2020 wasn’t the best years for a lot of us but I’m one of the lucky ones that still managed to getaway. Fortunately, my job takes me to some amazing places and despite the fact that it dosnt’t always feel like work its all perfectly legal and within the regulations for photography productions to continue, after-all online marketing is more important for a business now than ever before.
One of the highlights of my 2020 was taking the new Aston Martin DBX for a 5-day road trip to the Scottish highlands. My Dad and I haven’t been away together since our previous Scotland trip 9 years ago where we enjoyed a mountain bike trip to Fortwilliam. When the opportunity to shoot some images for Aston Martin came about in October I asked my dad if he would be interested in coming along to assist me during the shoot for both driving, lighting and rigging and it turns out he makes a great assistant.
Showing my Dad around some of my favourite locations from Skye to Torridon and Glen Etive we hit up as many epic photo locations as possible within the short trip. I used a few contacts of mine to arrange some shoot locations and places we could stay which made the trip extra special and enhanced the images. One of the highlights of that week was spending 2 nights in Harlosh Black H located on the west side of Skye overlooking the Cullins.
We ate some great seafood enjoyed the finest Scottish roads in questionable driving conditions and of course soaked up the breathtaking views and weather.
Here’s a selection of my favourite images from the trip, thanks to Aston Martin for the opportunity and thanks to Dad for all your help and commitment washing the car in Sub 0 and endless help.
REC Watches asked me to shoot a series of images of their new Watch designed and inspired by the series III Landrover, the face of the watch is actually made from the door of an old series III. As soon as REC contacted me I had a vision of the car on the edge of a cliff just how I spent many days camping in Portugal. Due to travel restrictions I set out to find a photography location in the UK. After a long time looking I found the perfect cliff down in Cornwall, next my mission was the find a car. Instagram was my friend when I came across Sam’s profile Wendy the Series III, I got in touch he was down to rent out his car for the shoot and also was happy to be in my images which was a bonus. Heres a series of images I shot which got used both commercially and for social promotion via my Instagram.
Back in December 2020, I shot some images for Mazda very close to home in the Peak District / Sheffield.
It’s not often I get to work on bigger commercial photography shoots so close to home, only a few miles up the road from my office and on roads O’m very familiar with I shot a series of images of the CX-5 and the new CX-30 whilst DMS Media produced a video commercial.
Heres a few of my favourite shots.
A good friend of mine recently added one of my childhood dream cars to his collection, with snow on the forecast it would be rude not to take a few photos in it natural habitat.
Another early morning on the same road we previously shot his 993 RS but this time it looked dramatically diffrent with icy roads , snowy hills and freezing fog rolling in it made for the perfect conditions for some minimal automotive shots just how I like it. We shot a selection of Automotive photos in the Peak District close to Sheffield where I’m based, I’m very lucky to have these kind of locations so close to home.
The time has finally come when I can share some of my images shot for Bentley Motors. Shot for the launch of their new Hybrid SUV in late 2020.
Over the last year I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside automotive brand Bentley motors on several photography projects but this shoot in North Wales, UK was by far my favourite.
Blessed with perfect weather and a great team the images reflect clean minimal commercial-style whilst being cinematic. We made our way from the mountains to the beach shooting some of the best locations and roads in the UK.
For some behind the scenes insights into this photoshoot please read further down the blog.
You may have seen several of these images on social media, various automotive articles such as top-gear, piston-heads and many more. Along with some shots on the Bentley website.
Autumn is in full swing here in the Sheffield - UK. Some of the most beautiful colours of the year, this short section of woodland in one of Sheffield residential area offers a beautiful piece of tarmac tunneled under an archway of magnificent orange and yellow trees. Ecclesall woods can often be overlooked but every year it blows my mind, what a perfect way to enjoy a Sunday drive. Every time I drive my 981s I love it a little more, hearing the flat 6 scream as you look back in the mirror at the autumn leaves flying around behind you is nothing short of a dream come true. It would be rude not to capture the racing yellow camouflaged with these colours so out came the camera for a few shots, after-all I am an automotive photographer.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Swiss watch manufacture Creux Automatiq over the last year and I’m excited to be working on some new content of their Ghost V3 model, shot in the studio hear in Sheffield UK its nice to be working on some product photography again. More images coming soon.
I had the pleasure of shooting a little personal project with my friends new Discovery. What location better than Newborough forest in North Wales, where the forest meets the beach on Anglesey island.
My good friend Rachel was kind enough to get involved to create my vision of high fashion meets moody Welsh landscapes and the perfect British machine. Heres a small selection of my favourite images from this Automotive shoot.
Lamborghini was kind enough to invite my friend Gee Milner and I to Sardinia to photograph and drive their current fleet of cars. As the UK based Automotive photographer the idea of escaping to a warmer climate to have freedom of shooting and driving some of the most iconic cars in the world as exciting, to say the least.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with temperatures in the high 30’s and the keys to a stunning Yellow Huracan EVO a very warm Italian welcome we got straight too it. A sunset drive along the coast soon made us realise that the suggested photo locations would be an issue with the busy roads and enthusiastic locals stopping to take selfies, shooting photos was going to be a challenge. Little did we complain, listening to that N\A V10 roar we begin to get creative with a couple of sunset shots before stopping at a local pizzeria and a little street food before cruising back to the hotel.
Over a beer that evening we began to do our own research on where best to photograph these engineering masterpieces. Where would they be more at home than a twisty mountain road covered in the finest Sardinian tarmac? Ignoring the advice from Lamborghini PR team we embarked on an early morning sunrise shoot the opposite direction, the interior of Sardinia, which soon opened up to be the best decision by far. Perfect roads no one around and the most golden light shooting photos was going to be a walk in the park with these views and conditions.
300+ Miles later a memory card full of shots I couldn’t wait to edit but unfortunately the trip had come to an end. An experience of a lifetime driving through the mountains with my best friend, a V10 and a V12 with some amazing automotive photos to add to the portfolio, some of the finest Italian cooking, lots of suns and a few top gear style moments lost in small towns, it’s not a trip I’m going to forget any time soon.
Just a few of my favourite shots below. Thanks for the opportunity, Lamborghini.
Recently I had the opportunity to drive and shoot the new Audi R8 RWD V10. Audi UK was kind enough to let me borrow one of their press cars for the week to shoot some promotional material, and where better to test it out than the Scottish NC500. Being an Automotive photographer has its perks.
Scotland has a special place in my heart from the first time I visited when I was 16. I was fascinated by the ever-changing views and vast landscapes which looked old and weathered. It's no secret that Scotland is home to some of the best driving roads in the UK or even world, with a continually changing surface and width of the road it keeps you on your toes, one moment you're flying down a perfectly smooth wide flowing turns into a single track bumpy bit of tarmac straight over the grass, it's fair to say you never really know what's coming next (unless your a local or a regular)
The R8 was a pleasure to shoot, as an automotive photographer its important to find a car best angle and focus on how best to shoot it. Still, I soon found the Audi looked great from pretty much all angles its a very photogenic car, and I'm a massive fan of the Ara Blue, crystal effect with black trim spec.
Being based in Sheffield has its perks with some fantastic roads in the Peak District - literally on my doorstep. However, for a car like this I feel you need more space to be both creative with the camera and stretch its legs a little on the open road, it's not much use in the tight and twisty lanes, but once the road opens up, that's where the fun begins. The new RWD system has made the steering much more pleasant it feels a little light for my taste, but that said it's very accurate and easy to put the car exactly where you want it. The V10 was pleasant with plenty of power in most of the rev range, but I was a little disappointed with the sound. The lack of sports exhaust and the new Fuel particulate filters seemed to tame this engine which was a little disappointing, to be honest, but it pulled like a dream a little too much for the road in my opinion. With 540PS you merely felt like you were tickling the surface the majority of the time, and not often you drive a section of road to its potential with the car in the higher rev range without being a little irresponsible should we say.
The R8 is well known for being an everyday supercar which I agree after 1377 miles with camera gear a suite case with clothes for the week for the 2 of us its defiantly got enough luggage space to be used as a GT car. However, I would defiantly spec Audi Magnet as this spec car without adjustable dampening was a little firm when cruising to your next destination. The ride height was great, and despite the questionable Scottish road surface in places and potholes, we had no issues with ground clearance, I was more worried in my lowered camper-van the week before. Averaging 25MPG on the motorway up and down from Sheffield I was impressed with the economy considering we had a V10 behind our heads. It's defiantly a car you can spend some time driving.
We probably spent more time eating than we did driving or shooting on this trip, but it would be rude not to enjoy Scottish seafood. Below are a few photos from the trip, we enjoyed five days 1377 miles and lots of seafood.
Recently Seasons Tribe invited me down to Devon to meet the team. Seasons Tribe is a creative marketing agency. that were keen to get me on board as a photographer and digital talent, the brands they represent fit well with my photography and I’m stoked to be part of the team. I really enjoyed exploring Devon and the south of the UK, in general, it was also really nice to meet the team and shoot with some other photographers and models.
It was an action-packed week with ATV Tour, boat trip, Jetski, off-road defender adventures and much more which of course made for a few cool photos. below is a very select few of my favourite adventure, automotive, asto and lifestyle photos from the trip.
I recently worked alongside Automotive brand Bentley Motors once again to capture some new photography content for their Bentley Newsroom social channel. The 2-day shoot took place in North Wales home to some of the best driving roads in the UK. I may be slightly biased as I’m very fond of Snowdonia but it’s only of my favourite Locations to shoot automotive photography. Home to both amazing tarmac and beaches accessible for cars the verity of landscapes and weather makes for a really interesting set of images in such a short time frame.
