March 2022 Photographer Spotlight “Brian Goude”

This months Photographer Spotlight is on “Brian Goude”. Brian is one of the premier photographers in the automotive scene. Most of you know him from GrinderTV, but he is also a member of our Street Trucks Magazine Photographers. Here is our 1 on 1 with Brian. Get to know the man behind the lens and check out some of his work.

ST: Introduce yourself. Let people get to know the man behind the lens

BG: Brian Goude

Got into Mini Truckin in 1995 with an 86 Toyota Pick-up. Joined my club Forbidden Fantasy in 95 and became President in 1997. Threw our first Forbidden Fantasy Show in 1998 and it continues to this day.

ST: When did you get into photography?

BG: Me and a couple buddies started a print magazine called Grinder Magazine back in 2005 but I was only doing the writing at the time. I didn’t really start to learn about cameras until I started the GTV YouTube channel in 2010.

ST: Do you have any covers and if so, how many?

BG: I do, but I do not know how many. My first cover was of my buddy Aaron Gregory’s truck from when I was down in Australia. I shot this in front of the Chop Shop which was owned by him and the late Laurie Starling…this will always hold a special place for me.

ST: Who are some of your influences?

BG: John O’Neil, Cody Gephart, Grant Cox and many more who have answered my questions and would tell me when my photos sucked.

ST: When you go do  a shoot, what’s in the camera bag?

BG: Currently I have a few Sony bodies. My main camera is a Sony A74 and my go to lens is a 24-70mm because of its versatility.

ST: Describe your lighting when and if you decide to use it.

BG: I shoot natural light most of the time, but I have recently acquired a strobe and have been dabbing in that.

ST: Describe somethings when you are at a show that makes a truck standout to you.

BG: At shows I am usually shooting video but if a truck is parked right, hood down, I will snap a photo. It must be in the right position at the right time.

ST: Do you have a favorite shoot you have done? Describe it.

BG: That’s a tough one because I enjoy all of them. I would have to say shooting Nigel Petrie’s Engineered to Slide Toyota Tacoma down in New Zealand was a highlight for me.

ST: What are your thoughts on the current and future state of the industry?

BG: I love that trucks are so popular now and I don’t see that waning anytime soon. Trucks are the new Hot Rod and that will be the case for a long time. I see 80’s and 90’s Mini Trucks being harder to get and their values increasing a ton. Unpopular opinion but I love the Electric Motor transplants in vehicles because it challenges the norm and creates interest from the younger generation that might have never got into trucks.

ST: What advice would you give to new photographers?

BG: Don’t worry about gear, learn how to use your manual camera settings. If you do not know how to use a camera, then how much you spend on that camera will never matter. Don’t worry about your photos getting into magazines or the most likes on IG. Do it because you enjoy it, not for any other reason, everything else will follow. Be confident but listen to your critics.

ST: Last minute thoughts you would like to give to the street trucks community.

BG: Don’t be an a**hole…and Keep on Truckin