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In Switzerland:
Zurich-based photographer Stefan Jermann shot an editorial story for Mirus Magazine, promoting the new Porsche Targa 911S.
Stefan is no stranger to shooting automotive stories for publications and has previously worked with Mirus Magazine as well.
The goal of the story was to show readers the beauty of the car without focusing too much on technology. They also wanted to place the vehicle in an idyllic location, so they chose to shoot on the St. Gotthard Pass, a historic route that connects the German and Italian sections of Switzerland.
The only concern with the location was the weather. The weather in the Alps can change in minutes, and you can get caught in terrifying rain storms.
The scenery can become extremely dramatic, the clouds can turn into melancholy which produces great backgrounds depending on what you are looking for. Luckily, I got really nice light so that Miami-blue color of the car really pops out.
Operating on a tight budget, Mirus Magazine decided to send Stefan alone with the car. Since he couldn’t capture the vehicle in motion without a second person on the shoot, he contacted his friend Nick Tandy to handle post-production. Nick made the images look crisp and created the illusion of movement without using any CGI.
The feedback from Porsche couldn’t be better, and Stefan had a blast driving the 420-horsepower car to and from the location (although he was careful to return it without a scratch!).
See more of Stefan at jermann.com!
In Kentucky:
On July 29, teams of people in Pendleton, Ohio raced Big Wheels downhill in an annual event called Danger Wheel. This is the race’s second year, and photographer Jonathan Robert Willis was involved from the start.
Friends with the creators of the race, Jud Walkins and Andrew Salzbrun, Jonathan partnered up with them the first year to help with marketing efforts. This time around, they decided to freshen up their campaign and had Jonathan photograph vintage trading cards.
He worked closely with producer Julie Long to get inspiration for the shoot. They looked at classic 1950s and 1960s baseball cards, trading cards, and fashion to incorporate these elements in the shoot. They cast the shoot and worked on wardrobe together, and Julie did all the makeup for the photos.
To make the images as authentic as possible, they kept the pre-planning to a minimum and used limited technology. Jonathan knew that he wouldn’t be able to apply the same techniques that he normally uses to these photos, and he shot them bare bulb or with harsh reflectors and a ring flash to get the desired look.
Graphic designer Anthony Garay put the cards together, and they used classic movies, bands, and literature such as Spinal Tap and The Outsiders as inspiration for the character names. Jonathan and Julie even had their own playing cards made!
Danger Wheel incorporated these images across most of their marketing for the event. Eight-foot banners were hung all over the neighborhood, and posters were placed in stores and restaurants. Before the event, they sold packs of the playing cards that included a beer ticket and a stick of chewing gum to attract visitors.
The race completely sold out, and with thousands of spectators, it was deemed a huge success. Attendees were fans of the playing cards and enjoyed flipping through them and collecting them.
Jonathan is hopeful to keep collaborating with Danger Wheel in the future and continue being creative with their marketing.
See more of Jonathan at jonbob.com!
In New York:
While it’s fun to shoot on paid, client-based productions, photographers know that to bulk up your portfolio, you sometimes need to take on self-assigned projects as well. Recently, New York City-based photographer William Geddes was searching for the perfect personal project to add to his Interior and Home Furnishings portfolio.
He teamed up with Raina Kattelson, a prop stylist he works with frequently, who suggested they get in touch with her friend Joshua Vogel, the principal creator behind Black Creek Mercantile. They ended up staging Black Creek furniture with some props that Raina provided and put together a test shoot.
While they were shooting, William learned that the Black Creek workshop was just around the corner and asked if he could shoot the production process as well. From there, this test shoot turned into a full-blown Black Creek Mercantile project.
William’s goal was to explore new work and add fresh images to his portfolio. He was challenged with finding creative ways to approach photographing his subjects.
Now that he has all the photos ready, he plans to add a video component that can complement this project and put forth the story behind Black Creek Mercantile.
See more of William at williamgeddes.com