After a substantial overhaul, the portfolio section of PMCGPHOTO’s is now open. My apologies for the delay in getting it back online. If there is anything you feel is missing from this, please drop me an e-mail to paddy@pmcgphotos.com and let me know what better deserves to be included or what you think doesn’t need to be there. I’m going to update the contents over the coming week to include more graphic design based work.

It is with pleasure that I can announce a media partnership with MCNSPORT and Darren McNamara for the 2010 season. MCNSPORT are at the forefront of motorsport projects in the Republic of Ireland and with some very special projects lined up for 2010, it won’t be long before MCNSPORT will be a world reknowned brand. Darren McNamara is a former Prodrift Champion and will be challenging for the 2010 Formula D championship in the United States.

PMCGPHOTO’s will be assisting MCNSPORT & Darren McNamara with documenting their up and coming builds, their already completed projects and will be giving you a peak into life behind the scenes at MCNSPORT.

This exciting announcement now brings the number of drivers PMCGPHOTO’s is supporting to three, all former and reigning champions; Martin Ffrench (Former Prodrift European Champion) Dean Kearney (Reigning Prodrift Super Series Champion & 2010 Formula D Rookie) and now Darren McNamara (Former Irish Prodrift Champion, Formula D Rookie of the Year 2007 & 2010 Formula D Competitor)

2010 is now setting up to be the most exciting year for PMCGPHOTO’s yet, be sure to keep an eye here for even more big news, coming soon.

Spent most of yesterday shooting this beautifully understated RX7. The owner is a close friend of mine, so getting the most out of this shoot was top priority. This was my first shoot since October, so has been a while since I last got behind the lens. The colour was a challenge to shoot, not just to get a good exposure but to try and faithfully represent the shade of silver. It’s an early model FD with the late spec front end, RE Ameyia sideskirts with carbon fibre trays. The engine was built and prepared by legendary rotary tuner Dragon Performance and is estimated at above 400 BHP. You can see this in print in an upcoming issue of Modified Motors magazine …

The rest of the shoot is after the jump …

Let me know your comments, good or bad !

More after the break

Just before my laptop spontaneously combusted a couple of weeks ago, I shot my father’s Escort 1300 Executive. The shoot took place on a chilly winters morning by the seaside. It was a back to basics shoot for me; no lights, rig or tracking shots. Just the 5D2 and two lenses. More after the jump …

The harsh sunlight didn’t do me too many favours, but it was an enjoyable challenge trying to work through it.

The cliff face provided a nice backdrop for some profile shots.

Shooting into the sun was always going to be a challenge, but I tried to harness the light to make some detail shots a little bit more interesting.

It was tough trying to balance the horizontal lines of the car with horizon line as the car was facing slightly uphill.

The harsh sidelight provided great texture on the original vinyl roof.

Returning back to the city centre, we parked up for a quick snap beside this old bridge. The houses behind the camera acted as a huge reflector, throwing the light back onto the car.

Think the blue is a touch too strong here but I do like the shallow depth of field and the desaturated background. Lessons to be learned for the next outing.

More on my Flickr.

After a brief disagreement with some technology, I’m back in business again. Have a few new things to show you over the Christmas holidays, including the acquisition of a new camera to the family. That isn’t a Canon. Also will be showing this full shoot of my father’s Escort 1300 Executive and will be writing up a Prodrift 2009 season review for the guys on Speedhunters.

Take care and drive safely !

Just quickly cut together the first video I’ve shot using the 5D MKII. Really impressed with the quality and the ease of use. Coming from a photography background it’s great to be able to just jump in and make moving picture with the same tools used for the still ones. No trying to figure out button combinations or exploring a new medium to get the desired effect. The test was more so aimed at seeing how my poor little Macbook Pro would handle the files and to be fair, for a two year old laptop it put on a proud show. The original 1080P files were imported into Adobe Premier CS4, quickly cut together and outputted at 720P for use on Vimeo. There is some minor colour grading using the 5D MKII’s built in picture styles. Lense used was a Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS.

Now to pick up a mic and start working on some new plans …

View the HD version on Vimeo

Wexican Motorsport, have just launched their Drift Experience and officially announced their Drift Academy. Vouchers for the Experience, which make awesome Christmas presents for those loved ones with an interest in motoring or even for those you want to convert to the world of motorsport, as well as information regarding the academy can be found on www.wexicanmotorsport.com