The legendary GTR is a car prized by so many car fans.... and of course, in the USA, we never got them. These old school gems are found in the motherland far away from the stateside but as we have gotten luckier over time, we are seeing a handful of them cruise the streets of California.
One of those lucky owners is Rick and in his short time of owning it, he has put quite a bit of money into the motor. Due to time restrictions, I was not able to get to the details of the car, which I may save for another shoot in the future.
The concept I had in mind was to create old school feels due to this car and it's history. I wanted to show off the feels of the 70's and the innocence during that period. Things that we don't do so much anymore.... such as leaving your windows down on a summer afternoon. It's the feel of this car I wanted to capture.
I kept the colors muted and cool cause it really allows the car to be showcased in its environment, don't you think? We removed some of those wood beams to create foreground in the shot. The little porch light adds just that touch of evening time.
Our 3rd location was in the alley behind the famous Glass House in Pomona. The alley is colorful and created a mood of where the bad boys chill after hours and once again the porch light here makes the rear quarter warm up and adds beautiful details along its creased sides.
The final shot was setup at Wanderwall Space on 2nd St. Originally I wanted a shot that had the hako sleeping in the garage but that was soon eclipsed by the fog machine we brought out. The final image I picked out makes it look like Rick was burning out his tires... so that added another level to this static shot.
It was such a pleasure shooting this old school. I am sure I will be shooting it again. Until then, below are some alternative shots I didnt get to yet.
See you guys on the next one.
Andrew Manley
Automotive Photographer