If you’re passionate about it, don’t be scared and go for it! – Kaitlyn Clink

Kaitlyn Clink is a renowned American car photographer with a unique style, a cool attitude and a proper car enthusiast! She took the time to have a chat about life and her way into car photography. In our newest episode of the Elferspot Porsche talk, Kaitlyn Clink shares her thoughts about car styling, memorable shootings and the difficulties of establishing yourself as a girl in the automotive community.

Dear Kaitlyn Clink, thank you for joining the Elferspot Porsche talk! Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into cars in the first place?

Thank you for having me! I am Kaitlyn Clink, a 24-year-old photographer, born and raised in Arizona and now living in Texas for the last several years. My journey into the automotive world started at a young age. My dad is a huge car guy and my grandpa restores classic cars. I spent a lot of time around them both from a young age. During high-school I really evolved my love for cars. I got to love JDM cars, muscle cars and later, of course, Porsches!

I started doing automotive photography a few years ago when I moved to Texas. Initially, I did portrait photography, but during COVID, that wasn’t feasible. But as I’ve always been a car girl, I thought, that I should try taking photos of cars. I started photographing my dad’s muscle cars and was immediately passionate about it.This has now become a big part of my life besides my main job in automotive marketing.

What fascinates you about Porsches in particular?

You know, the more I posted about Porsches, the more Porsche clients contacted me. I learned so much about all the generations, the difference between the air- and water-cooled cars and so on. It’s a really cool community. And due to the interaction with the owners, I was drawn even more towards Porsches. They sound amazing, look amazing and offer so much trackability.

And from a professional side, there’s a big advantage, when shooting Porsches. There is no bad angle on a Porsche, which makes it easy to shoot them. Additionally, I love race track photography. And there is always so many Porsches around… As I saw more and more of them, that just solidified my passion!

There is no bad angle on a Porsche

Kaitlyn Clink

As a photographer, you get the keys to a lot of cool cars. Can you recall your favorite drive so far?

Although I’ve taken photos of a lot of Porsches, I’ve only driven a few so far. The first was my bosses Porsche 991.1 Turbo S at a race event, we did on an airstrip. I was allowed to do 1/2-mile passes and it was just amazing! But my other experience was even better. I was with a client to shoot his Porsche 992 Turbo S. As he was driving that car, he gave me the keys to his 991.2 GT3 RS. It was gorgeous, loud, capable, built for the track and nothing short of amazing. I got to cruise all over Houston in that car and ripping it alongside his 992 was incredible. Still one of my favorite cars and photoshoots ever to this day 

And what about the most memorable shoots?

That’s a tie between two. At the Monterey car week, a friend of mine and I organized a shoot with three McLaren P1 and two Zenvos! It was one of those iconic moments, I’ll never forget. The route outside Monterey was so gorgeous. I’ve never seen a Zenvo before in my life and it was quite a privilege to see two of those! And the contrast between these with their huge turbo- and supercharged V8s, next to this ultra-sophisticated Hybrid McLarens was very cool.

The second shoot that comes to mind was, when I was hired to photograph a classic car rally around town. At one point, I was sitting in the back of an SUV. We were doing rolling shots of a pack led by a Ferrari F40 with a group of Porsche 993s, 964s, 930 Turbos, some JDM cars, Lamborghini Countachs and more. And they were driven hard! Usually, they are just collecting dust from sitting in collections. That was one of my favorite experiences.

Do you have dream destinations, you’d like to visit with certain cars?

Definitely Europe! There are many photo locations I want to visit. In my mind, there are lots of scenarios. Shooting a Mercedes CLK GTR in Iceland, or a 911 in Paris would be fantastic. And I’ve seen so many gorgeous rallies and mountain scenes there… Any Porsche, but probably a wide body 993 in Germany would be on top of the list, as well as a visit to the Porsche Museum.

What are some of the challenges you faced as a woman trying to establish yourself in the automotive scene?

You know, most car people are amazing. But being a woman in this industry can be tough. People often get more intrigued because you’re a girl, but it’s not necessarily advantageous. It can be challenging to build a reputation and find clients who take you seriously. Especially with higher profile individuals, that’s extremely important. There’s a lot of skepticism and you have to prove yourself! I think it might be helpful to grow a following on social media, if you’re a girl. But I am not too sure if it helps finding respectable clients. Hence why I don’t usually put myself into the spotlight on my social media, but rather my work.

I think it might be helpful to grow a following on social media, if you’re a girl. But I am not too sure if it helps finding respectable clients. Hence why I don’t usually put myself into the spotlight on my social media, but rather my work.

Kaitlyn Clink

Would you share some advice for other girls, who maybe think: I want to do, what Kaitlyn Clink does?

My advice is to meet as many people as you can, attend events and build a strong portfolio. Shoot the cars you love and show people what you can do. It’s important to network and develop a reputation. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. And never let anyone take advantage of you! It’s a male-dominated field, but there’s a place for everyone, I’d say. I definitely want to see more women in front and behind the camera. It’s always cool when I meet other girls with an interest in cars and photography. If you’re passionate about it, don’t be scared and go for it!

If you’re passionate about it, don’t be scared and go for it!

Kaitlyn Clink

But I have to admit, that I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed. I need to produce a lot, in the end. If you’ve got clients, you’ve got delivery times. And every shoot itself is different. On the other hand, I haven’t gotten bored due to the plethora of cars and the diversity of locations. There’s different lighting, locations, aesthetics, weather conditions and of course different clients. So it’s a very rewarding job.

What’s your take on new car development and styling?

I generally like some modern designs. To be honest: I often hated them, when they were new and then grew into it. To me, the McLaren P1 is one of the visually most appealing cars even though that’s a 10+ year old car now! I also love the Porsche 991 GT2 RS or the Ferrari 488 Pista. But with most new cars, especially electric cars, I’d say, that I understand them and the designers’ intentions, but nothing more. If we’re just talking about the beauty of the shape, my favorite Porsche design of all time is the Porsche 993 Carrera S. I don’t think it’s the coolest thing to drive or to push it to its limits, but I adore the styling.

Do you have a specific dream car you want to own at some point? And what would be your dream Porsche if money was no object?

During the last couple of years I thought about a Porsche Cayman GT4. But I would prefer jumping straight into the 911. And honestly, I’d love to own a 991.1 or 991.2 GT3. I specifically love the 991’s looks and prefer it over the 992, even though it has its technical advancements. I’d like to use the car on track, just for pleasure. It doesn’t have to be competitive as I don’t want to race for trophies.

If money was no object, it would have to be a Porsche Carrera GT. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t get why the 918 is being talked so much about. I think they’re impressive, but the Carrera GT is such a raw looking car, it just has to be at the top. It’s gonna look good from years to come! And as I don’t like quiet cars, it ticks another box. Noise just adds to the driving experience for me.

Dear Kaitlyn Clink, it was a blast! Thank you very much!

Pleasure was all mine!

All photos curtesy of Kaitlyn Clink (@krc.auto)

Meet our contributor

Richard Lindhorst is our chief-editor and lives in Northern Germany. He thinks about cars and bikes almost 24/7. If you’ve got a story for him, or just want to get in touch, feel free to contact him on his Instagram (@rchrdlndhrst).