Auto Engineers Really Like The Long Camera Lens Of A Spy Photographer...Or Maybe It's Just Me
("Follow us as we lift the hood on the world of industrial automotive espionage in From The Car Spy's Dossier, a series of road reports from A-list spy shooter Brenda Priddy and some of the world's greatest car spies!) It's been just 4 weeks since the hot weather test season officially started and I've put well over 7500 miles on my car, two oil changes and even logged a few thousand air miles. And no matter where I go, it seems that I trip over other spies trying to photograph the same cars. So while I honestly tell people only one out of every ten sets of spy photos actually sell, the odds of a successful sale are even lower this time of year.
But I have a different MO (method of operation) than the other guys: The men tend to shoot from behind tress and shrubs, garbage cans or whatever else is available at the moment. I tend to get a bit close. Sometimes a bit too close. But I like to think it's what helps me to always get the best pictures. And, well...maybe the most unique.
Yeah, I get threatened. I've even been physically assaulted once or twice, and my son was once the target of two not-so-nice engineers in high-powered prototypes. But then there's what I call the "Bond Effect" – there's just something about spies – especially women spies – that seems to fascinate men. One minute they're blocking me from every angle and the next...well...they're taking their picture next to me and asking for my autograph. From AM General to Veyron, engineers have asked me out after their "secret" prototypes are tucked away for the night. Does life get any stranger?
And it's not exactly an ego trip, but next to Britney and Paris Hilton, it seems like I have more cameras pointed at me than even Nicole Richie! I'm sure the "other guys" laugh it off, thinking "that's no way to get the job done". But on the contrary, no one else gets as close or gets the kind of offers I do!
And although these aren't exactly pictures of "fans," I doubt any other car spy can offer a gallery like this one!
Brenda Priddy