I was contacted by the owner of these two beauties after he had seen my recent set of the 2008 TechArt Porsche 911 Turbo on my website. He wanted to schedule a shoot with BOTH of the vehicles at once, and I was more than happy to oblige! This would be the first time that I’d photographed two vehicles at once, and was excited for the challenge.
We met up at the same bridge that I shot the Porsche in Downtown Houston. At 5pm, the light was still fairly direct and harsh, which made shooting conditions not so great. I snapped a few photos with the cars in the shade of the “humps” in the bridge, getting a nice feeling of perspective in them.
With the sun slowly fading off to the west, we moved to a new location underneath the freeway. The sun was coming through at just an angle so that the Lamborghini’s pearl yellow paint was lit perfectly, as if with a full set of strobes. I took advantage of this, getting at different angles so that the leaning overpass ahead “pointed” downwards towards the Lamborghini which glistened a yellowy-gold in the evening sun. From there I shot the Lotus, waiting until the clouds obscured the sun since the paint (without any pearl) reacted better on film when it was shaded. For the Lotus edits, I decided to go with both a high-key and low-key approach. The Lamborghini was so outrageous next to the Lotus, that I didn’t have to do much with the processing! While we were shooting some of the homeless from a nearby park began to wander over to gawk at the two cars. A few people pulled their cars over to the side of the road to get cell phone shots with the cars as well. While both got their fare share of attention, the Lamborghini was clearly the crowd favorite. It’s not hard to comprehend why, just look at it!
Earlier that day I had found a cool location underneath the freeway which made a tunnel of sorts. We decided to move there and try to pull off a tandem rig shot. Attaching the rig to the Lamborghini’s windshield, I composed the shot with the rear 3/4 of the Lamborghini in the frame with the Lotus chasing it. The shot required a lot of editing to look the way it does, but I really like the way it turned out!
There was a cool steel fabrication business under the freeway that was still open as we began to shoot, the corrugated metal looked great on film, and I used it as a backdrop for both the Lamborghini and the Lotus. The shot of the rear half of the Lamborghini is completely lit with natural light and is one of my favorites of the set. The Gallardo looks so low-slung and long in real life, I wanted to find a way to convey that on film, and I think that shot does it perfectly. The low-key shot of the Exige in front of the steel fab shop is another favorite. I wanted it to look as menacing as possible, and I think that definitely did the trick.
With the light now waning, we decided to wrap up the shoot. The owner surprised me by tossing me the keys to the Exige and telling me to take it for a spin! I don’t EVER say no to questions like that, and awkwardly climbed in to the cockpit, having to contort my body in very strange ways to fit over the high sill into the hard racing seat. Cocooned inside, I realized that I had absolutely zero rear visibility thanks to the engine cover, a bit of a daunting discovery since I had to back the Exige out of the driveway into the street for the first time. With a bit of help from the owner I gingerly backed the Exige out onto the street and took off. The car is very rough, very pure. It’s exactly what I’d hoped it would be. I could hear the engine noisily working behind me as well as small bits of gravel pinging off the floor pan as I drove. The steering was as though it was hardwired to my brain – think which direction you want to go, and it just goes. Throttle response is instantaneous, and there was zero hint of body roll – it actually makes the Lamborghini feel a bit flabby and relaxed! This thing absolutely wailed up to its 8,000 RPM fuel cutoff, a ghoulish noise which I’m sure could be heard for blocks. With a great sense of purpose and a severe lack of frills, I loved everything that this Exige was – and wasn’t.
I’ll remember this shoot for a while. Caravanning through the cragged city streets of Downtown Houston in a Lamborghini Gallardo and Lotus Exige Club Racer isn’t an experience that is easy to forget! Thanks to the owner for his patience with the shoot and insistence that I try the Lotus out! I hope he (and everyone else) enjoys the photos!
