The Goodwood Revival 2014

Where and When Since 1998 the Goodwood Revival has been attracting visitors to it's three day festival, held every year in September around the Goodwood Circuit. Featuring road racing cars and motorcycles from the circuits original period 1948-1966. No modern vehicles are allowed within the circuit perimeter over the weekend.

It proved to be a wonderful opportunity to see racing at its finest and this year we were treated to a Spitfire and Lancaster Bomber display to mark the centenary of WW1.

This is the only car event worldwide where the majority of the public come in period dress to recreate the golden era of motoring from the 1940s 50s and 60s and can enjoying shopping, eating, drinking and being part of an historical event.

I was very fortunate to have received complimentary tickets to go to the Goodwood Revival courtesy of Mark Spence from the  Ferrari Atelier at the Berkeley Hotel Mayfair.

Our day started by collecting our tickets from The Kennels, an exclusive meeting house next to the golf club on the Goodwood estate. It was from here we were chauffeur driven to the entrance of the revival by our spiffing driver Charles in a perfect 1935 Jowett 7, I felt like I was playing bit part in a film and transported back in time.

On arrival we were greeted by a gaggle of appropriately clad girls who made a fuss of us and pointed us in the right direction. I had come to soak up the ambience and to capture some racing and 1940s glamour. Before I did any of that I found myself shopping (couldn’t resist a bargain) for some clothing from Posh Frocks based in Farnham, anyone who has been to the revival before will know that there is a vast array of original 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s clothing to buy, how could I refuse a few outfits?  The sales ladies were so helpful, I tried and bought things that I didn't think would suit me, but actually looked terrific.

I had hired a dress for the occasion from the local fancy dress shop called Fancier Dress in Limpsfield, it was like an Aladdins cave in there, with, I promise, something for everyone for any occasion. I would have felt out of place if I hadn't gone suitably attired.

When I came to the revival last year it was pouring with rain and very cold, so this year was a pleasure to be at, with the sun shinning, we were enjoying what has turned out to be an Indian summer. There was even a 1960s Tesco store where you could  see the products in their original packets and with Green Sheild Stamps too ( younger readers this was the original loyalty scheme).

We were charmed by the entertainers from Dad’s Army, so many of them looked uncannily like the original actors.

I enjoyed seeing the cars at Earls Court especially John Surtees 1957  BMW507 that I had previously seen and photographed when I was at the Edenbridge Parade back in May.

After a long, tiring and eventful day we were chauffeur driven back to The Kennels in an original 1940s taxi for afternoon tea where we could kick our shoes off and enjoy a tea dance. The perfect way to finish a perfect day.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Bye for now.

Stella

A Drive Down Memory Lane

Car Photography Exhibition

I am pleased to announce that Chartwell, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill will play host to my inaugural photographic exhibition of my car photography.

Let me tell you more ...

For many of you reading this you will know me for photographing your families and weddings. In February 2015 I will be celebrating 18 (yes that's right 18) years at my studio here in Station Road East, Oxted.

From my past newsletters I'm sure you are already aware that as well as photographing people and events, my other passion is Classic and Supercars, I love them for the way they look, their design and engineering, a beautiful work of art with all their original details.

The American 1950's cars have so much personality, they ooze charm!

What's On Display

The car photography on display is of some of the rarest and most sought after cars in the world. Probably the most famous of all is the Tucker 48. Of which only 51 were ever made in the 1940’s by the great inventor Preston Tucker.

A car from each decade that Sir Winston Churchill was resident at Chartwell 1922 -1965 will be amongst the photographs on display. The exhibition promises to be a car lovers dream. If classic cars aren’t your interest there will also be photography on display of modern day high performance cars such as the Ferrari Enzo and Ford GT.

Chartwell is an ideal venue for my exhibition as it ties in with Sir Winston Churchill's great sense of style and love of the finer things in life.

This exciting exhibition will be open to the public from Monday 13th October until Sunday 26th October 2014. Please check the Chartwell website for viewing times. Admission is free to National Trust members and those with House or Garden tickets. Chartwell can be found at Mapleton Road, Westerham, Kent TN16 1PS.

Thanks for reading, I hope many of you will be able to get along to my car photography exhibition.

I will keep you up to date of other locations the exhibitions will be going to.

My next newsletter will be in two weeks time about a wedding I'm photographing at the Heritage Hanger in Biggin Hill.

Bye for now.

Stella

Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 2014

 I'd been looking forward to going to the Wilton Classic and Supercar Show for a while now. The show took place in the grounds of the Wilton House Estate, near Salisbury.

The Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 2014 is an annual event, now in it's sixth year, and took place on Sunday10th August. The show is the brain child of Lord Pembroke the current resident of this ancestral home and his friend Jay Broom, and was set up to share their love of classic and supercars with the public. The show was suitable for all the family and had something to offer the local residents as well as avid petrol heads. Major car manufactures were given the opportunity to showcase their latest cars, hot off the production line.

This years event hosted a demonstration rally event too.

The weather on Sunday started off wet and windy but it didn't discourage the crowds who travelled from all over the UK to share a little bit of car culture.

Let me tell you more...

What Was On Display

There was a broad selection of cars on display including the only Aston Martin Bertone Jet in the world. McLaren P1 a selection of Ferrari's including a 1957 250 Testa Rossa and the Bugatti EB10 and the car above the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette.

The centre piece for the "head to head" theme for the show, in which classic icons met their modern counterparts, was the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing and SLS AMG,  and also showcasing the BMW M1 and i8, Lamborghini Miura and Huracan.

The parade of over 150 supercars featured marques such as Bugatti, Pagani, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin. In front of Wilton House’s south façade, on the South Lawn, visitors could get up close to some rarely seen classics, fortunately by this time the sun was out, umbrellas down, coats off and engines roaring.

Rally Car Display

The grounds also boasted a real life high-speed demonstration of superb Group B rally cars on an authentic rally stage, with the Race2Recovery team joining the action in the Bowler Wildcats that they fielded in the gruelling Dakar Rally earlier this year.

My Car Photography Exhibition

I will be launching my inaugural exhibition at Chartwell in Westerham, Kent, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill, featuring some of the most iconic cars from each of the decades he lived there, between 1922 until his death in 1965.

Sir Winston Churchill had a great sense of style and appreciated the finer things in life.

The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks in October. I will tell you more about this event in forthcoming newsletters.

I am in the early stages of planning which photographs to exhibit and who to send press releases to. Amongst the photographs on display there will be classic and supercars, my www.stellascordellis.com website will tell you more about me in this field.

Oh, by the way, the title to my exhibition is:-

"A Drive Down Memory Lane"

Where This All Began

My passion for car photography started when I was a child and shared my brothers' interest in anything with wheels and an engine.

I started my photographic career at just 15 years old when I went to work at a photographic studio in Croydon as a Saturday girl. I left school the following year to start an apprenticeship with a three year day release course at their commercial studio. It's been a long and varied journey and my love of photographing people as well as cars has led me to explore this exciting direction my business takes me to.

The Rolls Royce, Silver Cloud 1963 below was photographed as part of my course work whilst at college, and looking back this is where it all began...

Thanks for reading. If you didn't go to the Wilton Classic and Supercar Show  this year, its well worth going to next year, you won't be disappointed!

My next newsletter will be in two weeks time.

Bye for now.

Stella

Edenbridge Car Pageant

Where and When

On Monday 26th May I drove a few miles south to Edenbridge to see (and hear) for myself what the car pageant I had read about had to offer. The weather was overcast and wet, not ideal for such an occasion. The event was organized by the Eden Valley Chamber of Commerce as part of the Edenbridge Fun Day. As a member of the Oxted Chamber of Commerce I caught site of an email from our chairman letting us know what another local chamber were up to over the Bank Holiday weekend. I’m very glad I took note of this because what unfolded filled me with delight and added so much to my visual and mental portfolio of cars! All on my doorstep in Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent.

John Surtees OBE

Edenbridge is the hometown of Motor sport legend John Surtees OBE.

This year John is celebrating 50 years since he won his Formula 1 World Championship title as well as his 80th birthday. John Surtees OBE is a one off; the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. John proudly showcased his F1 bikes and cars outside his Bradford shop, Station Road, the Surtees team factory and business base for the past 56 years. The cars were built at this address and mainly by local residents. Edenbridge High Street was closed to allow the parade to take centre stage. It was led by John in the Ferrari 158 which he won the 1964 Formula One Driver’s World Championship, and was followed by Team Surtees Formula 1 cars of the Seventies driven by Scott Malvern and Robbie Kerr.

Exhibition and Book

John will be launching his book "My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels" on June 19th 2014. The book contains over 250 photographs some of which were on display at TOPFOTO Gallery also in Fircroft Way. The photographs are an incredible account of an incredible man. The majority of the photographs were taken by John Topham a documentary photographer who lived in Edenbridge until he died in 1992, please follow the link to find out more about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Topham_(photographer).

The book can be ordered from Evro Publishing.

The exhibition was an added bonus to my afternoon as it showcased some of John's finest moments, even better, it was an opportunity to own a limited edition print signed by John Surtees and very reasonably priced too, £50 for an unframed A3 print.

Fund Raising

The event raised funds for the Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Association and The Henry Surtees Foundation.

The foundation was set up in memory of John’s son Henry who was tragically killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009 aged just 18 years, whilst competing.

The Pageant

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many owners turn up with their cars and bikes, they had travelled from all over the country to take part in this prestigious event. I chatted to a few of them who were happy to tell me the history of their cars, one man told me he bought his MG when he was just 18 years old and has owned it for the past 36 years, and was passing it over to his son to enjoy.

Amongst the parade were Ferrari, Aston Martin, MG, Corvette Stingray, Lotus, BMW, Morris Cowley to name just a few. They followed John's parade of cars and gathered at the Lingfield Road recreation ground, the other end of town, for all to enjoy as part of the fun day.

It was a very enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, thanks to all involved who made this the great success it was, despite the great British weather.

All part of my other passion in life photographing Classic and Super cars. You can see and read a bit more about this on my website www.stellascordellis.com

If you would like to commission me to take photographs of you, your family, or your cars, then please get in touch.

Bye for now.

Stella

Looking Back at 2013

What a year 2013 was. There was so much variety from photographing landmarks at the top of Reigate Hill to vintage cars in Naples, Florida and a beer festival here in Oxted, all very thrilling stuff. Not forgetting to mention the weddings, studio and location photo shoots and my photography masterclasses.

Last year I was delighted to receive an email to confirm my membership to the Association of Photographers  a prestigious organisation that represents a wealth of talent. To qualify I had to submit a variety of published and commissioned work that was put before a board of twelve independent judges from the world of art, media, publishing and advertising all of whom have to approve your portfolio. I am now a bona fide member and am enjoying the fruits of my labour. You can take a look at my profile here.

From the many weddings from last year I'd like to share this one taken at Penshurt Place in October, a stunning location for any event.

I'll be back with an update next week with commissions lined up for 2014.

Thanks

Stella

Goodwood Revival 2013

On Friday I headed off suitably dressed to experience Goodwood Revival 2013 with my new found enthusiasm for Classic Cars and all they have to offer.  I wasn't disappointed, it was like heading back in time with cars from a variety of eras and the majority of people dressed in a vintage style from the 30's, 40's 50's and even 60's and the stalls were equipped with enough nostalgia to make me feel like I was playing a bit part in a romantic movie. I think you'll agree from a few of the photographs that I have taken, it was well worth going to.

Thanks

Stella