An illustrated study of the creative artistry
of Britain's finest post-war car press photos
The Art of the Press Photo
The post-war era was the start of a new beginning for the British motor industry and the management of every manufacturer knew that a highly effective marketing strategy could be key to the subsequent success of their company in the years ahead.
No matter how well the new cars looked as they came off the production lines or how they performed on the road, it was essential to showcase each model to potential customers as clearly as possible.
In the late 1940s and continuing for much of the rest of the 20th Century, newspapers and magazines were bought and read by millions of people and the more regularly that impressive pictures of these new modern cars appeared in the inside pages, the more it was likely to entice potential owners to visit their local showrooms.
While every major company produced many very slick full-page adverts which played a very significant role in generating sales, they cost a large amount of money. As such, each company's marketing specialists would also send their own photos to the editorial departments of the different publications, and the more impressive the photos they sent, the more chance they would be used with an accompanying story.
As getting the marketing right was critically important, it meant the very best photographers would be contracted to take the photographs and there would be much deliberation in advance as to whether it was best to take them in a studio, on the road, or in a specific location with an attractive or particular backdrop, and ideally on a lovely sunny day. There was further consideration about whether or not to include "models" with the cars, both to add an extra series of realism and because the inclusion of an attractive young female was regarded as extra "eye candy" to grab the reader's attention. And if a model was used, they would always be very purposely dressed and specifically positioned close to the car, usually with a huge smile on their face to help project an image of a perfect moment. The photographers would also take each picture at a very specific height, angle and distance to each car to ensure its best features were most prominent.
This was an exercise in matching creativity with modern art to try and produce stunning pictures which would make each model of car appear as desirable as possible. Once the best photos were then selected from each shoot, they would be sent to all the relevant newspapers and magazines, along with an informative background text.
It was a strategy which proved highly effective. The different publications had the opportunity to use very high-quality photographs without having to pay anything for them, and more often than not, they would appear prominently in each publication's next issue. In return, every time one of these beautiful company "press photos" was featured in a publication, there was likely to be extra visitors at the manufacturer's showrooms afterwards, usually ensuring a number of additional sales. In a nutshell, it was a win-win for everyone.
