When I started working at Street Machine back in 2002, the widespread use of digital cameras was still a few years away and our photographers used 120mm and 35mm transparency film.

At Summernats time, that meant we had to shuttle hundreds of rolls of film back and forwards from Exhibition Park to a lab in Fyshwick. Our art gurus would identify the top shots at the event, then we’d get them scanned once we got back to the Sydney office in a big hurry, in order to get them into the mag for deadline.

These days, we are 99 per cent digital, and there is no doubt the immediacy with which the images are available to use has changed the game. There are a couple of downsides, though. For starters, the move to digital created a lot more work for the photographers in terms of processing the images. And secondly, film photography has a warmth that you don’t necessarily get with digital.

Which is why we were stoked when Danny Fischer from Winset Motors in Victoria submitted his images from Street Machine Summernats 35, shot on good, old-fashioned film. They are certainly a vibe, and if you didn’t know better, you might think they were taken at a ’Nats event 20 years ago or longer.

Photography is a hobby for Danny; his day gig is spinning spanners and running Winset Motors. Located in Monbulk in Victoria’s Yarra Ranges, Winset Motors is all about teaching folks the basics of working on cars.

We asked Danny to send through a biography, and here’s what we came back with.

“I was late getting into the automotive scene. I still got my licence the morning of my 18th birthday, but as long as a car could get from A to B, I couldn’t have cared less. I didn’t come from an automotive family; I thought that to have a fast car, you had to drop ridiculous money on a Ferrari. 

“Then at 19 in 2009, a friend pulled up to a party in a Midnight Purple Nissan S14. It looked like a pissed-off Hot Wheels car, made noises I’d never heard before, and after getting thrown around in the passenger seat, I was converted. 

“Six months later, I put all my savings into a Nissan 180SX that I still have today, and hope to soon have going down the strip at Drag Challenge. 

“Film photography is a hobby that has been around much longer. That one did come from family – both my parents were very good at capturing the feeling of the moment. From early on, I was taking pictures of friends skating, gigs, holidays – I’ve always had a camera in hand. Naturally, the lens started to be aimed at cars and bikes. 

“In 2016, I started Winset Motors, dedicated to my late mum, Diane Winset. Winset aims to teach people who know nothing or little about cars and bikes, but have the passion, how it all works and how to work on their own. 

“I think if you love something, teach it!”

Nice one, Danny! You can check out his Instagram here and his YouTube channel below.