It's probably pretty obvious at this point that I hang out with the TT Auto team pretty often. And what I mean by hanging out is eating. Lots of eating. One evening, while filling ourselves silly, Terence and Theresa discussed the new website/blog they were working on behind the scenes. Having been one of the few to take a peek at the site, I was excited. I won't say too much, but think blog, shop site, and car features all in one.
While discussing the website, they asked for some assistance with photography. Of course, I had no reason to decline, especially since I've been desperate for some new content creation to start off the year. A few ideas bounce back and forth, and we decide to head out on Sunday to shoot Terence's 911 Carrera 4 in the snow. One of the big reasons we wanted to do the shoot sooner rather than later was because there was a crazy amount of snow that fell over the last 2 weeks. If I had to guess, I'd say about 20-30cms within the last week, 15cms of it over the weekend. It would be the perfect backdrop to capture the 4WD Porsche.
Initially, the plan was to install the roof rack and put some snowboards on it for that extra winter cool factor. Unfortunately, due to some issues with the Porsche-supplied keys for locking the rack, it wasn't installed. Nothing lost, there's always another opportunity to shoot.
And so, during one of the coldest days of winter at an ungodly hour (7:30am on a Sunday is pretty rough for a night owl like me), I headed over to Terence's house.
Waking the beast from hibernation.
We then made our way towards the Edmonton Downtown, aiming to take photos at the Legislature, Kinsmen Park, and Gallagher Park/The Muttart Conservatory.
The Porsche navigated the roads magnificently and besides a bit of scraping (there was a lot of snow on the ground), we arrived at our first location without a hitch.
Apparently no one drives around the Legislature at 8:30am on a Sunday. So we took advantage of that and parked the car right on the road.
The soft morning light coupled with the Zeiss 55mm F/1.8 made for some great shots.
The heat from the titanium exhaust caused some snow buildup on the back of the car. Looks pretty cool!
Quad titanium exhausts and meaty tires. The winter tires are 295 width. The summer tires are 305 width. That's wider than the Ferrari F430 that Terence also owns!
In no time, we were already frozen solid. So we headed over to the nearest Starbucks for Coffee and breakfast.
#BasicAF
We also decided to take some photos in front of the giant Grant Macewan clock, since we were already in the area.
At this point, the sun had risen for a while and the shadows were beginning to get harsher.
I then decided to take a look at a small one way alleyway near Rogers Place. I had visited it on foot last year and was impressed with how it looked. This time, there was a mural!
Bison staring at dat ass. Haha
Auroras, bison, and wheat. How Albertan can this mural get??
One of my favorite photos from the session. I love the symmetry and colors. The "One Way" sign is also a nice background touch.
The rear 3/4 is my favorite angle of the car
We then blocked off the whole alleyway to get this photo!
Once we were frozen solid again, we warmed up in the car and headed over to our next spot: Kinsmen Park. I've taken plenty of photos in the area before, but never in the dead of winter. I can't decide if it looks better in the summer or winter. It's a great photo spot in either season.
Parked up against the LRT bridge.
The sunshine and trees proved to be a great backdrop
Love the bokeh on this shot. So smooth. Such great image/background separation.
Beautiful car. Beautiful backdrop.
At this point, fog started to settle in. In moments, the park was covered in a lingering soft fog.
I even ran up the bridge to get a quick shot of the river!
Followed by jumping back into the car to fight off the cold once more
Obligatory shot with the High Level bridge
We then drove the car into the fog for some unique shots. I can't say I've ever photographed a car in fog until now!
Another rear 3/4 shot
Here's a photo to give you an idea of the fog. It wasn't too heavy but it definitely obscured the view. At this point the rising sun was fighting it off and not much was left.
Finally, we made our way to our last stop, Gallagher Hill and the Muttart Conservatory.
On Cloverdale Hill
Some cityscape in the background. It might have been better to break out the 24-70 for some wider angles.
Around 11:00am, we finished up at the Muttart Conservatory.
With our bodies frozen and my camera barely capable of operating due to the temperature, we called it a day and headed back to Terence's house. We were then joined by Theresa and had lunch at Central Social Hall.
Finishing the day off with some "The Cure" poutine at Central Social Hall.
After graciously accepting Terence and Theresa's offer to treat me in exchange for the photos, we said our goodbyes. It was an action packed Sunday morning and I think the photos came out great. Thanks to the cold weather, there wasn't much dirt on the car even though we used multiple locations. The fact that no one wanted to drive out that morning helped with getting some great shots.
I can't wait to do some more photoshoots!
Until next,
Gary