Recent Editorial Work – Ford Escort Cosworth V6
Client: Speedhunters Intent: Editorial Date: April 2015 Location: Tipperary, Ireland. Original Feature: http://www.speedhunters.com
Simon McKinley’s Warrior Powered Escort MKII
It must have been back in 2007, when I first saw Simon McKinley drive. It was the Saturday of a two day hill climb event, near my grandparents’ house in Co. Wexford. There were a lot of cars that day, certainly more than what would normally be expected navigating those roads on a Saturday afternoon, that’s for sure. We were close to the start line, but our view was obscured by the trees. Even though we were temporarily blinded, the sound that erupted beneath us, was a sure indication of what was coming. A scream of revs, upshift, more revs, upshift, more revs again, upshift, and just as the noise couldn’t possibly get any louder, a white MKII Escort appeared before us, sideways. Before you could blink, it was already past and into the next section, out of sight. The smiles, applause and laughs of disbelief tell you everything you ever need to know about Simon McKinley’s driving style. It’s almost shameful that it took me nearly seven years to catch up with him again, this time for a dedicated shoot for Speedhunters. Mondello Park had been kind enough to let us loose on their school course, and we were definitely going to take advantage of it. The shoot style was low key. The overcast skies provided gentle light, which I wanted to take advantage of. I think the majority of the static shots came down to two lenses: 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS & 35mm f/1.4 L with my trusty 24-105 f/4 L IS used for the tracking shots. It was a joy to shoot. Processing, again, was kept simple. Some minor colour grading and exposure correction and it was online before I knew it. The chase shots, whilst slightly risky, were probably the most difficult part of the shoot. […]
Photos of the Year 2012
It’s actually quite difficult to write a review of a year whilst trying to avoid every cliché available. I guess it is always good to take the time to look back and appreciate things and learn from mistakes. Speaking personally, 2012 was a bit of a hit and miss year. Although there were certainly some fantastic moments, there was also a lot of time that needed to be endured rather than enjoyed. Photography wise, I don’t think I built upon my technical skills and ideas as much as I would have liked to, mostly due to a lack of field work in comparison to other years. However, these are all things I can focus on for 2013 and try to evolve further as a photographer. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who comes here, to those of you who take your time to send me e-mails and everyone I’ve interacted with over the last twelve months. I hope that your best moments of 2012 are your worst ones in 2013.
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.
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.
Broadspeed Ford Escort
This car was my own personal Moby Dick for such a long period of time but it finally got caught in front of my lens last October to be captured exclusively for the pages of Classic Ford Magazine. Accompanied by the one and only Baron Bryn Musselwhite we set about spending a day getting to know this extraordinary track racer from a greater era than I’ll ever know. Check out just some of the images after the jump …
Ford Fair
It’s been a busy few weeks so I’m only getting around to posting these images from Ford Fair now. The event took place at Silverstone and was a massive hit. With an estimated 3,500 exhibitor cars on show, I didn’t even see half of them during the course of the day such was the quality on show. There wasn’t a section you could walk past, every car promised some sort of detail that could be appreciated. The rest of the images are after the jump.
RS Owners Club Annual Bolands Meet
July 25th saw the Irish branch of the Ford RSOC once again descend on the forecourt of Bolands Main Ford Dealer, New Ross, Co. Wexford. It’s the second year running that Bolands have cleared their showroom and forecourt to make room for some of Ireland’s finest Fords. The quality of the cars was something else and the quantity was considerable too. Anyways, enough talk the rest of the images are after the jump …
Carlow Stages / MK2 Escort Challenge
Ventured back onto the rally stage for the first time in over two years yesterday for the MK2 Escort Challenge which I was covering for Speedhunters.com. It was a great change of pace shooting on closed roads; I forgot how exciting it can be chasing stages, exploring the countryside to find a good spot, having the craic with marshalls and other photographers. It’s crazy how different each sort of motorsport can be. Click the continue reading link for the rest of the images …
1300E by the Sea
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 …
Terenure Classic & Vintage ’09
Just a small selection from this years show, if you want to see the other cars, you can look through the 2008, 2007 & 2006 galleries respectively. This Cadillac Coupe De Ville on airbags did brighten my day, along with a baby Ferrari …