Underground at Asilomar Conference Grounds
This was actually not my first time photographing an event inside the underground parking garage at Asilomar Conference Grounds! Another similar event with cars, a DJ, and artists was my first time one+ year ago. This time though, for Monterey Car Week 2026, it was an event called Night Rider, featuring low rider and classic cars, lit up colorfully. As guests moved between the cars, a DJ spun vinyl records, and car-inspired artwork was being created on site. The team at Asilomar created another unique event. Thank you for inviting me to photograph it!
Low Riders, Classic Cars, and Color at Night Rider
Photographing the complete event experience inside Asilomar's underground garage
Night Rider was designed around much more than simply displaying cars. The underground setting, colorful lighting, guests gathering around the vehicles, open hoods and doors, custom interiors, chrome, and intricate details all became part of the visual story.
For event photography, I am always looking beyond the obvious subject. A wide photograph can establish the venue and crowd, while another image may focus entirely on a particular car, the reflections created by the event lighting, or a guest stopping to inspect something that caught their attention. Together those different perspectives give Asilomar a collection of photographs that shows not only what was there, but what guests experienced throughout the evening.
More Than a Car Show
Night Rider also brought together other parts of the culture surrounding the cars. A live DJ spinning vinyl added music throughout the evening, while nearby an artist created car-inspired artwork surrounded by the same colorful lighting that transformed the garage. Those elements helped make the night feel less like a traditional static car display and more like a complete cultural event, giving me another side of the experience to document beyond the cars themselves.
Your Event Photographer at Asilomar Conference Grounds
Having photographed multiple events for Asilomar Conference Grounds, I have become very familiar with the property and with how dramatically its different spaces can be transformed from one event to another. From conferences and corporate gatherings to themed events and unique experiences like Night Rider, knowing the venue allows me to spend less time figuring out the location and more time concentrating on the people, details, atmosphere, and moments that make each event different.
If you are planning an event at Asilomar Conference Grounds, or anywhere throughout Pacific Grove, Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, and the Monterey Peninsula, I provide professional event photography designed to tell the complete story of the experience and give you a strong collection of images for marketing, social media, press, and future event promotion.