SteveK
12-08-2009, 04:55 PM
Gather around kids and let me tell you a story. A story about a man and a day in a Ferrari, well 4 of them, and a Maserati to boot.
So a friend of mine, Mark Pakula, who works at Autosalon (http://www.autosalon.org) in Sydney was coming down to melbourne with the team one friday and drops me an SMS "You free for a photoshoot?". I've been taking my photography a little more seriously of late with a few weddings under my belt so a chance to mix it up in a different area of photography was achieved with a simple SMS response "You bet I am". I've always wanted to see how the pros do it for a car magazine. He's done some work for Wheels magazine but his bread and butter is Autosalon. So he tells me to meet up at this place called Zagames, Swan St richmond, around the corner from my work. Oh dear, I know what this is going to be about. Yup, more than you can afford pal, Ferrari.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7756.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3624603521_d81194540b.jpg
The mission is to interview the owner of Club Corsa, a new car club putting a new spin on the supercar club theme whereby you pay a yearly fee for use of their fine stable, as opposed to racking up rental points and getting to choose from a good and bad collection of thrill rides. The interview goes well with many takes as you would expect. Whilst this is going on in the up stairs showroom, myself and Mark are busily firing off shot after shot after shot of these masterpieces. These pro-photo guys are veryprofessional. Sure they know how to muck around and have fun like any other bloke in their late 20s early 30s but these cars demand respect, as does the establishment housing it all and we are on our best behaviour.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7564.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7569.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7622.jpg
And then it goes up a level. 5 levels in fact.
At around midday, we all meet up in the carpark downstairs where we have 5 cars waiting for us: Ferrari F430 Spider (red), Ferrari 599 Fiorano GTB (black), Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (black), Ferrari F430 Scuderia (Yellow) and Maserati GranTurismo (Black). And not just waiting, but keys handed over to a few of us as they needed some drivers for our Melbourne street shots. As the hip crowd say these days OMG!
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7629.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7648.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7631.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7640.jpg
First up, it's a quick sprint down along the yarra for some rig shots that Mark was setting up for. If you've ever dreamed of attaching a 5 metre metal pole to a $650,000 Ferrari Scuderia then this is where you needed to be. I think there would have been less stress running across a tiled floor full of broken glass. And I'm helping him set up? Crazy! Even the owner was drawing a few beads of sweat as he stood with the rest of the onlookers but the results speak for themselves.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7666.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7698.jpg
From there we're off down Swan St to the infamous Richmond train station overpass. A nice spot grungy spot for some shots but also the same spot where some police had set up for spot breathalizer tests. I tell you, you soon realise how the other half lives when we simply ask if we can use their dedicated booze lane for parking these cars and they happily oblige. Have I mentioned the noise these things make when going through a tunnel or an underpass? When I wasn't in the chase car (Toyota Kluger for the loss), I was in the Spider with the magazine editor and loving it. Not just a Ferrari, but the convertible version so you get to hear EVERYTHING.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7684.jpg
The convoy then moved on and into the heart of the city, Melbourne, Swanston St to be exact. Not many cars allowed in here, but not many cars are 4 Ferraris and a Maserati in a row. We pulled over and just like flies to a pile of Fidos best, within seconds the cars were swarmed with people having a look, take a photo, oohing and ahhing and ogling these specimens. Guys in suits are running across the street, dodging trams and evading jaywalking fines just to get a look as if their life depended on it. You honestly felt like a movie star sitting in the car but that feeling quickly dissipated when people walk straight past you to look at the engine bay through that awesome display cabinet attached to the back of the car.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7737.jpg
Time was getting short as the videographer had to be on a plane back to Sydney in a few hours so we got back into the cars and headed off to docklands, many a location for car lovers to gather for shots. Bad move this was because trying to get 5 supercars into the docks whilst 500 dockworkers are trying to get out is like Megan Gale trying to make her way into a Cooper Pedy pub during happy hour so she can powder her nose in the loo.
Eventually we got through the horde of "Gees mate, is that you furr-arr-oi? How much she costya?". It's funny how many cars knew how to bag 'em up in the gravel all of a sudden. Probably some friday night ritual in the area. So we got to the end of the docks for some final shots before heading back to the dealership, in peak hour traffic, through Melbourne, in style.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7738.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7741.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7740.jpg
Just getting out of the docks was almost 45 minutes. In that time you know that the Ferrari, in it's paddle shift form, is not meant for stop start traffic. The process of having to be perfectly still to engage first gear becomes annoying, annoying in a "this car must be driven, not stationary" kind of way. Mark was in the drivers seat on the way home and I once again called shotgun in the spider and I can tell you that we certainly reached the legal speed limit as fast as tractionally possible. The acceleration when we finally found some distance between us and the traffic in front was amazing. That coupled with that gutteral roar from the V8 behind your head as it nudges redline is pure bliss and to experience it without dropping a dollar at the front desk was both an experience and a privilege.
After the days exploits, it was clear that weekend spurts are definitely the order of the day for the Spider. The 599 is your evening luxury model as you head out to dinner with the wife, or girlfriend, or girlfriends, or harem, or sister and the Scuderia is definitely track day only with it's utter rawness, right down to the missing sound proofing and carpertless interior. Bare metal is a compliment when describing the interior, but boy does this yellow rocket look good. Of all the photos I took, the yellow certainly did have more pop than the rest of the models but sadly in terms of value, it's also the one that loses the most when it comes to resale. If you're buying Ferrari, you're definitely going to go red. And if you're concerned about resale value loss but still want to drive such beauty every few weekends then Club Corsa (http://www.clubcorsa.com.au) is probably the more cost effective alternative for you. For the rest of us, there's always "YouTube - Michael Schumacher Test Drives the Ferrari F430 Scuderia at the Mugello Circuit in Italy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbu5ADdsHA)".
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7711.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7710.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7701.jpg
I'm sorry to say on a Holden forum but our beloved vehicles pale in comparison. The experience is indescribable. I'm not talking about that acceleration or stopping power, their ability to rip your face off in 3.5 seconds and then reattach it in the same amount of time. That is the part that we car lovers aspire to, but what the rest see is the beauty in these machines. The absolute artwork that they are. They are an art piece in motion. It truly is an experience and as a Lamborghini fan, I can honestly say, this day really gave me a new appreciation for the other italian car maker; sorry, art dealer.
Issue 78 of Autosalon (http://www.autosalon.org) should be in stores today. I have a double page spread as seen below but my Mark is the main guru of photography there so check it out if you like. I just had to share the experience with people who also enjoy a good V8. Even if it is italian. What's a matter you aye!!!
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/spread.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/cover.jpg
My photo in print - Out Now on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nifmus/3811891862/) <- my 2 page spread. Utterly stoked about this. :)
So a friend of mine, Mark Pakula, who works at Autosalon (http://www.autosalon.org) in Sydney was coming down to melbourne with the team one friday and drops me an SMS "You free for a photoshoot?". I've been taking my photography a little more seriously of late with a few weddings under my belt so a chance to mix it up in a different area of photography was achieved with a simple SMS response "You bet I am". I've always wanted to see how the pros do it for a car magazine. He's done some work for Wheels magazine but his bread and butter is Autosalon. So he tells me to meet up at this place called Zagames, Swan St richmond, around the corner from my work. Oh dear, I know what this is going to be about. Yup, more than you can afford pal, Ferrari.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7756.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3624603521_d81194540b.jpg
The mission is to interview the owner of Club Corsa, a new car club putting a new spin on the supercar club theme whereby you pay a yearly fee for use of their fine stable, as opposed to racking up rental points and getting to choose from a good and bad collection of thrill rides. The interview goes well with many takes as you would expect. Whilst this is going on in the up stairs showroom, myself and Mark are busily firing off shot after shot after shot of these masterpieces. These pro-photo guys are veryprofessional. Sure they know how to muck around and have fun like any other bloke in their late 20s early 30s but these cars demand respect, as does the establishment housing it all and we are on our best behaviour.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7564.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7569.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7622.jpg
And then it goes up a level. 5 levels in fact.
At around midday, we all meet up in the carpark downstairs where we have 5 cars waiting for us: Ferrari F430 Spider (red), Ferrari 599 Fiorano GTB (black), Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (black), Ferrari F430 Scuderia (Yellow) and Maserati GranTurismo (Black). And not just waiting, but keys handed over to a few of us as they needed some drivers for our Melbourne street shots. As the hip crowd say these days OMG!
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7629.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7648.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7631.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7640.jpg
First up, it's a quick sprint down along the yarra for some rig shots that Mark was setting up for. If you've ever dreamed of attaching a 5 metre metal pole to a $650,000 Ferrari Scuderia then this is where you needed to be. I think there would have been less stress running across a tiled floor full of broken glass. And I'm helping him set up? Crazy! Even the owner was drawing a few beads of sweat as he stood with the rest of the onlookers but the results speak for themselves.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7666.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7698.jpg
From there we're off down Swan St to the infamous Richmond train station overpass. A nice spot grungy spot for some shots but also the same spot where some police had set up for spot breathalizer tests. I tell you, you soon realise how the other half lives when we simply ask if we can use their dedicated booze lane for parking these cars and they happily oblige. Have I mentioned the noise these things make when going through a tunnel or an underpass? When I wasn't in the chase car (Toyota Kluger for the loss), I was in the Spider with the magazine editor and loving it. Not just a Ferrari, but the convertible version so you get to hear EVERYTHING.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7684.jpg
The convoy then moved on and into the heart of the city, Melbourne, Swanston St to be exact. Not many cars allowed in here, but not many cars are 4 Ferraris and a Maserati in a row. We pulled over and just like flies to a pile of Fidos best, within seconds the cars were swarmed with people having a look, take a photo, oohing and ahhing and ogling these specimens. Guys in suits are running across the street, dodging trams and evading jaywalking fines just to get a look as if their life depended on it. You honestly felt like a movie star sitting in the car but that feeling quickly dissipated when people walk straight past you to look at the engine bay through that awesome display cabinet attached to the back of the car.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7737.jpg
Time was getting short as the videographer had to be on a plane back to Sydney in a few hours so we got back into the cars and headed off to docklands, many a location for car lovers to gather for shots. Bad move this was because trying to get 5 supercars into the docks whilst 500 dockworkers are trying to get out is like Megan Gale trying to make her way into a Cooper Pedy pub during happy hour so she can powder her nose in the loo.
Eventually we got through the horde of "Gees mate, is that you furr-arr-oi? How much she costya?". It's funny how many cars knew how to bag 'em up in the gravel all of a sudden. Probably some friday night ritual in the area. So we got to the end of the docks for some final shots before heading back to the dealership, in peak hour traffic, through Melbourne, in style.
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7738.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7741.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7740.jpg
Just getting out of the docks was almost 45 minutes. In that time you know that the Ferrari, in it's paddle shift form, is not meant for stop start traffic. The process of having to be perfectly still to engage first gear becomes annoying, annoying in a "this car must be driven, not stationary" kind of way. Mark was in the drivers seat on the way home and I once again called shotgun in the spider and I can tell you that we certainly reached the legal speed limit as fast as tractionally possible. The acceleration when we finally found some distance between us and the traffic in front was amazing. That coupled with that gutteral roar from the V8 behind your head as it nudges redline is pure bliss and to experience it without dropping a dollar at the front desk was both an experience and a privilege.
After the days exploits, it was clear that weekend spurts are definitely the order of the day for the Spider. The 599 is your evening luxury model as you head out to dinner with the wife, or girlfriend, or girlfriends, or harem, or sister and the Scuderia is definitely track day only with it's utter rawness, right down to the missing sound proofing and carpertless interior. Bare metal is a compliment when describing the interior, but boy does this yellow rocket look good. Of all the photos I took, the yellow certainly did have more pop than the rest of the models but sadly in terms of value, it's also the one that loses the most when it comes to resale. If you're buying Ferrari, you're definitely going to go red. And if you're concerned about resale value loss but still want to drive such beauty every few weekends then Club Corsa (http://www.clubcorsa.com.au) is probably the more cost effective alternative for you. For the rest of us, there's always "YouTube - Michael Schumacher Test Drives the Ferrari F430 Scuderia at the Mugello Circuit in Italy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbu5ADdsHA)".
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7711.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7710.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/20090612-IMG_7701.jpg
I'm sorry to say on a Holden forum but our beloved vehicles pale in comparison. The experience is indescribable. I'm not talking about that acceleration or stopping power, their ability to rip your face off in 3.5 seconds and then reattach it in the same amount of time. That is the part that we car lovers aspire to, but what the rest see is the beauty in these machines. The absolute artwork that they are. They are an art piece in motion. It truly is an experience and as a Lamborghini fan, I can honestly say, this day really gave me a new appreciation for the other italian car maker; sorry, art dealer.
Issue 78 of Autosalon (http://www.autosalon.org) should be in stores today. I have a double page spread as seen below but my Mark is the main guru of photography there so check it out if you like. I just had to share the experience with people who also enjoy a good V8. Even if it is italian. What's a matter you aye!!!
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/spread.jpg
http://www.red5.net.au/images/ferrari/cover.jpg
My photo in print - Out Now on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nifmus/3811891862/) <- my 2 page spread. Utterly stoked about this. :)