Before you jump to conclusions – Midjourney or another AI tool is not a replacement for true photography, and even to a larger extent, CGI. This new wave of AI tools whether it be Midjourney, Dall-E, ChatGPT, Microsoft OpenAI or even Google’s Bard just represents the beginning and can be very useful. I’m a digital artist at heart and I’ve been doodling since I was old enough to hold a pencil. My mind is constantly filled with ideas that are lost to myself and the world if I don’t do anything with them. Midjourney serves two purposes for me as a creative: a tool to quickly process my ideas into ..read more

From dreams to reality, how a covid project for Chris Dunbar turned into an obsession and one of the cleanest E30 BMW M3s you will ever see. Photography and Story by Josh Mackey - 1989 BMW E30 M3 by Chris Dunbar I’ve known Chris for the better part of a decade, having the opportunity to shoot, and feature his magazine cover 2006 Subaru WRX STI for Import Tuner and the first-ever Rocket Bunny 2009 Nissan R35 GTR. He spares no expense with his builds and has a passion for even the smallest details, so when he called and told me the E30 was ready, we made plans to shoot.  Chris had known ab ..read more

It’s a Monday morning, the sun is still down below the horizon and there is a slight mist from the fog that sits just below the street lamps. If you listen closely, you can hear them in a slight deep vibrating bass as they circle the lots and streets of the cities we occupy. The pulsating flash of lights and the scratching sounds of a broom become more audible as a Nitehawk Sweeper drives by. In a world filled with super, exotic and heavily modified cars of all shapes and sizes, it’s amusing to admit that one my favorite clients and products to shoot, is an actual street sweeper. Nitehawk has ..read more

I’ve been shooting cars for nearly 20 years, or about the same amount of time I’ve known Tam Le. Tam has become a very good friend of mine over recent years which makes this feature all the more important to capture his lifelong dream of owning an NSX. All photos, graphics and text on this website are Copyright Protected © 2020 by Josh Mackey / Mackeydesigns.com. Unauthorized use will result in appropriate and potentially legal action. Thank you. For license usage, reposting or editorial needs, please contact me. There are a lot of firsts here: from this being my first ever pandemic shoot, to ..read more

Preface Starting in 2014, and the four years following I developed the branding, look and feel of Urban Float. The best Floatation (Sensory Deprivation) Therapy Spa chain in the US. I am especially excited to see that amount of hard work pay off as the co-founders will present their business to a panel of successful, famous investors on the hit ABC PrimeTime show, Shark Tank. The co-founders, Joe Beaudry and Scott Swerland did an amazing job creating an up-scale, but welcoming spa for their customers. As Marketing Manager, it was my responsibility to develop the Brand Identity which had to be ..read more

Every project and photoshoot is going to be different. Understanding what your client wants is important in understanding how much you charge and how much time you will need to complete it. I was recently offered a shoot by a parts manufacturer. They had a need to get photos of their parts on a car that was in my area. The budget was small - but if you have a proper workflow setup - then you don’t need to be hesitant about accepting the job. Step 1. Determining what you need for the shoot. The budget was small enough that did not warrant the use of lights and there was going be to no composit ..read more

I don't get the opportunity to do as many private client shoots as I used to but every so often I get a diamond in the rough. It was never my attention to not shoot as much, but with a weak market, living far from all the major agencies and my personal pursuit to learn more about marketing, I was eventually pushed in that direction. Automotive Photography is still my passion and every so often I get a private client request that you absolutely want to take to the next level regardless of the pay. As a long-time employee of Microsoft, Peter wanted to have some timeless photos of his 1990 Porsch ..read more