Road Test Of The Year

[//dean]

This shoot saw 5 of the years most exciting cars (ish) compete against each other on the fabulous roads of North Wales. The brief was to get a cracking cover, DPS and lots of natural looking photos, a lot like an evo shoot (so it's proper road testing, not 'look how pretty this car is' type stuff). We had 3 days but I imagine I only spent about 6hrs taking photos as there were lots of filming and other shaninigans going on, hence the lack of anything dynamic. I had to push just to shoot some tracking shots!

These first two are for AndWhyNot

1. The cover. All natural light. Minus the WB, this is straight out of cam


2. As above


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5. Bloody indicator.


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And the cover: (think the colour profile is off?

[CarMac]

Nice work! Where were they taken?

[AndWhyNot]

//dean said:

These first two are for AndWhyNot

I'm touched (not in a pope way)

Is that for SOOC reasons? I always knew you had it in you, we'll make a proper photographer out of you yet

That cloud in the cover shot is simply a fantastic finishing touch. Guessing you used an app to help you align the cars with the sunrise ?

[//dean]

CarMac said:

Nice work! Where were they taken?

Thanks. These were taken all over North Wales. Porthmadog beach, evo triangle etc

AndWhyNot said:

//dean said:

These first two are for AndWhyNot

I'm touched (not in a pope way)

Is that for SOOC reasons? I always knew you had it in you, we'll make a proper photographer out of you yet

That cloud in the cover shot is simply a fantastic finishing touch. Guessing you used an app to help you align the cars with the sunrise ?

It is indeed for SOOC reasons. No app used for that bad boy, I'd been there before at sunrise so knew where it would rise from

[muppetdave]

Yup, those photos confirm what I'd been thinking for a while... I hate you

Stunning photos all of them, great work!

[curtisl]

well done dean. Is that your first published work? if it is, it has been a long time coming, your car photography is superb!!

cracking set of images. top drawer.

[harryowl]

shame 4 of the cars are fugly.... but the aston is beautiful enough to make up for them

[xrrr]

Bloody cracking photos Dean. #13 is my personal fave. 3 days in Wales and it didn't rain?

[//dean]

muppetdave said:

Yup, those photos confirm what I'd been thinking for a while... I hate you

Stunning photos all of them, great work!

haha, Thanks. I'm going to take that as a compliment :-D

curtisl said:

well done dean. Is that your first published work? if it is, it has been a long time coming, your car photography is superb!!

cracking set of images. top drawer.

Hi Curtis, no not my first published work, possibly my best but certainly not my first. Thanks for your kind words.

harryowl said:

shame 4 of the cars are fugly.... but the aston is beautiful enough to make up for them

Really? I didn't think the Aston was quite as good looking as everyone thinks, it looks really odd from some angles....still looks lots better than its competition though!

xrrr said:

Bloody cracking photos Dean. #13 is my personal fave. 3 days in Wales and it didn't rain?

Didn't rain once, unbelievable!

[Davi]

muppetdave said:

Yup, those photos confirm what I'd been thinking for a while... I hate you

first thought that came into my mind too

[Tycho]

Great photos. Really like the Megane as well. Looks great in that colour with those wheels.

[Fordo]

Stunning Photos dean



I love the cloud position in the first one, really makes the composition balanced - shame they lost it for the cover and put a dirty big magazine title over the top instead! How inconsiderate.

Edited by Fordo on Thursday 23 September 12:29

[trackdemon]

Some of your best stuff yet, Mr Smith. Highlights for me are the DPS, RCZ static & the driver shot.... magic. The best shots bear your hallmark, which for me is using the very best light.... Recent work has taught me (again) the importance of an early start.

The drift shot doesn't work for me for probably obvious reasons - car attitude vs road (I'm guessing he pulled out of a side road full pelt to mimic a 'drift' effect). Spyder tracking could use a bit less wide angle & slower shutter and the Rapide pan could use more motion... maybe the static is a bit 'meh'. But I'm nitpicking because its all I can do at this level, and understanding how tricking an editorial shoot can be logistically! If I get as good as you mate I'll have a decent career ahead of me too ;-) Top work. So, are you EVO's new staffer or what?

[//dean]

trackdemon said:

Some of your best stuff yet, Mr Smith. Highlights for me are the DPS, RCZ static & the driver shot.... magic. The best shots bear your hallmark, which for me is using the very best light.... Recent work has taught me (again) the importance of an early start.

The drift shot doesn't work for me for probably obvious reasons - car attitude vs road (I'm guessing he pulled out of a side road full pelt to mimic a 'drift' effect). Spyder tracking could use a bit less wide angle & slower shutter and the Rapide pan could use more motion... maybe the static is a bit 'meh'. But I'm nitpicking because its all I can do at this level, and understanding how tricking an editorial shoot can be logistically! If I get as good as you mate I'll have a decent career ahead of me too ;-) Top work. So, are you EVO's new staffer or what?

Thanks Steve, I had a feeling you'd like a few of them due to the lack of the editing I do agree on all your nit-picking, the drift shot was indeed out of a junction, to get an R8 unstuck around a long corner like that would take balls of steel!

What do you mean if you get as good as me? I personally envy your work and think you're a much better togger than I! As for evo; that would be a top job wouldn't it! Not a new staffer I'm afraid, I'm just on their freelancer's list of which there are 30 of us battling for the same jobs so I doub't you'll see much more of my work in the mag for a while!

[4Lmike]

Nice work Dean...that cover is simply stunning.