Mark Skovorodko Hops in the Driver’s Seat for a Toyota Photoshoot

BY Marisa Wherry 7 November 2018

Los Angeles, California-based photographer Mark Skovorodko recently traveled several states east to shoot a project on the 2018 Toyota Tundra and the 2018 Toyota RAV4 in the small town of Celina, Texas. Mark captured all of his images over one day of shooting at three different places, and although it was a busy day, Mark’s detailed planning, the level of modeling by the talent, and the friendliness of the couple who owned the bed and breakfast location made for an overall success.

Photo of a man walking by a parked Toyota Tundra.

Can you tell me more about this project?

I shot this over one [very cold] production day in the small town of Celina, Texas; Toyota recently moved their corporate HQ to Texas so they wanted a shoot for connecting with their new home state. We shot at an equestrian center, an industrial facility, and at a bed & breakfast with hyperactive goats and the most hospitable couple (who own the B&B). They kept talking about Texan hospitality and proved it by insisting on filling me, my client, my assistant, and our talent with a huge Texan homemade meal.

Photo of a man filling a Toyota Tundra with gas.

What was involved in planning/preproduction?

Pre-production consisted of a collaborative concept ideation and location scouting process with the client to find shoot themes/locations that touched on at least some aspects of Texas’s identity, as well as talent scouting and wardrobe management. We were on a really tight production schedule as well so a big part of preproduction was planning out an airtight shoot schedule that let us get all the shots we needed.

Did you face any challenges with this project, and if so, how did you handle them?

The color of the Tundra was changed last minute from blue to white, so some of the vanity license plates we brought for the project were suddenly the wrong color. However, after a quick stop at Home Depot on the way in from the airport and a generous offer from the host of the bed & breakfast to use his workshop for a late night spray painting session, we were good to go!

Photo of a woman getting out of. a Toyota Tundra.

What was your favorite part of the project?

The talent we brought onto the project were such naturals and were able to instantly take on any role/emotion I directed, so working with them on the automotive lifestyle shots was such a fun creative process. I also loved our last location, the front yard/gravel driveway outside the bed & breakfast, so shooting the last segment of the day in the beautiful afternoon light was a photographer’s dream!