Astra VXR Nurburgring Motor Feature

Just received the tearsheats for this issue of Motor Magazine with the small feature I did on the HSV Astra Nurburgring edition, came out pretty good I think. I find it hilarious that a couple of the images used are taken with a $300 point a shoot camera but.



My goal for this shoot was to follow the brief, but to keep a clean and consistent style that is associated with the images in Motor, I wanted to prove my style isn't all grungy dark flash lit shots, but rather something a bit more commercial and appealing to the masses.


Not everything went to plan for this shoot, as I mentioned previously My camera decided enough was enough and fell off the tripod ripping the thread out of the camera in the process, luckily I caught it just before it hit the ground. Kevin came to save the day with a loaner 5D and I was back in business.


I really enjoyed this shoot, it was challenging to meet the brief given to me. I had never worked to a strict set of guidelines before so it was nice to not have to think of every little thing to cover.


Here you can see a pair of my Boardshorts been used as a makeshift rag to clean the exhaust, unfortunately press cars don't always arrive 100% perfect, this car was filthy!



Setting up the rig for the rear shots, I'll be adding another 2 metres to it soon for some Ultra distance shots.



A huge thanks to Kevin for the loan of the 5D and Simon for assisting me.

Big Boys Toys

If there is one thing I love more than Photography it would have to be riding dirtbikes, the ability to go as fast as you like without fear of getting a speeding fine, exploring new places and just having fun with friends is why I live for riding. So with countless hours researching the new 

2009 450 Enduro bikes from all manufacturers I settled on the 2009 Husqvarna TE450 to replace my 2007 Suzuki DRZ400E.

Whilst Japan is on the cutting edge of technology with every facet of life, when it comes to Enduro models it seems they are a little behind the eight ball. Whilst I'm no racer the Husky comes with standard parts that would cost thousands of dollars extra on a comparative Japanese model, with the inclusion of Electronic Fuel Injection on the Husqvarna it made my decision even easier. 

My favourite thing about the bike is it's sharp looks, white plastics with slimline seating position and very flat seat give it a purposeful racing look, the parts list alone is enough to make any rider weak at the knees, I'm going to have a hard time tricking this bike out because it's pretty much the king of bling already! Parts include:

Arrow GP pipe

R&D Husky Race chip

Brembo's Front and Rear with Oversized Rotors.

Magura Hydraulic Clutch

Cemoto Handgaurds

Marazochi Front Forks, Sachs rear shock

Black Excel Rims

Flex Levers 

First impressions is that this bike is set to kill mode from the factory, power is instant and torque is immense. Keeping the front wheel on the ground is a serious issue as it rockets it's way into a eye watering top end, the brakes are unbelievable, one finger is all that is needed to haul it up, the clutch feel is light and very smooth with an easy pickup point which is very important in tight technical terrain. When cracking the throttle there is a slight hiccup however but this may be the old stale fuel left in the bike from delivery, with riding time I hope this will rectify itself.

I can't wait to have my maiden offroad voyage on it this weekend, Whilst photography is a fun and relaxing hobby, nothing comes close to ripping through the bush on a dirtbike!

CGI the death of Automotive Photography?

Recently on my weekly visit of the  Fstop mag I came across this interesting piece about photographer Darren Rees. I found one part of the article particularly disturbing. 

"The digital revolution is a mixed blessing for automotive photographers.  Never mind the global recession or the turbulent price of gasoline: Photographers working with automotive subjects have a different problem: CGI. “I don’t think traditional car photography will ever be the same again, mainly because the car industry is changing,” he says. “Five out of ten campaigns are CGI because it does save on prep and lugging cars around, which is very expensive. Plus, [the company] can advertise a concept car without actually having to make it, which costs millions.” When asked if car photographers were worried, he replied in the affirmative: “Big time."

Could CGI be the end of Automotive Commercial photography.... seems like it unfortunately. And with Print media slowly declining the need for Automotive photographers drops each day, oh well... time to take up 3D modelling then.