Top Gear - Colour

WILLOW SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA - 2025

STANDARD
37” x 61” Unframed 52” x 76” Framed Edition of 12
LARGE
56” x 92” Unframed 71” x 107” Framed Edition of 12

In the old days I liked to be as close to the ground as possible when filming wildlife as it served to glorify the animal and, at the margin, it also allowed for a little more immersion for the viewer. It became very much my signature style in the field to offer the visual perspective of a small ant.

I don’t see why the approach should be that different when filming a 1957 Porsche Speedster. It has an aesthetic beauty that needs to be showcased and a ground up perspective also highlights the dust being kicked up from behind the car. Dust is always best captured using strong back light and this does present tonal range challenges to our printers. Luckily, we have the best craftsmen in our studio who can bring out the shadow detail without losing the detail in the highlights. It is a different craft to being a photographer. 

The talent on this shot came from the very top drawer - Jimmie Johnson - the most decorated of NASCAR drivers, is behind the wheel of the Speedster, whilst supermodel Shanina Shaik is the lady theatrically acknowledging his victory. Both Jimmie and Shanina enjoyed themselves that morning at Willow Springs racetrack in California and I think it shows. From my own selfish perspective, Jimmie had to focus slightly on slowing down before he ran me over and I guess he could be forgiven for having his eyes elsewhere. 

I want to thank Sam Byrne of Cross Harbour Capital for facilitating this shoot. Without him, we had no circuit to film on, no Porsche Speedster and no Jimmie. Shanina is strong enough to be filmed without props anywhere, but this weighty ensemble has a little magic to it. ~ David Yarrow