Having spent the last decade photographing cars in various parts of the world with Speedhunters and other companies, I thought I had done it all in preparing and executing a photo shoot.
Magazine features with tight deadlines? Yep. Organizing events and logistics to capture it all? Check. Capturing over 200 cars with police escort blocking a major expressway from the heart of Kula Laumpul to Sepang Circuit for one of the country’s biggest automotive events? Done it!
Just saying this out loud reminds me of the absurd things I’ve been fortunate to be a part of. I should make a Tokyo Tuner video series about it.
That being said, working with this NISMO 400R (#008 to be precise) presented challenges I had never considered.
I essentially had complete creative freedom. This 400R is the same one that maxed out the USS Auction House bidding number system here in Japan.
To say I was excited would be an understatement. This was going to be my dream opportunity as a photographer.
This dream, though, came with some conditions and fine print that would make this creative freedom challenging to pull off.
I was first told the car km allowance was virtually nonexistent. With a little over 15,000km on the odometer, the new owner was keen on keeping it that way in an attempt to maximize its resale value in the future.
As the secret impound location was in the middle of nowhere, creating stunning visuals would be limited to the area.
Which is cool and all, however, that location was fairly industrial, and what I wanted to do was to capture the 400R in a way that you instantly knew it was Japan.
So places like Tokyo, shrines, temples, and castles were all out the window.
Or so I thought.
With some hard negotiations with the new owner, we gained the ability to release the car from its hideout under the strict conditions.
The 400R could be transported only in a closed transporter, and it had to be away from people as much as possible – ideally, a private location.
When it comes to scouting locations, I have experience and locations stored on my Google Maps of places used in the past. However, many of those locations weren’t private.
I’ve done shoots at shrines and temples, but I always rolled up and asked if it would be ok. Surprisingly, this has worked a lot for me in the past.
The fact that we would need to hire a closer transporter to move the 400R meant more things than I initially realized.
I needed to find a location close-ish to the hideout, as the further away, the exponentially more expensive it got. We weren’t going to be able to drive around and randomly spot a location.
Then, I also needed to ensure a massive transporter could easily access the location. The last thing you want is to have a location locked in and then not have the transporter fit.
Even with my vast amount of experience, I knew exactly zero places that checked off the criteria list.
If that wasn’t enough, we didn’t even know how long the 400R was going to be in Japan for.
In fact, my first shoot with the 400R was a smash and grab at the impound location, as we believed it was going to be shipped off to its new owner soon after.
I spent hours pinging contacts and Google Maps searching for all the possible locations that met the criteria, but to no avail.
Miraculously, my wife had gone down the most random of rabbit holes and discovered a ninja-themed amusement park collaborating with a car shop near the area, renting out the space for photoshoots.
It was one of those “it’s too good to be true” moments. The pictures from other enthusiasts seemed like an automotive photographer’s dream. Traditional buildings, bridges, and a beautiful mountain backdrop.
The rental price was a bit high, but I had to see it for myself. We contacted the theme park, and I scheduled an appointment to visit.
It was better than I imagined. I had to shoot the 400R here!
They even had a side entrance that was more than big enough to accommodate a full-size transporter.
I scouted some other potential areas near the theme park as backup, but fortunately, those weren’t necessary as the client agreed to the location and additional costs involved with executing the project.
All that was left was reserving the transporter and making sure I had everything ready for the day.
Pro Tip – If you are anything like me and can’t keep track of everything in your mind, make a list of all your gear that you need and prep it the night before.
There have been an embarrassing number of times when I have left with gear missing or batteries not fully charged.
Remember that story I shot for Speedhunters about the HKS A90 Supra that I ended up shooting with my phone instead of my camera? Yeah.
That challenge ties in nicely with this theme of learning new challenges and finding ways to overcome them while capturing this 400R.
Even if things seem initially impossible or far out of your depth, take a step back and see if you can find a different angle of attack.
Don’t be too prideful to ask for help.
I know I never would have discovered this wonderful place without my wife searching along as well. I had help from a team that helped position the car and make sure I had everything I needed on site that day.
Finally, as the saying goes – The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Even if things go a bit sideways from your plans, remember to take a step back, breathe, and it will work out one way or another.
TLDR – “Learn to become comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s where real growth occurs.”
Lab Curiosity 