I had an absolute blast during this senior guy session in downtown Columbia! The historic buildings and unique textures always make it a fun location, but this time, the highlight was definitely the car photos at the end at Columbia Motor Alley. I’ll admit, I didn’t even know exactly what Columbia Motor Alley was before the shoot, but I had passed by it a few times and thought it was a stunning building. When this senior told me he wanted shots with his car, I knew it would be the perfect backdrop.
We ended up parking in front of the building, as it was closed, and made sure not to touch anything—just a few photos with the car against this cool backdrop. I had hoped this wasn’t a problem for them, but no one was there to ask to make sure. Later, I found their Instagram and was relieved to see they encourage people to tag them in photos.
After doing some more research, I discovered that Columbia Motor Alley is a passion project by Mike Wolfe from American Pickers. The building was originally a 1947 Chevrolet dealership, and now it’s part of a historic preservation project. On their website, I found this amazing statement that really resonated with me: “Mike’s love of transportation history and historic preservation comes together in Columbia Motor Alley… We hope this passion project inspires others to look at these forgotten places and imagine what they could be again.”
I’ve always been fascinated by forgotten places as well, so I just love that.
If you’re into vintage photos and historical preservation, I highly recommend checking them out. I know I’ll be going back to Columbia Motor Alley again—hopefully during the daytime!
Thanks for checking out this awesome senior session in downtown Columbia! If you’re interested in booking your own unique session, I’d love to chat with you about capturing your story. You can find more of my work and get in touch through my Instagram and Facebook. Looking forward to hearing from you!