Dangerous Games – An Airlifted E30 M3
I could count on one hand the amount of cars that I believe should never be touched or modified in anyway. The E30 M3 used to be one of them. Previously, I always thought it was perfect from the factory and any attempt to interfere with its natural state would be detrimental. Nick Singh Sahota, the owner, on the other hand, thought different and I’m quite glad that he did. With ECU controlled Airlift Performance suspension and an E46 M3 sourced S54 power plant, Nick has built one of my favourite E30 M3’s ever. I came across the car during the recent Ultimate Dubs show in the United Kingdom. The title would suggest that it was a Volkswagen only show, but they seem to be quite relaxed about the rules when it comes to original manufacturer. The car proved an instant hit once I ran it on the Speedhunters Instagram account. With this in mind, I wasted no time in getting the car shot in detail. In fact, the other exhibitors were still rolling out whilst we were mid-shoot. With a rapidly setting sun, we worked the venue as best as we could to maximise the impact of the car. The entire set was shot with minimal lens selection and an even smaller amount of processing. The only time consuming part of the jobs was removing the many pieces of litter in some of the exterior shots. It was one of those rare times where everything came together at the right time. Shot for Speedhunters
When Your Dream Car Doesn’t Exist, Build It – A BMW M3 Touring
It was purely by accident that I stumbled upon Nick Pritchard at Players Shows, last year. I had been confined to the Speedhunters Hangar all day, shooting in a make-shift studio. As we wrapped things up, I popped out to take a quick look around as the cars were leaving when I spotted the familiar front wings of a BMW M3 attached to the body of a 3 Series Touring. I had seen a couple of Tourings before with the M3 front, but something really caught my attention. I don’t know if it was the massive Brembo brakes or the more subtle widened rear arches. A quick chat with the owner, Nick, who was sitting in the car waiting to leave confirmed my suspicions. This was a complete M3 Touring. Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m getting so excited about an estate car. Well, it’s rather quite simple. BMW never built an M3 Touring. Nick took a 318iS, and E90 M3 donor car and basically mashed the two together until he ended up with what is honestly, my dream car. I won’t bore you with the details, the link to the full feature is below, but needless to say that this conversion is quite simply breathtaking. It is flawless. The fact that it blends into everyday traffic, is a testament to the quality of the workmanship on the car. It looks absolutely factory. I’ve been shooting a lot more LoFi lately, trying to keep things simple whilst working on backgrounds and compositions. This was no different. I’ve also been stopping down a lot more lately, in a quest to find more sharpness. It’s working, too. Again, processing was kept simple in a less is more sort of way. I liked the cool tones which work with the car’s colour and […]
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 […]
2011 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hour – Part Two
I’ll conclude my 2011 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24HR coverage with the second and final part of images. These images take place in chronological order from the Friday qualifying sessions right through to the race end on Sunday evening. Nearly a month later and I’m still feeling the effects of the N24. It’s truly the most difficult event one can photograph during the motorsport season. However, it also rewards you for your perseverance. Read on for more images …
BMW E46 M3 CSL
Sorry about the delay in getting this post together, has been busy here the last while at PMCG Studios. Earlier this month, Junior from Irish motoring site Driver.ie approached me about shooting a rare E46 CSL that was located down the country. With an upcoming BMW theme on Speedhunters, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. More after the jump …
