Type R Déjà Vu
Although I’ve been shooting for quite a while, and I’ve certainly lost track of the amount of cars that I’ve been fortunate enough to shoot, I can’t remember shooting the same car twice. There’s a whole heap of situations where this could have occurred. For example if multiple publications wanted images or if the owner decided to tear apart a perfectly good car and rebuild it into something even better. Neil Thompson’s Civic Type R is a case of the latter. It was actually only back in May when I found myself meeting Neil at a services on the M1 motorway, north of Dublin. With summer having belatedly arrived in Ireland, it was still too bright after 6PM to shoot the dark colour Honda in the harsh sunlight. I tried a couple of frames and positions at the back of traditional Irish pub, before we scouted around for a couple of different locations. With the sun starting to turn the countryside a nice shade of gold, we returned to the same pub’s car park and got to work. When shooting editorial, you not only need to ensure that you grab everything required, but also to try and vary compositions as much as possible. This allows the designer more freedom when laying out the spreads. A happy designer, means a better feature and the potential for more work in the future. Since turning freelance, I’ve personally felt that a lot of pressure to perform has lifted from my shoulders. I feel more comfortable and have begun to produce much better work than I have done previously. In my opinion at least. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some great editors, who all have encouraged me to shoot how I want. That is, in as much of a LoFi style as […]
Where Warriors Are Born
After I finished shooting Simon McKinley’s Escort MKII, and had experienced it from the passenger seat, I knew I had to find out where this power plant comes from. It didn’t take much effort to arrange a visit, a quick e-mail to Connaught Competition Engines and before I knew it, I was standing in their reception area. I’ve wrote about my visit and the history of CCE already for Speedhunters so I won’t repeat myself. I will echo the amazing feeling I got from the moment I set foot inside. No fanciness, just an enviable focus on producing a product that performs. I’d like to thank Phil and all the staff at Connaught Competition Engines for making me feel so welcome during my visit. Shot for Speedhunters.com Connaught Competition Engines
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 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 …
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 …
Number One
With December just about to roll around (memo to self, buy Christmas presents) the motorsport season is well and truly done for twenty-eleven. The off-season gives us a chance to relax, reflect and reminisce about the season. We can finally sit back and begin to take everything in. Because their is so little shoots during these dark months, I usually spend my time trying work on my processing styles. This usually involves going absolutely and completely overboard with my processing to the extent that it might make your eyes bleed. But it’s for good reason. By pushing everything up to eleven, it helps me figure out just how far is too far. From this I can scale things back and find a happy medium. I’ve always wanted to try and create a processing style which pays homage to old photographic prints that have faded, been marked etc. I shot this 993 Porsche recently for Speedhunters and thought it was the perfect shoot to revisit and experiment. You can check out the original feature for comparison here. The rest of the images are after the break …
Derby Day
Those that know me will testify to my fondness for Liverpool Football Club. I’ve followed the red side of Merseyside since I was a kid and Liverpool itself is like a second home to me. It’s a beautiful city with the greatest of people. After the recent Autosport International show at the NEC in Birmingham, I made the pilgrimage north west to catch the Merseyside Derby against Everton FC. I kept my newly acquired NEX5 close to hand and when I wasn’t getting carried away with the game, I tried to capture the full story of the match day. I hope you enjoy …
JPS Motorsport Toyota Supra
Concluding the trilogy of drag racing themed features, is the 2010 HKS Series Championship winning Toyota Supra of Leon Green and JPS Motorsport. Hit ‘Read ‘More’ for the rest of the images …
Goodwood – The Revival
Unfortunately my 5D MKII hasn’t grown the ability to shoot back in time, but having attended the Goodwood Revival, quite a unique event on the motorsport calendar, I kind of wish it would. The Revival is an event which celebrates the heyday of motorsport and where competitors and spectators get into the spirit of things by dressing in period clothing. The event is about as close to a time machine as anyone has managed. Once you step through the gate, you are transported back to 1940s Great Britain. From the period Tescos shopping market to the appropriately attired policemen, this event really is one of a kind. More images after the jump …
Team Japspeed
When we visited Japspeed for a shop visit and a couple of interviews, Paul aka Mr. Japspeed asked if we could get a killer group shot of the four team cars. The team’s workshop turned out to be a pretty good location and a much better alternative to venturing outside into the hostile weather conditions. It took us some time to arrange the cars and with a tight schedule, we managed to grab a couple of exposures which gave this image after some intensive post processing. Each car was lit and processed individually before being re-placed onto the background plate. It was my first time shooting this many cars together and it was definitely a challenge. Nothing ventured, nothing gained …
Edition38X
I’m going to try and make an attempt to catch up on some coverage I’ve been shooting for Speedhunters recently. The first of which was the awesome Edition38X event in Overstone Park, Northampton, United Kingdom. The relaxed atmosphere made this one of my favourite shows in 2010. The quality and quantity of cars was absolutely top notch. The rest of the images are after the jump …
The Allstars at Wembley
Better known for it’s field sports, the world re-knowned Wembley Stadium played host to the fourth and penultimate round of the 2010 JDM Allstars series. The entry list was vastly improved upon when compared to previous rounds with only the exceptions of Phil Morrisson and Martin Ffrench being the big absentees. The event was a two day affair, but due to other commitments I could only make the final day of the event. As to be expected from the JDM Allstars crew, the event went without a hitch with only the weather interrupting proceedings for a few minutes during the day. The full gallery can be found after the jump …
Modified Live // Time Attack // EDC – Brands Hatch
The day after JDM at Donny, I was south of London for the third round of the UK Time Attack Series which took place at the Brands Hatch venue in Kent. The particular loop they would be using would be the Indy Circuit, the shortest layout which provided a spectacular and comprehensive view of the event for all the spectators. The series has been incorporated into the Modified Live events, which also host a static show, a round of the European Drifting Championship and a series of demonstration runs from the Sumo Power GT1 GT-Rs to a rather drifty articulated truck. More after the jump …
JDM Allstars Donington Alpine Drift
It has been a pretty hectic nine days here at PMCGPHOTOs. From Donington to Brands Hatch in one weekend to Paul Ricard the next. I’m going to try and catch up in the next few days with all the images from each event I covered, along with my first interior design shoot which was a nice change of pace. These shots are from the second round of the 2010 JDM Allstars series which took place on Saturday 26th of July at the Donington Park Alpine Course. The event was won by Driftworks driver Dan Chapman who defeated his teammate Phil Morrisson (pictured above) in the final. More images after the jump …
Time Attack Round One, Oulton Park
I spent last weekend at Oulton Park, where I was present to cover the first round of the UK Time Attack Series. It was my first time shooting at Oulton and I found it a great venue to photograph at. The track was interesting with hills and crests, backdrop was varied, friendly staff and marshall’s all combined for a great experience. I shot the coverage for Speedhunters.com, where you can now find the entire story behind the weekend’s events. As usual, a full gallery of images can be found after the jump …