London Classic Car Show 2016

I was delighted to have been given the opportunity to photograph the Preview Evening of The London Classic Car Show on Thursday 18th February, having photographed the first show last year I was keen to see what was in store for 2016.

Guests included Jenson Button, Gordon Murray, Ari Vatanen, Bruno Senna, Jodie Kidd, Tom Ford, Jonny Smith and the evening was hosted by Suzi Perry.

One of the show’s main events was the Classic Six Nations Cup in which teams of ten iconic classic cars from the six leading car-producing nations vied for votes from visitors.

And when all the votes had been counted, the UK team – which included such varied machines at the original Mini, the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Le Mans Bentley, McLaren F1 supercar, Aston Martin DB5, Land Rover and Graham Hill’s 1968 title winning Lotus 49 Grand Prix car – narrowly beat an Italian team full of Ferraris, Maseratis and Lamborghinis. 

Below are my highlights of The London Classic Car Show 2016 Preview Evening.

Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One World Champion, made an impressive entrance driving a McLaren F1 – the supercar was celebrated at the show in a special display curated by its designer Gordon Murray.

Suzi Perry, Jensen Button and Jodie Kidd with the McLaren F1.

Classic car dealers crammed the halls with impressive displays of rare and valuable classic cars, many with six figure price tags. By the end of the show they delightedly reported sales of many millions of pounds.

A quote from the Event Director Bas Bungish:-
“If we were delighted by how the first London Classic Car Show was received in 2015, we were blown away by the response to the 2016 edition. From the moment the show opened right until the final curtain each day, the halls were buzzing with visitors. They loved the special displays and really got involved with the show: more than 9,000 for example, voted in the Classic Six Nations Cup.

“And the really good news is that we are already starting work to make the 2017 London Classic Car Show even better. Make a note in your diaries now: 23-26 February 2017,” said Bungish.

That's a date in my diary I don't want to miss!

Thanks for reading, I'll be back once a month with updates.

Stella

Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2015

I had been looking forward to the Bonhams London to Brighton Veteran Car Run for some time, particularly after I had photographed the Best of West Kent Veteran Car Run back in July. The London to Brighton run scheduled on Sunday 1st November is the world's longest running motor event, this year celebrates the 119th Anniversary Run, the pioneering cars from the pre-1905 era, the only event anywhere on Earth where so many veteran cars parade in such numbers, the participants dressed in period attire.

I photographed the arrivals at the finishing line in Brighton, take a look at the show reel below to get a feel for it, if you would like to see more please follow this link to read my full newsletter on my car photography website.

The above photograph shows the first car back over the finishing line a 1903 Berliet just after 10am.

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

Bye for now, enjoy the weekend.

Stella

How To Get The Best Out Of Your Camera This Autumn

Autumn is such a colourful time of year and an ideal time to get out with your camera and get the creative juices flowing. I'd like to give you a few tips on how to get the most out of your camera, simple techniques can make all the difference. You may think you need a sunny day to capture the colours, this is only the case when it's early morning or late afternoon when the sun is low and the rays are shining through the trees, the examples above and below show how you can use this to your advantage. I've taken all the photographs in this newsletter with my Nikon D700 body and Nikon 24-120mm lens. The photograph above, which featured on SMS Creative Photography's Christmas card last year, was taken at the bottom of Merle Common Road as you join Red Lane, Oxted. Camera set at 200 ISO, shutter speed 1/100s aperture f5.6.

The above photograph was exposed at 200 ISO, shutter speed 1/200s and aperture F9.

HDR

The above photograph was taken using the HDR technique which I explained in this newsletter. I took 3 images at different exposures which were spliced together to give an even exposure, showing depth and detail, which otherwise would have been lost. You will always need a tripod for HDR. Cloudy Day Sometimes it's best to avoid shooting on a sunny day, the light can be too harsh, burning out the detail, a grey sky means you can make the most of the day with the soft light and more saturated colours. The example below shows how the grey sky lends itself to a wider range of autumn colours. This photograph was exposed at 1600 ISO 1/320s f18.

Frosty Morning

A crisp frosty morning is also a good opportunity, especially if it's a little misty too, it can add mood and atmosphere and soften colours, creating mystery. Think about how you would like to take the photograph, you don't have to take everything at eye level, squat down and use any pathways to take the viewers eyes into the photograph, it makes more of a story. Exposed at 1600 ISO 1/500s f8. I recommend you push the ISO so you can maintain a shallow depth of field.

Close Up

Get closer to the subject to pick up the texture and shape, this photograph was exposed at 800 ISO 1/200s at f5.6.

I hope this has inspired you to experiment with your camera this autumn, remember the clocks go back 1 hour this Sunday morning 25th October, an ideal opportunity to get out to capture the early morning sun and mist.

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

Bye for now, enjoy the weekend.

Stella

RM Sotheby's London Auction Monday 7 September 2015

Blue Chip Automobiles

On Monday 7 September I took a trip to Battersea Park to see a spectacular array of classic and supercars for the annual RM Sotheby's London auction. As usual RM Sotheby's didn't disappoint with this line up of 75 blue-chip automobiles, displayed for viewing during a champagne reception on Sunday 6 and Monday 7 September. The above Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster didn't meet the reserve of £650,000 - £850,000

Auctioneer

The lots were numbered between 101-176 and the auction was streamed live. For any of you who have seen auctioneer Max Girardo in action will know he conducts the auction with panache and zeal, communicating in English, French and Italian depending on the bidder. Max always makes these events exciting and entertaining with the help of Peter Wallman (left) who introduces each of the lots with a potted history.

Lots

Below are a selection of the cars, they were each presented with military precision, either driven or rolled on and off the stage for all to admire. Stunning photographs taken on location of each car were displayed on screens above. My favorite was the 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 coupé, with the 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider a close second

The star of the show, a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France' which went for £4,250,000 on the hammer making competition history, it was exciting to watch as the telephone bids were coming in thick and fast. Ferraris as usual stole the show, with total sales achieved of more than £16.6 million.

To find out more and to see the prices they were sold for please click here.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back in two weeks with more to share.

Enjoy the weekend! Bye for now.

Stella

Summertime Photography

Whilst you're away sunning yourself or at home relaxing, take time out to enjoy the moment. Grab your camera and photograph something tranquil, you can refer back to my last newsletter if it helps. Once you've got your image just a little post production can make a huge amount of difference to your summertime photography. Let me show you...

The photograph above was taken in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean in Barbados. It was an overcast day with a storm brewing. The contrast of clear water and the stormy sky were difficult to capture in one shot, but I knew I could improve this in Photoshop.

I always shoot in RAW, the RAW file records a greater number of pixels, giving you more freedom to edit an image. These files need to be processed in Photoshop or Lightroom allowing you much more creativity. Using layers like Levels and Curves, Hues/Saturation and Shadows/Highlights, the image can look infinitely better and true to what you had seen.

Don't be afraid to experiment. The photograph below is the end result, which in my mind is true to what I saw.

The same goes for the photograph below taken at the Soco Hotel Hastings, Barbados. It's not possible to capture an even exposure for the out and inside in one image, this can be achieved by using HDR which I mentioned in my previous newsletter . However without the use of a tripod to shoot multiple images you can still achieve this in one shot. You will need to enhance the exterior view by using the techniques mentioned above and below.

Using a layer mask and playing with a levels adjustment layer I have been able to retrieve the data lost by the harsh sunlight in contrast to the shade inside.

The final image below gives a pleasing result.

I hope this has been useful and has set you on your way in post production, for others of you who are more advanced, keep experimenting, it's the best way to learn as you can find some original tool combinations by making errors.

Enjoy the weekend, I'll be back in two weeks time with more news. Bye for now!

Stella

Fiat Step by Step Photo Shoot

As well as photographing people and events I also get to photograph another of my passions, classic and supercars.

A couple of years ago I was commissioned to photograph a private collection of classic and supercars as a special gift to the owner from his wife, so he could see and appreciate his collection all together in one place. The result was a beautiful handcrafted, limited edition photography book.

It was important to me to make sure that we had planned where each car was to be photographed - the location, the time of day and the lighting, the rest is instinctive. There were over 20 cars in the collection and each one had it's own character I wanted to showcase.

Every location chosen had a special meaning to the owners and each came with it's own challenges, but one in particular stayed in my mind and it's this one I'd like to share with you, the Fiats - their two everyday cars, that they most probably have spent most time in.

The photographs below give a brief outline of the step by step process I went through to get to the end result.

I chose to do this shoot at the beginning of May so we could spend the afternoon setting up in preparation for when the sun went down. I had postponed this numerous times as the conditions weren't right. The first photograph above shows the cars in position.

The above photograph shows the angle I positioned my tripod with the Nikon D700 firmly attached, the lens I used was the 24-120mm. I set my Nikon SB910 speed light remotely inside the Fiat Abarth, with lighting at the front and either side of the cars. There was a flicker of light from the house and a couple of domestic outside lights too.

As the sun began to set an additional light was added in the outside seating area, with a flicker from the tea lights on the table and to the right of the house as well.

From the image above you will notice that lights have been added to the tree on the left and another garden light to match the one on the right. Many exposures were taken so I could check the lighting was just how I wanted it, my lighting technician was very patient as we balanced the lights to compliment the lighting inside the house. It was precision timing to balance this before we had lost all the natural light.

The end result below, is just as I had imagined, with some careful tweaking in Photoshop to achieve the results I wanted below.

From the image above you will notice that lights have been added to the tree on the left and another garden light to match the one on the right. Many exposures were taken so I could check the lighting was just how I wanted it, my lighting technician was very patient as we balanced the lights to compliment the lighting inside the house. It was precision timing to balance this before we had lost all the natural light.

The end result below, is just as I had imagined, with some careful tweaking in Photoshop to achieve the results I wanted below.

Exhibition

This photograph and others from the book will be featured at the RAC in Pall Mall in the Autumn, with the opportunity to buy limited edition framed photographs. A small selection will also be on display at Hever Castle for Father's Day on Sunday 21 June 2015. I'll keep you posted as we get nearer the time.

If after reading this it has inspired you to commission a shoot please do get in touch.

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

Happy Easter.

Stella