By Lexi Lin, Staff Reporter
Capturing the sleek lines and shine of cars, freshmen twins Jordan and Tyler Griffel set up their cameras and begin taking photos of Lamborghinis, Porches and McLarens. From camera intricacies to detailed editing, the Griffels are self-taught, learning mainly from YouTube tutorials.
The twins usually take pictures at car dealerships, auto shows, and even private shoots, all free of charge. They usually visit locations and events near the Berwyn area, like the Porsche Main Line dealerships and the Main Line Cars & Coffee auto show.
“So recently, it’s mostly dealerships. McLaren Philadelphia is where we go most of the time,” Tyler Griffel said. “But also, recently starting now, we’re doing private photoshoots with other people.”
For the private photoshoots, the twins personally reach out to potential customers and ask if they are interested in pictures. Afterwards, they spend around one hour photographing the customer’s car, editing and posting the final pictures online.
The Griffels first began experimenting with car photography during the summer of 2023, after Ben Hargreaves inspired them. Also known as “lifethroughoptics_” on Instagram, Hargreaves has over half a million followers and mainly creates car photography content. Both then started their separate Instagram accounts: @jordan_griffel and @tyler.sg_, accumulating more than 1,000 followers within a few months. When asked how they were able to grow their audience so quickly, they replied with the same answer: consistency.
“I try to post every day. Sometimes, I don’t post on Sundays,” Jordan Griffel said. But usually, I do a post one day and then I do a reel the next day.”
Before seriously investing in quality photography equipment, the two brothers initially used an old family camera: a Canon Rebel T3. Since then, they have moved to more advanced gear, each of them using a Canon R10 and two different lenses with versatile features, such as zoom and aperture range.
“My mom had an old camera that she used to have, and I asked if I could use that,” Tyler Griffel said. “So, I went to some dealerships, tried it out and then (at) the next car show, I posted some pictures from that camera.”
Throughout their budding passion, the twins have accomplished many milestones, such as hitting the 1,000 follower mark. However, they felt that everything came full circle when Ben Hargreaves or “lifethroughoptics_” recognized their work and followed them back on Instagram.
“For continuing photography in the future, for now, it’s definitely a passion,” Jordan Griffel said. “But for it to become a career would be really cool.”
