Approximately three weeks ago, I was contacted by a prominent car magazine that is doing a feature story on high HP cars (I have been asked not to disclose the name of the magazine for the time being). After I agreed to participate, the magazine hired a professional photographer to take photographs of my car. I met with the photographer today for the first of a two day shoot. The process was quite interesting.

We met in Northridge, and promptly drove to Box Canyon in Chatsworth. Box Canyon is known for its beautiful red rocks and striking vistas.




However, Box Canyon was recently ravaged by fire ( http://www.nbc4.tv/news/5029990/detail.html ) and the scenic landscape is now covered with burnt, blackened trees and brush. As I later discovered, this is a photographer’s paradise. The views, although harsh and desolate, were dramatic and eerily beautiful (particularly late in the day, as the sun receded).

I had no idea what the photographer planned. To my surprise, he wanted to start with action shots. He selected a particular right sweeping turn with a scenic backdrop, and he asked me to drive the turn at moderate to high speed. However, he told me not to apex the turn. Rather, he wanted me to drive as close as possible to the center yellow line, which was on the outside of the turn, so as to maximize the unweighting of the car. I asked how many times he wanted me to take the turn, and he estimated around ten.

45 minutes later, I had driven the same turn well over 20 times. Taking a right sweeping turn hugging the outside center yellow line is very unnatural and awkward. It took every ounce of concentration to avoid apexing the turn.

After the repetitive turning exercise, we did a few more action shots at different turns, then staked out intriguing locations for stationary photos. The photographer went to great lengths to get the right angles for the shots, including laying in the middle of the street while I watched for oncoming cars, crawling up and down hillsides and through brush, laying in the dirt, etc. At one point, the photographer broke off a large branch from a burnt tree and had me hold it such a way as to “frame the picture.”

While we were doing the stationary shots, another car photographer pulled up and began chatting with my photographer . . . they were friends. This photographer was doing a nearby shoot for Edmunds.com, and he was searching for new locations. Like my photographer, this other guy was also intrigued by the burnt landscape. At this point, my photographer shared how he followed the news story about the Box Canyon fire with great interest, immediately recognizing the opportunity for a new photo location. The two of them sounded like pyromaniacs as they praised the benefits of the fire in terms of photo backdrops, and jokingly demanded exclusive rights to the location.

The photographer showed me a few of his shots. They were truly remarkable. I was awestruck at what he had done. Unfortunately, it will be a few weeks before I can get copies of the photographs. I will probably make a poster size photo for my office.

We are scheduled to meet again tomorrow for engine, interior and detail shots. Given the rather boring look of the Porsche engine compartment, I have arranged to use a nearby lift so that we can take photos from below. I think this is the best way to depict the Porsche engine, and my mods in particular.

I’ll post more about the magazine story as soon as I can.

Craig

 

Can't wait to see the pics!

 

sounded like fun....can't wait to see the pics

 

Sounds cool, can't wait to see pics also!

 

Craig, did you take him for a ride and show what that beast is all about?

 

No. The photographer just takes pictures. Thereafter, the person assigned by the magazine to write the story will interview me and likely take a ride in the car.

Craig

 

Nice writeup, thanks. Box Canyon looks like it has great driving roads!

 

Wow, can't wait for the pics!

 

heya bud was it Jason Siu by any chance? Congrats and can't wait! I've got a story coming out shortly in Total 911.... nice and glossy!

 

same here, not sure which month my feature will be though. Max shoot your car? He does excellent work

 

John, yours already came out in the December issue.

 

Oh Damn. They were suppose to mail me a copy! Thanks for the heads up.

 

No problem. It came out looking great by the way. Might have changed your mind about selling it if you saw it.

 

No, it wasn't Jason Siu (who I presume is NoCal based). It was a SoCal guy who has been photographing cars for 20 years for manufacturer marketing materials, print ads and all the major magazines.

I look forward to seeing your Total911 spread.

Craig

 

Can't wait to see yours man Between the both of us we've got NorCal/SoCal covered then!