I’m stoked because I finally get to post these!

A few weeks back, Bill had approached me to shoot his car along with Mario’s for Performance Ford Magazine – it’s a magazine that is more prominent and known in the UK – but still a great opportunity. Being able to shoot and support print is a great thing. Reading it online is one thing, but there’s just something different about print that is significantly more gratifying and worth purchasing… Especially if it’s your own car or your photographs.

However, one of the pains for shooting for a magazine is the fact that you actually have to wait for it to go to print. It’s like waiting for Christmas – you get anxious, excited, antsy – all of the things you feel when you’re waiting for something you just know is going to be good. Along with that comes the second pain of me having to wait before I can showcase the photos online – we’re lucky because it went to print probably a month or two later so the wait time was minimal.

Anyway, I wanted to make sure that the photos were extra super-duper superb for the magazine and wanted something a little different from the downtown, urban scene or the warehouse-look. We decided to take on nature and I’m glad we did – the combination of the greenery, blue skies, and vibrant red and yellow cars made for awesome looking photos that really just looked good on their own without much work.

A little more about Bill and Mario – I originally met Bill when he had his Grand Prix, which he babied like no tomorrow, and while it was not a typical choice for someone like you (who may be reading this blog), Bill proudly brought it to each meet and just wanted to hang with a group of people that shared the same interests: cars. It’s as simple as that, and when you really just get over the fact that some people are not necessarily going to be driving what you like or modding things the way you think they should be modded – we can all get along. Bill loved everything from Domestics to the crazy riced out Japanese GT-winged Batmobiles and I say it all the time, but we need more appreciation for everything and less opinions on what isn’t ideal. I’ve known about Mario a few years ago when he had his GE8 Fit and his S2000. He moved onto the new Ford Focus ST – which was a totally different direction from the Japanese cars he used to be in and he quickly made it quite an eye-catcher in a really short amount of time. Together, the both of them helped each other build their cars into what you see today.

Congratulations to the both of you guys for making it into Performance Ford Magazine, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to shoot your cars for the feature. Can’t wait to see the print copy!

JC and I of course, tag-teamed this shoot (and killed it btw). We’re rolling out to the location…

On the way there, we only had two lanes and three cars so for about a KM or so, JC pulled off into the shoulder while we got both of the cars together to get a roller.

We ended up finding an absolutely perfect location for the shoot that gave us everything we needed, so we didn’t need to go anywhere else. The location was pretty much dead and the scenery worked so well.

The red just pops.

Another shot of the winding road and Mario’s ST.

A dual shot of them together was a must. For those of you that have seen the digital copy or are going to pick it up, this is the shot they used on the front cover.

White wheels always have a spot in my heart.

One thing that you might have noticed is that Bill’s front is in-fact off of an ST – one of the few (or only) that have the ST front end conversion – and in my opinion, looks 100x better. Much more aggressive looking especially with his added “winglets” and custom lip.

Another shot of Bill’s car. Noticeably more different than the last time I shot it and for all the right reasons.

One thing I noticed about Bill is that he likes to incorporate Japanese influence in his builds here and there – a more noticeable one is the blue Spoon Sports banner with his ThreeTwenty brand on it.

A little attention to detail shows a Mario-inspired ST badge.

Side note: I also had the opportunity to shoot with new glass that day which was perfect – the Canon 35mm F1.4L – which gave birth to these awesome shots with very shallow depth of field. Only camera nerds will know what I mean, but I love the shots that came of it.

Peep that fitment.

Mario’s carbon-wrapped roof.

A close up…

New lug nuts that he just put on before the shoot…

Can’t forget about JC’s car – the chase car, the utility car, you name it and he’s there. #killingit

Moving onto Bill’s car. His headlights have actually changed since this shoot with a retrofit and blacked out housing.

A shot of Bill’s fitment on coilovers – again, a lot lower than when I had originally shot it…

Some front end shots of the two…

Another shot of Mario’s fitment

Engine bay shots.

The interior of Bill’s SE

Mario’s Accuair controller – sorry, forgot to mention it’s on air.

JC instagrammed a photo while I was shooting and when we got back into the car, I went to check it out and liked it. The reason I posted this was because Diana liked it before me and only the two of us showed up. It’s funny because she was in Mexico during this shoot for her Stagette – when she should be partying, she’s on IG liking shit.

Some solo rollers to end the shoot.

And that’s a wrap!

Once again – thanks to Bill and Mario for letting me take photos of the cars for the mag! Hope you enjoyed!