When I saw that Aaron had imported a TVR Cerbera from the UK, I knew that I had to photograph it. In the 1990’s, this vehicle was held against cars such as the Dodge Viper, Porsche 911, and even the Lamborghini Diablo. With a 0-60mph time under 4.5 seconds in ‘97 and a weight of less than my Fiesta ST, it was a vicious machine.

*90’s car photographed on a 90’s camera*
Kodak Portra 400

I brought two cameras to this shoot - my Nikon FM2/T and a Mamiya C220. Unfortunately, the Mamiya lens chose this day to quit on me; the shutter could no longer be cocked and fired. I should have checked the functions before loading the Cinestill 400D (120) into the camera. Fortunately, my FM2/T is always up to task. I had also just acquired a Sigma Beta 70-150mm F/3.5 lens that I tested out here in this shoot.

It was a cold morning and neither Aaron nor myself wanted to loiter for long. I blasted through the roll of Portra and utilized the golden hour for the majority of the roll. Portra was a safe bet for neutral tones and latitude, so I knew I was going to get solid results. Maybe I would have shot Ektar, if I wasn’t utilizing a CPL that dropped the exposures a couple of stops. I am hesitant to shoot at shutter speeds of less than 1/125 on any lens, being as I don’t have a steady hand. I keep to 1/500 and higher as much as possible.

It had been quite a while since I had done an automotive shoot and a month or two since really shooting at all when I went into this. I am aiming to shoot more consistently in 2023 and produce works that always top my previous photographs. I have several plans for automotive shoots, cosplay and car combos, and even more concert photography. I’ll see what I end up shooting in 2023, but I certainly have some ambitions.

British Muscle in the American Southwest

My First Rangefinder

DT Tucson, AZ