Toyota GT86
Early last month I picked up Toyota Ireland’s GT86 for a week of ownership. The two litre naturally aspirated FR coupe has been gathering a lot of attention since its release earlier this year, along with being lauded by the motoring press. I was lucky enough to shoot the GT86 earlier this year for CAR Magazine but I was still very excited to spend a week on my own with the car. My experience was nearly all positive. I liked the balance, driving position, gearbox and even the engine which most seem to have deemed as being underpowered. For a standard factory car with a warranty, I thought the two litre flat four 4U-GSE was more than capable. Although lacking in torque, its responsiveness more than made up for it. I couldn’t help myself by blipping the throttle on each and every shift, both up and down the gearbox. The only downsides for me were the tyres which I found to be a little bit too hard and the fact that the car was probably a little bit too hardcore to be a daily driver. As a second car for weekend and trackday duties, I can’t think of anything else currently on the market that would get my money. You can read my full report on Speedhunters, be sure to leave a comment letting me know what you think.
The Goodwood Revival
Every September, something amazing happens in the south of England. About an hour outside of London, a place called Goodwood – famed for its annual Festival of Speed – is transported back in time, for what is probably the greatest automotive show on earth. Even describing the Revival as a “show” is an injustice. It’s an experience like no other – from the car park to the paddock, it’s as close to time travel you can get without the need for a flux capacitor. I’ve been lucky enough to attend for the last three years, but each time I’m always left in awe. This year however, I wanted to approach the event differently. Originally, I was to attend the event as a casual spectator with no obligations and had planned to shoot with a 35mm rangefinder. However at the last minute, I was commissioned for a story by Speedhunters which put a small spanner in the works. If I was to shoot film, I would immediately need to have it developed and scanned for me which would eat into my deadline. Any potential problems that could arise would be disastrous. I ended up resorting to shooting the event with two digital SLRs, using only prime lenses. I would process the images afterwards to mimic aged film which took much more time than it should have. Originally, I included a lot of texture in the edit – dust, scratches etc. along with some OTT light leaks. I pretty much immediately regretted this but needed to push on with the story as the deadline rapidly approached. However, in the meantime I’ve been able to re-visit the photographs and re-edit them to a standard that I’m much happier with. They’re certainly not perfect nor was it an an ideal situation, but I can’t remember […]
The Nordschleife
Is there a more important place on earth for petrol-heads? I’ve been to the ‘ring several times, but on each visit I’m always humbled. I don’t know whether it’s the size of the place, the location, the history or a combination of them all but it’s not a place you’ll forget in a hurry. I’ve wrote a more detailed story over on Speedhunters, check it out for more.
Erik Jonasson’s Datsun S30
When life deals you lemons, you make lemonade. Or so they say. One of the toughest aspects of being a photographer is often having to shoot in less than ideal circumstances. I arrived in Sweden back in June to find that my 5D MKII had died in transit. Of course I was well armed with back-up bodies, but I had developed a bond with my 5D2. It sounds strange and a little sad, but losing it really put me out. Never the less, it’s one of those occasions that you just have to get on with it. Location wise we were limited to either a busy paddock or we could shoot on-track for a limited amount of time (I think it was around 20 minutes) but we couldn’t move the car or get any tracking shots in. Luckily, we didn’t need much more than the car itself as it done all of the work for me. You can check out the full story on Speedhunters – here.
A GT86, AE86 & The Drift King – A Shoot for CAR
We all have dreams and goals in our lives. Some are big, some are small but with enough work and dedication everyone of them is achievable. You just need to want it bad enough. Throughout my photography career, I have and continue to work towards two goals. 1) Shoot a full season of Formula One and 2) Shoot for CAR. I can now scratch the latter of the list. A couple of weeks back, I received an e-mail from Ben Barry, the deputy editor of CAR in the UK. He asked me if I was free at the end of June for a shoot that I’d have particular interest in, but couldn’t elaborate until closer to the date. Intrigued, I ensured my calendar was free and agreed to meet CAR writer Ben Pulman at a secret test track outside of London. A couple of days before the shoot, I received a brief with three important words: GT86, AE86 & Tsuchyia. Those of you with an interest in drifting will surely recognize the name Keiichi Tsuchyia, also known as the ‘Drift King’. Tsuchyia-san is the godfather of drifting, and without doubt one of the most important people in the history of the sport. CAR wanted to celebrate his history whilst also exploring his involvement with Toyota’s new GT86. The brief I received illustrated clearly what CAR wanted from the shoot, and allowed me to plan in advance what equipment I would be relying on. Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot my appendix decided it no longer wanted to be a part of me. Shooting in much discomfort and pain, I was limited in my movement and abilities. It was pretty upsetting, as this was something I wanted to deliver 110% but I just couldn’t. I pushed on as much as […]
Gatebil Mantorp Park
Following some recent health issues, I’ve been out of action for the last few weeks. On the plus side, I’ve a couple of interesting shoots and stories to share with you. After the Bavaria City Racing Dublin event, I took to the skies once more. Destination? Sweden for the annual Gatebil show at Mantorp Park, a couple of hours south of Stockholm. Unfortunately on arrival, I found my 5D MKII was unresponsive having presumably taken a knock somewhere in transit. My 5D2 has been a reliable work horse for the last three years so I was pretty bummed out by its loss. Thankfully, I had two other great cameras in reserve but it did put a bit of a downer on the event. The mayhem at Mantorp was even better than expected. Having experienced the Rudskogen event the year previous, I thought I would be prepared for the Swedish take on the popular event. I wasn’t. Check out the full coverage on Speedhunters below … Read the full Speedhunters coverage here.
McLaren in Dublin
If you only ever do one thing in your automotive life – make sure you experience the sight and sounds of a contemporary Formula One car. Nothing can prepare you for the feeling that hits you when that 2.4 litre V8 revs to 18,000RPM for the first time. Despite comical organization and an almost impossible lack of access, I managed to grab a handful of images when Jenson Button unleashed his MP4-26 on the streets of Dublin last weekend …
Nissan 180SX RPS13
The Irish modified car scene is a strange one. On one hand, you have lots of people who only follow the pack, scared to move outside of their comfort zones. On the other hand, you have people like Keith Wheldon who prefers to go his own way. You can check out the full and in-depth feature on Speedhunters but I’ll summarize Keith’s 180SX in one sentence – this is the best built and most considered RPS13 ever built in Ireland. Oh, and it’s his daily driver too …
Prodrift Punchestown
I owe a lot to Prodrift. What started as a small series quickly expanded into one of the most respected and innovative drift series’ on the planet. Although the recession has hit Ireland hard, the quality of driving at Prodrift events has show no sign of dropping off. From the amateurs to the pros, the standard of driving at any Prodrift event is unnaturally high. Congratulations to Damien Mulvey on his pro-class win. Not the first time the Cork man has topped the podium and it certainly won’t be the last …
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part Three / The Race
I’m sure I’ve certainly said this before, my year revolves around the Nürburgring 24HR. It’s the centre of my world, an event that I dream of during the winter, look forward to in the spring and reminisce about during the summer and autumn when it’s over. It’s an event that has everything, and I mean everything – the greatest racing circuit on earth, changeable weather, an almost impossible variety of cars, hundreds of thousands of animated spectators and fierce racing. This, sadly, is my final N24 post for 2012 but not my last Nordschleife related one. Be warned though, there are around 40+ images after the link so these might not best be viewed on a mobile device …
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part Two
Apologies for the slow updates, but as silly season is well and truly underway at the moment one must concentrate on priorities. I’m not forgetting about here though and have quite a backlog of work to share over the coming weeks, not least the rest of the N24 event. This particular post highlights some of the action from the 24 hour qualifying session on Thursday and the Classic race on Friday …
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part One
I’m quite a lucky person. I’m working in my dream job, traveling the world and photographing fast cars. I honestly couldn’t ask for more. Even the variety of events that I attend is often breathtaking, there’s never a dull moment. When you have it so good and yet one event still stands out above all the others, then you know it’s special. For me, the annual Nürburgring 24HR is the centre point of my year. It’s such a challenge to shoot but it’s just so rewarding in many different ways. We’ve just wrapped up our coverage on Speedhunters (which is well worth a look as always) so I thought I’d start catching up with things on here too. The first part of this story documents our arrival at the ‘ring on the Wednesday before the race …
Berg Cup Eschdorf
I’ve always admired the Berg Cup from afar, having been introduced to it at an Autosport show some years back and more recently when visiting KW’s factory in Fichtenberg, Germany. One of the unfortunate things about the series, is the lack of coverage outside of mainland Europe. With such a vast variety of cultures and languages crammed onto one continent, this doesn’t come as a surprise. Even during my travels over the course of the last few days, one person could speak French and his neighbor German.Although the language barrier proved difficult at times, it turns out we all spoke one language in common – that certain dialect of high octane, high speed and high risks. For full coverage of this year’s Eschdorf event, check out the stories on Speedhunters.
The Lady in Red
Earlier this month, I met with a local Ford connoisseur to feature his car for a Speedhunters story. Whilst you can read the details over on SH, I thought I’d just share a couple of images here too.
Project 4848 – Part Two
I’ve just landed in the door from a truly epic weekend in Luxembourg, where I was covering the first round of the Berg Cup for Speedhunters. Shortly before I left, I put the final touches to my own car and grabbed a couple of quick snaps to share with you. Since part one, I’ve made a couple of changes… I loved the LM style wheels, they were proving a nightmare to keep and when the lacquer began to lift on one of them, I knew we would have to part ways. I always liked CSL style wheels but preferred the concavity of the rears over the flat finish on the fronts of the genuine wheels. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit a 9.5″ front wheel (especially with their offset) without reworking the front wings and probably adding coilovers to control the ride height. I had a chat with Paul in AutoAlloys and he managed to source four 9″ CSL style wheels with that concave finish for me. It’s only a subtle difference, but it really makes the car IMO. Behind the front wheels, you’ll now notice a pair of Brembo aluminum six piston calipers with 365mm drilled and vented discs. Rebranded as ‘BMW Performance’, the brakes provide a much more reliable pedal with a lot more bite when leaned on. They were a relatively cheap upgrade too when compared with other six piston braking solutions. I’ve also made a couple of small cosmetic changes including a full carbon fibre boot lid, a new exhaust exit and some carbon vinyl wrapping on the steering wheel trim. The car has also just received a full paint correction thanks to Larry in CleanCar.ie
Circuit of Ireland
Last weekend gone saw Northern Ireland play host to the annual Circuit of Ireland rally which was also the third round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. After years and years of listening to relatives talk about the Circuit of old, I was looking forward to the challenge of my first rally in nearly a year. This is a pretty hefty post, so if you’re using 56K (does that even exist anymore?) you might want to go and make yourself a cup of tea. Full detailed coverage is available on Speedhunters …
Irish Escort Club Clare Run
I recently headed out west to cover the Irish Escort Club’s annual Clare Run, which tours some of the most scenic parts of this country. I was shooting and writing for both Speedhunters and Classic Ford Magazine so it was quite a busy day but an immensely enjoyable one none the less. Be sure to check out the coverage on Speedhunters along with the upcoming feature in Classic Ford magazine.
Masters of Dirt
With the start of my 2012 season rapidly approaching, I needed to get to an event to setup two new cameras and blow some cobwebs off my own skills. The Monster Energy Masters of Dirt show, which took place in City West this weekend gone, proved to be the perfect event for this task. Subjects which were fast and could change direction quickly, low light, mixed light sources and rapid action provided the perfect challenge of ‘bedding in’ my new equipment. It certainly wasn’t an easy to event to shoot. The low light forced an ISO of 2000 and relatively slow shutter speeds (much slower than what I would have liked). The lighting system inside the arena was tricky to work with too, with the riders often jumping above the lighting rigs into the darkness. Access was slightly limited – although we had almost free reign of the venue, we needed to be conscious of not blocking the views of any paying spectators. The show itself was top class with some genuine breath taking moments. Credit to the organisers for the smooth running of the entire operation and although this was my first FMX event, I’ll definitely be looking to attend more in the future.
D-Mac’s Carina of Doom
I made a quick visit to Formula D competitor Darren McNamara last week to check in and see what he has been up to over the winter months. Darren is a huge Toyota fan so it comes as no surprise that he always has a couple of interesting projects on the go. His Carina project has certainly attracted a lot of attention over on Speedhunters. It has divided opinions too, but as Darren has said, it’s not really meant to be taken too seriously and is only intended for a bit of fun. Having taken styling cues from a mix of different automotive sub-cultures (VW, JDM, USDM) it’s certainly an interesting project. It’ll be even more interesting when it receives its SR20DET conversion later this year …
Team Need for Speed D-Mac ’86
You may remember late last year that I published a feature both here and on Speedhunters of Darren McNamara’s wild rotary powered AE86 build. I never got around to posting these images of the car during it’s first test day and first two events. Considering it was a completely fresh build, the success it has enjoyed at its first two events is astounding. Rarely do cars work so well out of the box. It’s a credit to Darren and the team at MCN Sport.
The Banana
I thought I needed a little bit more colour on the site these days, so let me introduce you to the ‘Banana’. Bryn Alban’s Nissan Skyline is not your regular sort of R32. Having been fitted with one of only a handful of genuine Bee*R R324 kits, and re-painted in its original shade of yellow, it’s certainly not a quiet car. Be sure to check out the full feature on Speedhunters when it was originally published last year …
Behind the Visor II
The most important part of any motorsport, is the man or woman behind the steering wheel. It’s often easy to forget about the person who commands their motor vehicle at speed towards and around us. Getting to know the characters behind the visor is one of the more interesting sides of motorsport. Pictured top to bottom – Edward Sandström, David Brabham, Darren McNamara, Fredric Aasbo, Daijiro Yoshihara & Nigel Colfer.
Honda Civic Type R
One of my favourite parts of my job is the unpredictable nature of it. It’s a very rare occurrence for any two days to involve the same thing. It also means that you generally need to be prepared for anything and be able to adapt to any given situation. I had been previously in touch with Tonto about shooting his car but for whatever reason, it never happened. That was until we bumped into each other at a drift practice day last May. I had attended the event with the intentions of shooting the on-track action but with the day that was in it, I knew we had to make the most of it. I usually like to prepare for feature shoots or any sort of an in-depth look at a car for a couple of days beforehand. I also like to use external flashes and light modifiers but this was one of those occasions where I needed to channel my inner-Linhbergh and shoot au naturale. A back-to-basics shoot is always a much more enjoyable experience. You have less to worry about and can concentrate on composition and other ideas. A fast shoot with a fast and light processing session. If only they could all be like this …
Ford Capri RS3100
The Ford Capri is something of an icon for many reasons. The MKIII version, the production of which ran for eight years, is a personal favorite of mine. This particular example was based in Northern Ireland, where I travelled to in June of last year for a comprehensive shoot for Classic Ford magazine. The shoot ran to a tight timeline (don’t they all?) due to the fading light and intermittent rain. I find it beneficial to look back at shoots which are a couple of months old to identify areas which could have been improved upon. It’s all just a continuous education … Photography by Paddy McGrath for Classic Ford Magazine UK. All Rights Reserved.
Scenes from Liverpool
I had a rare weekend off recently which I used to visit one of my favorite cities on this small planet. Liverpool has been like a second home to me since I was a kid, so I always try to make a couple of trips there each year. It was also the perfect excuse to dust off my Sony NEX5, a camera which I haven’t had a chance to use much recently. It was only a last minute decision to bring it but I’m most certainly glad I did as the pocket sized camera blew me away once more, nearly two years after purchase. This is also my first post since upgrading my website – you’ll notice now that I can run larger images (950PX) wide which although make take longer to load, might be worth it (occasionally anyways). More images after the break …
BMW at the 2011 ADAC Nürburgring 24HR
I’m sure it’s obvious by now that I have an affinity for a particular German manufacturer. Growing up in a Ford household, which was part of a Ford family, I don’t think I ever saw myself as a BMW sort of person growing up. After pushing the usual stereotypes aside, I quickly came to appreciate BMW’s brand values. It’s not just about their performance, technology or image, it’s how they bring everything together into a package that just works. Every detail is considered and it shows in the the final product. I’m certainly not saying they’re perfect or without their problems but for me anyways, I can appreciate what they bring to the table. Last year, I was lucky enough to cover the annual Nürburgring 24HR for the second consecutive year for Speedhunters. Shooting the Nürburgring 24HR is a very difficult task. The sheer size of the venue, along with its unpredictable weather system does not make the challenge any easier. In 2011, I had set personal goals with regards to my photography. These goals were related to both the approach and execution of shooting an event. In particular I wanted to focus on the basics and taking technically better photographs. This lead to a lot of (and I mean a lot) of rather plain images but they provided a better base to develop from. I recently revisited my images from last year’s event and re-edited them in accordance with what I’ve learned over the year. This leaves me facing into 2012 with the ambition of changing it all again in an attempt to stay fresh and hopefully build on what I’ve learned so far. I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together. If you like it be sure to drop me an e-mail or a message on twitter. More images after […]
This is Anfield
Just a random snap from a trip to the UK last weekend. I’ll have more shortly …
Koenigsegg Launch New Website
Swedish Hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg yesterday launched their new website. Usually a manufacturer launching a new website wouldn’t be of particular interest to me, but this is a little bit different. Log on to Koenigsegg.com and you’ll see why ..
3SDM 0.01 Wheel Shoot
Just before Christmas last year, I journeyed north to a small village west of Belfast called Magherafelt. My brief was to shoot a couple of cars which were running a new wheel by UK wheel company 3SDM. The 0.01 is 3SDM’s flagship model and it’s not too difficult to see why. As far as the shoot was concerned, the day turned out to be a nightmare. Gusts of wind and heavy rain interrupted shooting all day (along with taking my Nikon SB800 being blown clean off the top of a light stand). Moving the cars to a backup location provided a stroke of luck however. With the winter sun setting over the Ulster countryside, we were gifted with a half hour of magical light. For the processing, I used a simple system of compositing the lit cars onto naturally exposed and developed backgrounds. Any of you who get past the opening line on any of my posts here will know I’ve been trying to work on my processing skills lately and hopefully you’ll enjoy the fruits of my labour. More images after the jump …
Project 4848 – Part One
Back in August 2011, I waved farewell to my beloved Volkswagen Caddy van (affectionately known as Sudsy). I loved that van. However, it had got to a stage where I wasn’t getting the full use out of its hauling abilities and I yearned for something with more than two seats. Whatever I chose to replace Sudsy would have a lot of boxes to tick. First and foremost, it needed to be something remotely interesting and have potential for minor modifications down the line. It needed to be economical as I’ve often clocked up over 1,000KMs in a single weekend. Similarly, it also needed to be a comfortable cruiser with the ability dispatch long stints with ease. Anything else was a bonus. Read on after the break for more …