With a focus on the automotive sector, we were keen to get the lowdown from some of the bloggers in the industry. Brad from the blog UK Car Scene, has been kind enough to chat with us about the ins and outs of starting his blog and why he loves doing it, even without it bringing in any form of revenue. Over to you Brad…
Since I was a child, I have been obsessed with cars. Most of the time you would find me in my bedroom playing with my many toy cars on my car play mat. As I got older my love of cars didn’t die down and any project I did at school where I got to choose the topic was based around cars. When I got to the point of finishing school and deciding whether to find a job, continue with my A-Levels or getting an apprenticeship I decided to go with A-Levels, choosing Graphics & Photography as my main subjects.
After starting A-Level photography, I realised how fun it was getting out with the camera and another passion was discovered. Since I hated writing, I decided not to go to University. The thought of writing dissertations constantly absolutely scared me to death, so after completing my A-Levels I got a job in digital marketing.
After starting my new job, I gave up hopes of being able to work within the automotive photography industry. After all, jobs like that are near impossible to come by even with a degree, which I didn’t have! It was around this time, in 2012 that I started a new Facebook group with a friend, we called it UK Car Scene, little did we know just how far it would go! It started out as an online car forum. With little success as a forum, we turned it into a blog and used it as a platform to share photos from car shows and include little write-ups from shows.
Fast-forward to the start of 2017 and we’ve hit over 12,500 Facebook likes, 2,600 Instagram followers and we’ve now started a YouTube Channel. As I said before, I really dislike writing but our blog is helping me to turn that around, not only am I forcing myself to begin blogging more, I am actually enjoying it!
UK Car Scene has been a big part of my life and it will continue to do so. We don’t make any money from it and a lot of people will probably wonder why I bother putting so much effort into something that makes no money, but really, it is a hobby. I have a full-time job already that I enjoy and by having UK Car Scene I have the platform to show off my work and better my skills as a photographer and blogger.
The one thing that I really love about it however, is the fact that it gets me up close and personal with cars you only ever see on TV or in magazines, such as this, the LaFerrari.
It’s not every day you get to poke your head inside a car that when released, cost over £1million and continues to rise in value. What’s more is that now we’ve got such a great following, I get to enjoy some of the big car events of the year for free or as part of the media where I get access to a show before the public, allowing me to get the exact shots I want without so many people standing around.
Who knows what the future holds for my blog! Perhaps UK Car Scene will begin generating revenue, the YouTube channel will take off and we’ll get thousands of subscribers, or I’ll get to attend more car events and drive some of those cool cars (fingers crossed).
But for now, I am able to connect with people in the industry and improve my own photography skills by showcasing my work on a platform to thousands of people. Now that’s pretty awesome, don’t you think?
Brad Longman is a keen automotive photographer who helps run UK Car Scene, a successful blog that initially began as a Facebook group back in 2012. Due to the success and growth of his blog he regularly attends automotive events allowing him to get up close and personal with a wide range of fantastic cars. UK Car Scene has enabled him to connect with industry experts whilst being able to showcase his amazing photography skills to thousands of people.