The other side of the lens
Shell Rotella’s SuperRigs is one of the top truck beauty contests held annually in the United States, if not the premier event of its kind.
The event, held for the 41st time in 2023, has been called the Super Bowl of truck contests by entrants as well as attendees.
Best lights, best chrome and best of show are among the 20-plus awards SuperRigs hands out. However, one sought-after spot in the annual SuperRigs calendar is more behind-the-scenes and belongs to Sonya Messier, who has been the photographer for the calendar for the past five years.
Messier had the advantage of not walking into this assignment blind. She’s done truck photography for about the past 15 years, first for trucking magazines in Quebec and then for the likes of Western Star, Freightliner and Mack Trucks.
Still, Messier said she was taken aback when she received word that she’d be shooting the SuperRigs calendar.
“I was like, ‘How am I supposed to do this?’” Messier told Land Line Now’s Ashley Blackford. “It was absolutely incredible when I saw that first calendar, knowing what it means to the drivers. I don’t show off my work too much, but I was really proud of what we accomplished. It’s not just me. There’s a team behind me, and they’re working so hard.”
Now having several years’ experience shooting the calendar, Messier has a process and a checklist of sorts.
“I talk with the drivers a lot, so I know what they like about their truck,” she said. “It’s all about the location. To me, a truck is a work tool. When you take a picture of a tool, what’s behind that tool is what reminds people that it’s a tool. My job is to make an art piece with it; photography is painting with light.”
She added that her job requires about three months of planning and coordination ahead of the actual photo shoot.
A location manager, on-site security, permits and so on must be arranged before any truck is staged. Then, the calendar-shooting schedule is nonstop from Wednesday through Sunday morning the week of SuperRigs. The 2023 event included more than 50 potential sites.
“It’s a really big team,” Messier said. “Shell is giving us a chance to pick some great locations and have some amazing trucks. With those ingredients, you have a great chance of success … When you have a really good subject and a nice background, that’s what I call magic.”
She added that the truckers themselves also are a highlight of her job.
“Working with passionate people is just incredible,” she said. “All the owners of the trucks, I have a lot of respect for. Being a truck driver has never been easy. Especially today. I appreciate that I have the chance to represent the trucking industry like I see it.” LL