# Driver of the Week: Meet Michael Simari, Car and Driver's Senior Photographer
Car and Driver profiles Michael Simari, the publication's senior photographer, in its ongoing "Driver of the Week" series that spotlights the people shaping automotive journalism and culture.
Simari holds one of the most visible roles at the magazine. As senior photographer, he captures everything from prototype testing to final production models, tracking down the visual storytelling that frames how millions of readers perceive new vehicles. The job demands technical mastery with cameras and lenses, but also the speed and instinct to recognize a compelling shot in real time, whether on a closed track, on public roads, or in controlled studio settings.
The automotive photography space has evolved dramatically over the past decade. Digital sensors now capture detail at ISO levels that would have been unthinkable in film days. Mirrorless cameras have displaced DSLRs. Drone footage has become standard for reveal coverage. Yet the fundamentals remain unchanged. A photographer needs to understand light, composition, and the mechanical soul of the vehicle being shot. They need to know when a car looks best from a three-quarter angle versus a head-on perspective, and how to expose for metal and paint under varying conditions.
Simari's work appears across Car and Driver's coverage of new launches, comparison tests, and long-term fleet evaluations. His images carry the weight of editorial authority. When readers see a Simari photograph accompanying a first drive review or a model introduction, they're seeing a professional assessment of how the vehicle presents itself to the world. That distinction matters in an era when nearly every manufacturer controls its own imagery through official press fleets and curated social media feeds.
The role also reflects how print and digital publications approach automotive storytelling. High-resolution imagery fills web articles, Instagram feeds, and YouTube thumbnails. A single compelling photograph can communicate engineering intent faster than paragraphs of text. Simari's work feeds both channels, serving legacy print readers and scrolling digital audiences simultaneously.
Car and Driver's "Driver of the Week" series humanizes the work that goes into the publication. Readers interact with test results, reviews, and performance data without necessarily considering the photographers, editors, and writers behind the bylines. Profiles like Simari's offer transparency into the machinery of automotive journalism itself. They show that the images readers see reflect craft, experience, and editorial purpose rather than casual snapshot-taking.
Simari's position also places him in a unique vantage point on the industry's direction. He watches manufacturers introduce new design languages, observes how proportions shift as electrification changes platform architecture, and documents the transition from internal combustion dominance to a mixed powertrain future. His archive of images becomes a visual record of the automotive moment.
For aspiring automotive photographers, Simari represents a career path that combines technical skill with editorial thinking. The role requires not just equipment mastery but also the judgment to know which moments matter. Senior photographer positions at major publications remain competitive, requiring years of portfolio development and industry connections.
Car and Driver's spotlight on Simari underscores the magazine's investment in its editorial infrastructure and its recognition that quality automotive journalism depends on more than writers at keyboards.