7 years ago, I developed a passion for cars. Rather than take the more practical route of obsessing over the mechanical workings, I began learning about different makes, models and specifications. When I got my hands on some sort of recording device, car spotting was inevitable.

For a long time, I did whatever I could to see as the most interesting cars. From begging my parents to drive by nice restaurants and wandering parking garages to coordinating car spotting trips to Chicago with friends, finding exotic cars was my biggest hobby by far.

Fast-forward many years and I'm entering my second year studying econ consulting at IU after having finished high-school while working as a car photographer. While I still enjoy snapping a photo of a unique car driving by, the valet prowling days are- largely- over.

All that is to say, the role of car spotting in my life has drastically changed since joining this site in 2012 (some things, like my faith in Christ, haven't though :D).

If applicable, how has your automotive/car spotting experience changed since joining the site?

When I started in 2015 had no idea what a Porsche 911 was lol. What I do to car spot hasn't changed much other than the camera I use and the locations I have learned are best for car spotting.

When I made my first spot in 2013, my favorite "real-life" Hot Wheels car was a Corvette, followed by a Dodge Viper. Porsches were also one of the coolest cars. I had no idea what a Lamborghini Aventador was; I had barely even heard of Lamborghini!

Now, my favorite car in the world is the Ferrari 458, followed by the Mclaren MP4-12C. Because I live in a small town, I still get kind of excited over Porsches & Maseratis, but I can point out almost any nice car anywhere on the road and name it, not just ask what it is.

I think I always liked cars, but I got really big into them back in 2012. I was always very knowledgeable about models, engines, variants etc though. Occasionally I saw something like a new Boss 302 or Charger SRT and got a phone pic. Then I started going to car shows in early 2013.

What got me into spotting, I think it was gradual. In April 2013 I went to Walmart with my sister and found a brand new rare, Ibis White Audi RS5 sitting far away from everything. So I got like 8 pics. Fast forward a few months of going to every local cars and coffee I spotted some more random finds like a silver California on 599 wheels or a CLS63 AMG. What really started it was going to the mall in April 2014 and seeing a 430 Scuderia, Murcielago and Squadra Corse combo. I got a point and shoot shortly after and started spotting with my mom occasionally.

These days, I spot mainly by myself at the outdoor mall across from campus with my dslr and 28/50mm lens and during a regular week of college I get like 3-8 spots. I definitely put more focus into photography and even though Im still passionate about cars, it takes a lot for me to freak out now.

I used to get so annoyed if I missed something like a Bentley, now I barely notice standard Bentleys, but it depends on the location.

I don't spot anymore lol...that's how I've changed

I used to beg my parents to take me into Boston so I could go carspotting. Now that I have a much beefier camera and a lot more knowledge... I don't car spot anymore. It was fun at the start, but now it's boring. My tastes have changed, and they've strayed away from exotics. Soon enough you'll be able to see me spotting in Boston fairly frequently, actually... Just not where and what you might think ;)

I don't spot anymore. I started spotting around 2011, and around 2012-2015 I would take my camera with me literally everywhere I went, in case I saw a cool car. At first I would try to capture any car I saw that was worth about $80k or more. After a few years I still tried to get every Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc. but I wouldn't care if I missed a Bentley or a GT-R.

In the past 2 years or so, I've pretty much stopped spotting entirely unless I come across something really exceptional and I just happen to have my camera with me. It's just not as exciting to capture a car when I've captured the same kind of car literally 200 other times. If I see something like a 488 or a 570S I might only take a picture on snapchat to show my friends, unless it's in a really beautiful setting.

Nowadays the only time I'm serious about spotting is car week, which is coming up pretty soon. I took a lot of photos last year even though I only went one day, but I just don't have the time to edit photos anymore, so I've only uploaded one of those photos. I would like to edit some more before I have another batch from this year's event. Maybe I'll upload some on here again.

While I don't really spot exotics anymore, I have gotten into some other kinds of spotting in facebook groups. I like to post weird, quirky, and rare cars in V.I.S.I.T. (Vehicles I See In Traffic). If I see more than one of the same car at a time, I post it in GTA Effect. And I really like taking pictures of cool or funny license plates and posting them in KEWL PL8S. These groups are less about photography and more about just sharing the car/plate, so I just use my phone. It's a lot of fun and the people in the groups are usually really enthusiastic.