Pink Cadillac Lifestyle Experience Photography & Video in Big Sur
Bringing a 1960s California coast dream to life from Monterey to Big Sur
This was one of the most creative photography and video assignments I have ever worked on. Renada came to Monterey with a very specific dream involving her friends, 1960s style, a pink Cadillac convertible, and the California coast, and my job was to help turn that entire experience into photos and video she could keep forever.
A Pink Cadillac Dream From Monterey to Big Sur
You know a photo shoot is going to be interesting when the client wants to involve a classic car and Big Sur! Renada called me up and started to desribe what she was envisioning. She was traveling from Atlanta with friends and had dreamed of driving a 1961 pink Cadillac convertible along the California coast. She also imagined the clothes, the locations, the look, the feeling, and having her friends there to experience it with her.
We started at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, where Renada and her friends were staying, and got the first video clips of the day of them descending a big staircase in the hotel, easier said than done as walking down stairs without looking is not easy, I have subsequently tried it myself! From there we went to Monterey Touring Vehicles to pick up the car and then soon on our way down Highway 1. I suggested we stop and get some photo and video content at the wonderfully quaint Carmel Highlands General Store, which has an old timey gas station look to it.
Then for the big finale of the shoot, we made our way down along the Big Sur coast. This gave me the chance to create professional portraits of the three of them with the Cadillac and the Pacific Ocean behind them, along with drone video of Renada actually driving the car along the coast.
This was one of the most multi-faceted projects I have worked on for a client. Renada and her friends were fantastic in front of the camera (and drone) from start to finish. It really helped that they let their personalities come out, making it easier to capture all these photos and video clips!
Thank you so much Renada for choosing me as your photographer and I am very glad I could help in making part of your California coast dream come true! Thank you also to Alex for assisting with this shoot! Yet another frisbee friend turned photographer’s assistant, haha.
Turn a Monterey Trip Into Something You Can Relive
I am calling this type of work Lifestyle Experience Photography & Video because it goes beyond a traditional photo shoot.
The idea is to professionally document something you are actually experiencing. That might be renting the classic car you have always wanted to drive, taking a once in a lifetime trip with your closest friends, celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary, planning a memorable family vacation, or finally doing something that has been on your bucket list for years.
Instead of returning home with only phone photos and a few short clips, I can document the experience with professional still photography, ground based video, and, when the location and conditions allow, aerial drone video.
Behind the Scenes of a Lifestyle Experience Shoot
Professional photography, video, drone coverage, and some teamwork in Big Sur
There was quite a bit happening behind the scenes to create all of this. I brought my friend Alex along to assist during the shoot, which was especially helpful while working with cameras, video equipment, the drone, three people, a very large classic Cadillac, and multiple stops along Highway 1!
I really like this aerial behind the scenes photograph because it shows the setting from an entirely different perspective. The final photographs and video are the finished product, but an experience like this also requires planning, coordination, location scouting, creative ideas, and figuring out how to capture everything while still letting the clients enjoy the day.
That balance is important to me. I want the photography and video to be part of the experience, not something that takes over the experience.
1960s Style With a Classic Car in Big Sur
Creative portraits inspired by the car, clothing, location, and personality of the group
Renada and her friends went all in on the idea, including 1960s inspired dresses, gloves, sunglasses, purses, and other details that looked fantastic with the Cadillac.
That also gave me many more creative possibilities than simply photographing people standing beside a car. We could create environmental portraits, photograph them in and around the Cadillac, use the road and coastline as part of the composition, and let their personalities come through as the shoot progressed.
Some of my favorite client assignments begin with someone saying, “I have this idea...” Renada certainly had one, and this entire shoot is a good example of what can happen when a client brings an idea and gives me the creative freedom to help build on it.
A Pink Cadillac on the Big Sur Coast
Lifestyle photography with a classic car, friends, and an unforgettable California backdrop
The pink Cadillac could hardly have been a better match for Big Sur and the 1960s inspired wardrobe Renada and her friends chose. There were opportunities for the big scenic photographs showing the car against the California coast, but also smaller moments like Renada sitting behind the wheel that make the photographs feel more personal.
That is another reason I like thinking of this as lifestyle experience photography rather than simply classic car photography. The Cadillac is an amazing visual element, but the people and the experience are still the story.
For someone traveling to Monterey or Carmel and planning to rent a classic car, professional photography and video can become another part of that experience rather than a completely separate activity.
Renting a Classic Car From Monterey Touring Vehicles? Add the Experience to It
Renada rented the pink Cadillac from Monterey Touring Vehicles in Monterey.
Here is the actual pink Cadillac Renada rented for this shoot.
You do not need a formal photography package through the rental company to create something like this. A classic car can be rented directly from Monterey Touring Vehicles, and photography and video with me can be arranged separately around your plans.
That makes this a fun option for visitors coming to Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, or Big Sur who are already thinking about renting a classic car for part of their trip. Instead of only driving the car, the rental can become the centerpiece of a professionally photographed and filmed California coast experience.
The session can be designed around what matters most to you. That could include portraits with the car, candid photography, scenic stops, professional video, driving footage, and drone video where conditions allow.
A Five Star Review From Renada
The best result is when the photographs and video match what the client imagined
Receiving this review from Renada after the shoot meant a lot to me because so much of what she wrote describes exactly what I am trying to offer with a lifestyle experience session.
She wrote about sharing her dream with me, feeling that I understood what she was trying to create, and seeing that vision brought to life. She also wrote that I allowed them to still be themselves while contributing my own ideas and creative experience.
One line in particular stood out to me:
“His work is truly a piece of art.”
Thank you again Renada, both for the incredibly kind review and for bringing me such a memorable idea to photograph and film.
This Was Not My First Classic Car Experience in Big Sur
Interestingly, this was not the first time a client contacted me with the idea of combining vintage style, a classic car, and the Big Sur coast.
In 2024, Andrea and her husband visited from Kansas City and planned a 1950s themed portrait session with a classic Chevy Bel Air. We collaborated on locations and ideas for that shoot, and I even ended up using the same Big Sur turnout for some of Renada's photographs almost two years later.
You can see that earlier session here:
1950s Theme Portraits with Chevy Bel Air in Big Sur
That earlier shoot was primarily a portrait experience. Renada's project took the concept much further by combining still photography, professional video, multiple locations, and drone footage into a complete story of the day. The two assignments together are what really made me realize that this deserves to be its own photography and video service.
Lifestyle Experience Photography & Video in Monterey and Big Sur
A special trip does not have to look like everyone else's trip.
Lifestyle experience photography and video can be built around the thing you are coming here to do, whether that is driving a classic car down Highway 1, celebrating with friends, planning a milestone birthday, proposing somewhere unforgettable, taking a family trip, celebrating an anniversary, or finally checking something off your bucket list.
I can combine professional still photography, video, creative direction, and FAA certified drone coverage to document not only what the experience looked like, but what it felt like to be there.
Tell me what you are planning, even when the idea is a little unusual. Those ideas often turn into some of my favorite shoots.
Jason Collin Photography creates lifestyle experience photography and video in Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, and throughout the Monterey Peninsula for visitors who want professional photos and video of an unforgettable California experience.