Studio

Portfolio update: DB9, S3, Caterham 7 and a 512BB

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In June's issue of CAR Magazine, a Cobalt Blue Aston Martin DB9 joined the fleet of long termers. I challenge anyone to think of a better way of welcoming a car than heading to the hills of North Wales:

Aston Martin DB9 Wales Road Sunset Richard Pardon Automotive Photographer Car Magazine Cobalt Blue.jpg

Collecting the car from Aston Martin's factory in Gaydon, the production line filled was with a plethora of expensive metal. Not to mention this menacing Vanquish which sat in the final inspection bay:  

Aston Martin Vanquish Gaydon Factory Production Line.jpg

Will the 2013 Audi S3 make it into the hot-hatch hall of fame? The 300bhp Quattro packs enough punch to keep up with a 911, how will it fare against the Fiesta ST or Renault Clio? Pick up Issue 611 to find out. Photographed on location in Munich:

Audi S3 Rig Shot Munich Germany Car Magazine.jpg
Audi S3 Munich Launch Richard Pardon Car Photographer Automotive.jpg
Audi S3 Driving Munich Car Magazine Photographer.jpg

Ben Oliver gives us seven reasons why we love the Caterham 7, as the iconic car turns 40. Great to photograph in this lurid colour:

Caterham 7 Supersport Rig Green Editorial CAR Magazine.jpg
Caterham 7 Supersport Interior Rig Shot Editorial Magazine Car Richard Pardon.jpg

Lastly, in between shooting for CAR Magazine i've been back in the studio, shooting various marques for Studio434. One car in particular stood out, the Ferrari 512BB (Berlinetta Boxer) and it's 12 cylinder engine:

Ferrari 512BB Berlinetta Boxer 12 Cyclinder Engine Bay Studio Cove Infinity Car Photography.jpg

All of these images are now uploaded into the portfolio 'cars' section of my website, be sure to check them out large!

Studio Sessions

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Over a century of automotive history, all displayed within 25,000 square feet. Forty years in the making, Studio434 is now the home to over 160 cars and 60 motorcycles. An extensive and privately owned collection, it's primary use is as a museum and storage facility, whilst offering rental options for advertising and TV. By no coincidence,  at the back of the mezzanine floor lies a purpose built photographic studio with an infinity cove.

Working with Studio434 to photograph their impressive collection, it soon became clear that this could be a service available to private clients and car clubs. This has proved a huge success with top marques such as Aston Martin and their Heritage Trust, collaborating on their centenary project.

With the cyclorama measuring 8x8x2.2 metres, the studio space is able to accommodate almost any vehicle. Working in a controlled environment, it is possible to change lighting setups from shooting in high key to changing the mood and creating automotive art with dramatic effects. Better still, whilst your pride and joy is in the spotlight you are welcome to look around the impressive collection at Studio434.

Located just two minutes from junction 24 of the M25, we have seen clients travel from as far as Wales. If you are interested in having your car photographed, please feel free to get in touch.

 

Photoshoot - Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato In The Studio

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With the car currently under auction at Monaco, this is one Aston Martin that James Bond won't be getting his hands on. After our photoshoot in the scrapyard, the last thing Evanta wanted me to cover was some studio style 'brochure' shots. These images would be used in the upcoming DB4 Zagato brochure and fact sheets.

Using the infinity white cove at Studio434 was a first for me, and a great chance to experiment with some different style shots. Not only that, it was a great chance to witness the impressive collection that resides in the very same building. I could have happily spent hours taking a look around the collection of fascinating cars.

The detailing and execution on this car is simply stunning. I briefly mentioned in my previous post that this DB4 GT Zagato had a customised Oxblood Red Hide interior, combining certain components from the original DB7 donor car. With it still retaining luxuries such as air-conditioning, airbags and heated seats, this Zagato is certainly a pleasant place to be. With these cars being built to order, measurements are taken for pedal and seat size to ensure a bespoke fit.

Working in this cove meant the use of constant lights, something i'm not overly familiar with (but soon grew to love) and can see myself working further in this way. CT Gels are necessary when mixing flash and constant light as there is always a big discrepancy between colour temperatures. With all of the necessary shots now captured, we turned off the house lights and started to get a little creative with the Elinchrom Quadra's day-light balanced modelling light.

Lightpainting, a technique whereby an external light source is 'painted' selectively over the car, illuminating or highlighting certain areas of your subject. Conditions were not ideal with some natural light entering the studio from nearby skylights, which hindered the shutter speeds somewhat. As such the above and below images were created from multiple (6-7) frames, having different sections of the car illuminated each time and composited later.

It creates a surreal effect and makes the car take on a whole new appearance, emphasising the curves of the car (ideally suited for the nature of this car). In my personal opinion these shots stand out above the rest and will no doubt be found printed onto metallic papers in my portfolio. Working in ways like this just goes to show how versatile one piece of equipment can be, and the Elinchrom Quadra system which I could no longer be without has come up trumps again!

Once again it was an absolute pleasure to work with Evanta on their DB4 Zagato. If you're interested in checking out the auction of their car, you can visit COYS website here. Thanks for reading and if you found this post interesting, don't forget to share it! :-)