Brazzers: Nick Chows Nissan GTR Bangzilla POV

July 10, 2014July 10, 2014 / jasonhoang / Leave a comment

I’ve been extremely behind on posts lately – it’s been hectic and the true countdown is on before the wedding. There’s about 3 weeks left and it still seems like there is so much to do! It’s difficult to find time during the evenings now because most of that is taken up by more planning. I’m now writing this on my lunch break at work because that’s the only down time I have during the day it seems. Oh well… Let’s see if I can pound this out in the last 15 minutes I have left.

I was super stoked to finally shoot Nick’s GTR – I know when he picked it up he said it was going to be a slow build and that was only about a year ago. Since then, he’s added a few more goodies – and if anyone knows anything about GTR parts, you’d know they don’t come cheap. The GTR in and of itself is a automotive masterpiece and it’s hard not to appreciate something of this caliber and class whether you like Japanese cars or Nissan or cars at all. Nick’s cars have always had a certain appeal to them – done up with precision and nothing but the best parts and the best workmanship that he could get his hands on. It’s hard not to be influenced by his path to building great cars. In fact – lots of the cars (including mine) that you see on my blog have in one way or another had Nick somehow get his touch on the build. One example is Danny’s STI hatch that you may recall or even his previous car – the VIP Junction Produce Lexus GS – a car and style that really was quite a different feel to the automotive culture here at the time and is now spreading like a wildfire.

Nick has been in the game quite a while and has a wealth of knowledge that any one could appreciate – whether you’re starting out or have been in the game as long or longer than he has. A funny side story – when I had sold the STI, I was set on getting a 370Z – which he swayed me away from and into an LS460L – which btw I had no regrets owning. After the LS460L, I was once again determined to get into a 370Z and a second time I was swayed away from it and into an FRS I went. During this shoot we briefly discussed the funny story of how this all unfolded and he said “I will forever prevent you from getting into a 370Z”. I’m not gonna lie – I STILL want a 370Z but I don’t think it will appeal to me as much once I own it. Who knows, maybe my next car will be a 370Z if I don’t tell him…

Anyway – back to the GTR. Nick was extremely patient looking for a GTR and he had been looking for the perfect white one even before I owned the LS. We chatted back and forth and sometime in between, he finally found one and in great condition as well… And so the story begins…

Starting off with the rolling shot!

The GTR looks great from every angle. It’s one of those cars that you can just walk around and just love every curve. I know that sounds creepy, but anyone who loves their cars knows they can watch their car all day if they could…

Sometime last year, Nick was able to cop a set of Advan GT’s in gloss black. A popular wheel for GTR’s and rightfully so – they look right at home.

Even the headlights are fancy

Not too long ago, Nick fitted a T1R exhaust to help give the GTR some more rumble.

On the way to the next location, I rode shotgun and he took it for a quick rip. I’ll admit that in the extremely short time that I sat in it and the one quick pull, it felt faster and stronger than the Ferrari F430 I drove around the track in Las Vegas. There was no comparison… Of course, two different cars but just such a big difference in terms of that feel of power.

Shot of the rear set up. I believe the rear tires were 305… Love it.

Them hips.

lol Derrick snapped a shot of me moving the car into the right locations.

Shot of his front set up.

Took a shot from inside of JC’s car. Punit and Derrick bonding over their love for Integras…

Rolling out

Artsy

Another shot of the tips.

Close up of the Advan GT’s and engraved spoke.

Beautiful Varis lip in all it’s glory. Nick actually ordered this the same time I ordered my SSR’s for the LS460 and he didn’t receive it until way after my wheels landed… Quality takes time. After my Varis STI, I’ve had a soft spot for all things Varis. I can’t wait to get started on the FRS with it either…

Awesome JDM Nismo cluster as well. It currently reads all in Japanese but it’s a very nice addition to the cockpit.

Of course, Nick hasn’t forgotten his Honda roots either with Asimo hanging from his rear view.

On the prowl

Pull up to this at a red light. PS – we smoked it in JC’s CT200h. No biggie…

I was ragging on Nick about black wheels on a white car – that’s the worst combination to shoot because like I’ve mentioned before – you either over expose the car and you get a shot of the wheels or you underexpose the car and see nothing but black holes where the wheels should be. I was lucky enough though that I got enough light – even though it was overcast – to light both up properly. The one downside to shooting in overcast is that when you have simple coloured cars – they don’t pop as much as they should.

One of my favourite shots from the shoot is this from up top. I absolutely love the look of the GTR (as well as many other cars, in fact) from up top. It’s not an angle you see too often).

And voila! Another one in the bag. I wasn’t too stoked on the overcast that day because I feel like this car can really shine when it’s sunny out. My plan is to grab Nick again when we have another awesome day and do this more justice.

Raj’s Nissan Skyline: Better in Black

June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 / jasonhoang / 1 Comment

Last Sunday was probably the nicest day we’ve had all year so far… Beautiful skies and awesome sun make for a good day.

Shortly after posting Giuseppe’s Skyline, Raj had contacted me to shoot his Skyline as well, and this coming weekend there may be one more Skyline in the books. So this may very well be the only time I would be shooting three in a row… So if you like them Skylines, you’re in the right place. Raj’s car is on the other end of the spectrum of Giuseppe’s though – both nice cars – but two different styles. Raj’s Skyline is more on the subtle and simple side of things. It keeps things interesting around here.

Raj actually wanted a shoot because he is wanting to sell the car soon. Side note: lots of the cars that I shoot end up going up for sale shortly after or are being parted out… Not sure why, perhaps it’s cause they always want one last shoot like Raj or my camera is the camera of death for cars LOL! Either way, at least I am able to get the last few shots of the cars before they move on.

Onto the pictures!

I think this will be a new tradition of mine – starting each post off with a rolling shot. I posted this on Instagram last Sunday and like my caption read – we had epic skies and clouds that day. Love it.

Met up with JC of course… His car is always clean somehow…

And my always dirty car… I apologize I can never get a clean pic of it because: 1) my driveway got poured almost two weeks ago so it has to sit outside in all the rain we’ve had. 2) I’m too lazy. LOL

We met at the old St. Louis Hotel near East Village. It’s closed now but check how tiny that place is… Curious to go in there and take a look.

Raj and Leslie showed up shortly after and we got to it. My first couple shots are always warm up shots. Takes a while until I really get into it but I was pretty happy with where we were headed.

This shot was actually supposed to be straight on but as soon as Raj parked the car, a bus full of (very nice) hipsters parked right in front my shooting area. Literally a mini bangbus with hipsters jammed inside and they asked if I wanted to shoot the van. I declined but in retrospect – I should’ve at least taken one shot cause it was pretty awesome.

Headed underground to try out some shots since we haven’t shot in a parkade for a while.

And back outside – I’m not a fan of artificial light unless I can control it. Although I have no control over natural light either, it just looks better to me. Raj’s Skyline – especially in black – looks better with reflections.

My favourite view of most cars – especially with meaty rear tires.

Super clean and simple.

Body is still clean and in good condition.

One of my favourite wings on an R32.

One last static shot before moving onto the rollers!

JC finally cleaned his damn mirrors… Looks like he read my last post…

Diana pretending to be unimpressed with how the rollers turned out. Mediocre acting skills, Diana…

Warm up shot on the bridge.

A sloppy one but if this had turned out a little sharper, it would’ve been nice. Check JC’s rear tuck. Da-opeee

Now more serious shots. Like I said – the sky was awesome that day and it made for great reflections on black.

Another one through the trees.

And that’s a wrap! Perhaps if Raj sells his car, you’ll still see it around somewhere… Anddddd if we’re lucky, I’ll have one more Skyline post this weekend for you and then some. My plan is to bang out 2-3 shoots this weekend so I’ll have lots of stuff next week I hope!

BIGNJPN: Giuseppe’s Nissan Skyline

June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 / jasonhoang / 1 Comment

A little late on this post… Had a bunch of things come up over the last week and have just been swamped. I originally wanted this post to go up last Friday but I think Monday is an even better time to post as a pick-me-up for those of you that dread Monday as much as I do. The only worst way to start the week is if your iPhone breaks and you have to wait 3 days to get a new one – exactly how mine is starting. That’s what I get for jailbreaking the phone and losing the Modem Firmware. Probably not going to do that again…

However – let’s move onto the latest and greatest – Giuseppe’s Nissan Skyline. This is by far my favourite photoshoot this year – first because of the new location, but primarily because Giuseppe’s car is a rare piece of art. Ever since Skyline R32’s were permitted in North America, there has been a whole wave of them being modded by fanboys left, right and center. Once in a while, a star is born when it comes to making Godzilla something special. Giuseppe did just that.

I first met Giuseppe in 2008 when I entered my first car show with my Civic FG1. At the time, I thought my car was pretty decent – coils, Work Emotion XT7’s in some weak sizing, a carbon trunk, a minimalistic audio set up and a lip kit. Giuseppe rolled up beside me in his Skyline and I immediately knew I couldn’t compete. He had a GT wing before I even knew I had a love for them, bucket seats that I didn’t even think worked in a street car (I was a noob at the time)…

Here’s a picture of what his car looked like at DTP 2009. A year later and once again I had the privilege of parking beside him – you can see my car to the right of his.

Ever since I’ve known Giuseppe, he has never had anything bad to say about anyone’s car. He loved my Civic in 2008 – the stage I hated the most. Giuseppe is a rare type of car guy – one that you don’t see too much of anymore. He truly loves cars and has a passion for all things cars – Japanese, Domestic, Italian – you name it. He comes from a family of car lovers – his dad, his brother – Marco, who also has a bad ass 350Z (staying in the Nissan family). Not only that, but his Fiance – Lexie, supports him in every way possible without holding him back.

Ultimately, It’s the respect that he shows to fellow car enthusiasts that really just make you want to continue doing what you’re doing in the best way that you can – big or small because we all motivate each other. To this day, nothing has changed and Giuseppe is still focusing on his car and just doing him. We need more people like him in this scene… People that can appreciate everything and anything even if it’s not part of his taste palette.

Let’s start off with my favourite shot of the shoot. Giuseppe’s car has undergone quite a few changes since the picture I posted above and even more changes since I shot it for illmotion a few years ago. He’s gone bigger and badder and you really won’t see anything like it. This picture makes me wish it was my car because it’d be the first one I’d print to go on canvas for my living room 🙂

The meeting spot – Country Hills Toyota. Giuseppe ended up getting there early so Diana and I rushed down there to meet him to try and start the shoot a little earlier.

Took a few shots while waiting for JC and Rich to show up. Giuseppe’s paint is the wettest paint I’ve ever seen.

Too good.

Giuseppe requested to try out the new Airport tunnel for some shots and that’s where we went. It would’ve been the first time I’ve ever shot in there so it was exciting for me. Here’ a shot of Rich off to the side.

And more importantly – Giuseppe’s car. The lights and everything just make his car shine.

Head on.

And my favourite view – from behind. Giuseppe killed it with this set up and it just looks so deadly from the back.

Side profile of his rear. SSR Sp3’s – a great choice for Giuseppe’s Skyline.

Shining lights.

Maybe I lied a bit – this might be my favourite rolling shot ever 🙂

We made a few passes through the tunnel until I got exactly what I wanted. I didn’t want this shoot to go to waste and I wanted to make sure Giuseppe’s pictures were as epic as I could make them.

Look at that shine and reflection!!! Giuseppe – you did a great job – I can’t tell you that enough throughout this post.

Moving onto some static shots to take in more detail. A lot of detail in Giuseppe’s car is in the bodywork. Devon (I shot his EG a while back) and John worked their magic with all the work into the body and made it into what you see in these shots. Quality work pays!

I’ve done this a few times and I try not to abuse it, but I couldn’t resist with Giuseppe’s car. Every angle is too good not to take.

A nice shot of the fitment and the amount of lip in his SP3’s. I posted a photo a few weeks ago to my Instagram and it was a teaser shot of his rear fitment without showing the wheels at Zero Limit. Jackie was able to fine tune his suspension to get rid of all the rubbing in the rear that Giuseppe was experiencing. Those rear tires are 275 wide – too good.

A picture I posted on my Facebook page a few days ago. Thanks to Jimmy and Ryan at VEX Performance – Giuseppe was hooked up with his first set of real baller wheels ever. (That’s quoting Giuseppe haha)

Beautiful finish.

A typical sun flare shot. You need one of those in every car shoot, right?

The crew chillaxin while I’m running around shooting. Don’t get me wrong though – without these guys, the locations, rolling shots, and even the actual photoshoots themselves wouldn’t happen for me.

Another of “dat ass”

Another detail you might have noticed is his retrofitted Rocket Bunny wing. Sits right at home with Giuseppe’s Skyline and it looks perfect!

Stack cluster and no less for the interior.

Giuseppe’s interior is still mint as can be.

A quick engine bay shot for those of you that want to see the heart of Godzilla.

Rich’s WRX.

Ending the shoot…

And finally we will end it here with Giuseppe – the man himself – getting ready to leave.

Huge thanks to Giuseppe for letting me be the first to shoot his Skyline in its completed form. We have been talking for a few weeks about getting together but he was just waiting for the finishing touches to be done. Giuseppe is super low key, but if anyone is looking for the next big thing – it’s right here.

Quarry Park & Polish Auto Show 2013: Part 2 of 2

September 17, 2013September 17, 2013 / jasonhoang / Leave a comment

Part 2! I realize I missed a lot of other cars but it was getting increasingly difficult to get shots of cars as the day went on because of all the people. Most of the shots I am posting is when registration was beginning and the public wasn’t really wandering around yet.

Anyways last one!

This black Lamborghini Countach started off the trio…

White one…

Red one

All three! Such an awesome sight.

I love American Muscle, but I’ll admit that I know next to nothing about them. I can definitely appreciate when things are done right though and this GT500 is sick.

Another shot of the J’s Racing S2000

The Rocket Bunny FR-S – looking pretty good. I felt like the lip and skirts should have been painted but it still looked nice.

Solomon’s 3-series

The line up of red Ferrari’s…

Probably my favourite at the show was the super rare BMW 850i. So clean!

This Merc was parked on the exotics side but I feel like it was a bit confused. The matte black was decent but the yellow accents kind of killed the look. The calipers were painted extremely messy and certain parts were not masked so it looked like it was done in 5 minutes. The other yellow accents were OK – but I think it would’ve been better if maybe just the headlights were done if he insisted something had to be covered in yellow.

I guess it’s ok that you park like that…

A super clean G35 with a sporty look. Advan RS-D’s and AP racing BBK all around and I believe it was supercharged. Good job, sir.

Bill’s Ford Focus

Kyle’s Celica

This guy was there before us but man did this thing look like it came out of the 90’s or what? The paint job was great and I’m glad he did it the right way because it was even fitted nicely as well. The rest of the car was a bit dated… Later on we found out that it had a bumping sound system which proceeded to draw crowds for the rest of the day…

… Which looked like this. Sounded good… but still, I felt like it was kind of dated to do even that.

Back to our regular program – another shot of the LS.

Punit’s GS

JC’s CT

Again of the S2000. I am particularly fond of the S2000 mainly because it was Nick’s and I had shot it a few years earlier. I remember way back when it was silver and on Work Meister 3PC. So seeing this still around today and in still fairly good condition makes me happy.

A few shots of the WSC members

Lester’s Mini

Rich’s WRX… Again, on new coloured wheels.

Another crowd favourite was this Datsun 240z. This guy actually lives near me and whenever I’m driving home, I always see him cleaning it or working on it. I recognized it because of the colour and the license plate and confirmed when he rolled up. Super minty and perfectly done. I’d love to shoot this…

He had Recaros from a DC2R in there as well I believe.