Hello, and welcome to CRSFOTO.COM I’m going to try to stay updated as often as possible with as much of my work as possible. Introductions are usually really boring, so I’ll keep this pretty short. I’m a Photographer from Chicago IL, and i try to stay as diverse in my subjects as possible. My subjects range from cars to nightlife, and anything in between. If anyone has a question feel free to ask, and I’ll try my best to answer.
My first Blog post on here is rather exciting for me, as it’s my first magazine cover! I was lucky enough to shoot a great vehicle for the cover image, and a spread in S3 Magazine out of Atlanta Georgia. S3 stands for Speed . Style . Sound, and is a nationwide publication. I’ve had spreads, and features in other magazines such as Honda Tuning, and Super Street, but never a cover up to this point…. I guess I should let the photos do some of the talking for me.
below is the actual cover artwork, and I’m very happy with the outcome! Rutledge Wood from the popular History series “top Gear” actually wrote the article as well, which made this one even more special for me.
below this post is the original image.
The entire shoot was a challenge but the cover image was even more of a daunting task due to the blend of ambient light my strobes, and the limited space I had to work with at this shoot. The location was very fitting, and I’m glad it ended up working out. A lot of the parts that made this build possible were built in this very shop, by Nick the owner of the truck. The laser throwing sparks all over the truck above actually was used to create a bunch of the one-off parts on the unique truck.
Rolling shots are always a challenge, especially using just ambient light where the background almost matches the color of the car exactly. There’s actually quite a bit of time in post production in the above image to make the truck pop.
This particular image is maybe my favorite from the set, and for some reason it didn’t get used in the article… this was another image that was hard to make the truck stand out from the background.
The obligatory engine bay shot. This shot really gives the viewer its first full look at the Honda K24, and all the Custom fabrication done by Nick to make this truck work. As you can imagine its not exactly a drop-in ordeal when it comes to putting a Honda motor in a VW. Ever controversial, Nick loved the chance to kind of kick the elitest euro guys in the teeth so to speak with this build.
A gorgeous Kokenda Kustoms airbrush job on the valve cover really lends itself to the old school feel that was carried through this truck.
Some of the custom parts include the Chasebays engine harness with a Milspec bulkhead connection for easy removal and cleanliness. A full custom All IN Fabrication header is a nice touch in the already very impressive engine bay.
The side shot really gives the viewer an idea of the unique shape that is so intriguing. Rarely will you see a Volkswagon Caddy at all, let alone one that has been meticulously cared for, and heavily modified. The Work CR-01 wheels are a perfect fit for the German truck with a Japanese theme.
That same Japanese theme is carried out throughout the tiny truck, including the Buddyclub seats. This interior was particularly difficult to shoot due to the very small dimensions, but very cool to see racing buckets mounted so low in such a different vehicle.
nick even took the time to fabricate his own custom floor mounted pedal setup. Starting with a full Wilwood setup and custom building his own pedal arms to accommodate for the smaller interior space.
Both of the above shots were a bit of a departure for me, as I usually don’t go for such extreme wide shots but I was having fun with this shoot, and I’m kinda glad I took a few off the wall images.
This vehicle may not strike all viewers as “cool” or whatever you want to call it, but it’s more of an exercise in fabrication with an attitude of “why not?” in the first place. It’s good to get away from the standards people hold for a car and experience something new every once in a while, and this is exactly what Nick’s truck does.
-Chris
CRSFOTO.COM 