Update/Results:
86% of respondents prefer to see photos with the hoods down.
In addition to the survey on here, I received lots of feedback from two Facebook sites. The tally as of Jun 28 at 7 am:
Hoods Down: 65
Hoods Up: 11
A few people commented on what they like to do with their hoods at car shows. While the comments were insightful and interesting, I didn’t count them. I was only interested in how you prefer to see cars in the photos.
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I’m of the opinion that most people prefer to see my photos with the hoods down but I’d like to find out for sure. I’ve created a survey asking the question, “Do you prefer to see photos of classic vehicles with the hoods up or hoods down?”
I prefer to get a picture with the hood down and I often request the car owner, if present, to close the hood. If the car owner isn’t present, I will often shoot the picture from the rear of the vehicle.
Down
Hoods down,front end makes the car gives it character
Hood down for pictures but like to see how the owner designed their motor build and parts they used to build it. 🙂
Hoods up. Otherwise its just a fancy parking lot. A lot of what makes these cars awesome is what’s under the hood.
down.
Down, for photos. I was at a show in the USA long ago that had a portion of the show when all hoods/trunks/doors were closed (if possible, no hard rule), just for photo opportunities., I generally just ask owners to close the hood or trunk to photograph their vehicle and they’re always happy to do it, never once a problem. Folks are proud of their rides and it usually starts a nice conversation.
Gary S, that’s a great idea.