Competition winners are announced

This week saw the winners announced of the new ‘Car and Transport Photography’ competition with the Organisation ‘I SHOT IT’ who run several themed competitions through the course of the year and have professional photographers in the chosen fields to judge these with the winners collecting a large cash prize as well as a compact handy Leica camera. Ambient Life photographer Tim Wallace joined that panel of judges just under a year ago and now judges regular competitions through I SHOT IT to inspire photographers to get out and shoot work and enjoy photography.

A very well done to those winners of this current competition with the winner scooping almost $700 in cash and a Compact Leica Camera worth over $800. The new competition now officially open we invite entries and wish you the best of luck.

Join the race at I SHOT IT and become the winner of the Cars and Transport Photography Competition

All entries are welcome and it can be photography of a cars, or indeed any transport related photography, static, with dynamic movement, detail or indeed anything transport related that you feel gets a message across about what you are trying to say. Get shooting and I look forward to seeing your entries over the coming months.

Good luck everybody

Kelby US interview launch – The Business Side of Tim Wallace

In the US Scott Kelby described Tim recently as one of the most influential car photographers in the World today and Tim was recently invited back to the US by Kelby following the success of our online photography and photoshop training class videos that we recorded for the Kelby Group back in 2012. Today the first of those new videos was released which is a 1h 20min in-depth interview that he recored whilst in the US with TV Host Mia McCormick. He is now a regular guest at Kelby and continues to build on the catalogue of training videos available through his dedicated area on the Kelby site where he is one of the 8 featured instructors in the World alongside some of the biggest names in the photography today such as Joe McNally and Jay Maisel.

Kelby Training – The Business Side of Tim Wallace

Check out the new interview here right now.

Working closely with their filming and production crew produced a brand new series of video tutorials have been produced that cover subjects such as the aspects of the lighting cars with limited equipment, complex multiple pro lighting setups for shooting motorbikes as well as a special class that Tim shot with Scott himself taking him through lighting a car interior using pro heads step by step, all of these classes also include the post production element in Photoshop as Tim takes you through to the final image. You can also find 2 in depth interviews lasting over 1 hour each with Tim talking about the business side of the industry from setting up and first things to think about, through to client strategies and effective quoting as well as a second 1 hour video interview where Tim talks about what inspires him today and talks through the journey that led him to where he is today.

If you would like to watch how we worked with these cars and made the best use of our lighting then please join us online at Kelby Training where you can review and enjoy all 7 video classes, each of which is around a 1 hour in duration.

Kelby Training with Tim Wallace Checkout our online classes here at Kelby Training

Elinchrom Launch Featured Portfolios

Elinchrom is a worldwide lighting based company and brand with it headquarters based in Switzerland overlooking Lake Geneva. Elinchrom has been at the forefront of photographic lighting technology since the earliest days of studio flash manufacture with its products being used by the world’s leading photographers and this week they launched two new featured galleries of the work of commercial car photographer Tim Wallace of AmbientLife.

The two new featured portfolio’s can be viewed at the main Elinchrom website here or by visiting http://www.elinchrom.com

The Mercedes 600

The Mercedes 600 is a true icon from the 60′s and apart from the Pope and governments, famous owners of the 600, and in the case of this model, have included celebrities such as Coco Chanel with Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay buying Coco Chanel’s old car. Hugh Hefner, Aristotle Onassis, Jack Nicholson, and Elvis Presley were also all owners of the 600 with notable dictators that have also had a love affair with this car including Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Leonid Brezhnev, and Kim Jong-Il, former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos had four 600s including a Landaulet, a 1981 bulletproof and a six-door version. The Mercedes 600 has also featured in the James Bond films, most notably as transport of the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds are Forever. This week car photographer Tim Wallace shot such a noted example of the 600 for one of our International clients.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the 600 at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt in 1964. Powered by a 250 horsepower alloy 6.3-liter V8 engine, the 600 accelerates more like a sports car than a traditional limousine. A comprehensive hydraulic and pneumatic system powers an adjustable self-leveling suspension, assists the four-wheel disc brakes, powers the windows, maneuvers the seats, and aids in the opening of the doors and the trunk lid.

The 600 was available in a number of possible coachwork choices, and numerous options, resulting in each being essentially a custom built car. There were two wheelbase options, a four-door and six-door variant and numerous seating arrangements to select from.

In September of 1965, a four-door Pullman landaulet (partial convertible) was built for Pope Paul VI. It has an individual seat on a raised platform allowing for a flat floor, a raised roof, and extended rear doors. This vehicle was used by the Vatican for two decades and served three popes, returning home to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in 1985.

Royal Photographic Society Interview

The Royal Photographic Society is one of the oldest and most respected societies in England and recently David Land from the RPS spent some time with Tim Wallace to talk about his work, his outlook on the industry today and where it all started for Tim many years ago to lead him to a path that would see him build a successful international business in just 6 years and become a respected name in the industry. Tim is an ‘Associate’ of the RPS having successfully passed the Associate judging to gain this award just 1 year after starting his business with his work having been featured at exhibitions and events by the RPS on several occasions, later this year Tim will be giving a talk for the society at their headquarters in Bath England.

Royal Photographic Society full interview – PDF Download

Tim’s ARPS Royal Photographic Society – Portfolio

Royal Photographic Society Bath – Lecture and Personal talk by Tim Wallace 19th June 2013 at the RPS Headquarters in Bath.
Tickets are available direct from the Royal Photographic Society here

Project Alcatraz

Recently whilst the Ambientlife team were out shooting commercial work in California photographer Tim Wallace took some time out to shoot some personal work on the infamous Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles offshore from San Francisco and is often referred to as “The Rock,” the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a federal prison from 1933 until 1963. Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Aboriginal Peoples from San Francisco who were part of a wave of Native activism across the nation with public protests through the 1970s. In 1972 Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Today, the island’s facilities are managed by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is home to the abandoned prison, the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast of the United States.

Tim – “Alcatraz is probably best described as one of those places on earth that we all feel that we know having been featured so many time in films etc, however in my view it really is a place that you cant get the full story of until you actually stand within its walls and smell the scent of crumbling decay that has torn through the prison over the years. One of the first things that I noted personally was just how close the island was to the nearby city of San Francisco, to the point where from within the cells on the upper levels, that over look San Fran Prier 39, you can clearly hear the laughter of the people in the bars and restaurants there, something that I can only imagine would have been a further torture for any inmates who called these cells home. The prison is in quite a state of decay these days however it is still very possible to see the scars of time and events that have occurred on the island over the years such as the deep crack in the floor of the main hall as a result of grenades being used during one mass riot on the island by prisoners. Its an emotional journey that you take to walk through the prison and through the years that have seen so many moments of both human triumph, despair and hope. I hope that I managed to capture just some of these in the photography that I shot on the island on a day that I will not forget for a long time to come’.

Magazine features for October 2013

This month we have features in two photography magazines, DSLR Photography October Edition featuring a very informative and inspiring 10 page feature talking through car photography and different approaches and techniques as well as helpful tips for people to help them make the most of their own car photography.
We also have a very nice double page feature photograph in the very first edition of an exciting new photography based magazine ‘CameraCraft’ just launched with its very first Edition No1
This features a recent capture of a Aston Martin DBS that photographer Tim Wallace of AmbientLife shot in Switzerland.

Be sure to check out both magazines at your local stockist to see the full features.

Ferrari 613 Scaglietti shoot near Milan

The Scaglietti may well be the dream car that offers just about the perfect combination of speed, luxury and safety, the Ferrari 613 Scaglietti definitely sets roads on fire and in this latest image from commercial car photographer Tim Wallace for our UK Ferrari client we can see this impressive model represented on some photography showing the scene on the pass road leading down into Milan from the north.

Named after one of Ferrari’s legendary coachbuilder, Sergio Scaglietti, supercar Ferrari 612 Scaglietti’s styling is setting standards for others to emulate. The cockpit of this sports car can in fact be personalized further thanks to the Carrozzeria Scaglietti program.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is a 12-cylinder sports car, which means increased power at your disposal. The light-alloy technology that has been incorporated in the body means that despite the size of the supercar there is still a saving of around 60 kilograms when compared to the other fast cars of this segment. The technology also allows for increased structural rigidity which converts into greater safety.

The racing car boasts o the latest in traction control system. In fact this is the first time that such an advanced traction control system is making an appearance in a Ferrari. With 5,748cc at your disposal the sports car leaves the competition way behind. At 7,250 rpm and 540 bhp you can accelerate to an exhilarating 100 km/h from standstill all in a matter of 4.2 seconds. Speed buffs can look forward to achieving a top speed of 315 km/h or 196 mph. Coupled with such a lively engine is the six-speed mechanical gear box. You have a choice of either manual or paddle shifts, the kind of which you find only in F-1 cares. The gear box incorporates the latest electro-hydraulic system. The system enables ultras-smooth and fast gear changes. This is yet another winning proposition among sports cars from the house of Ferrari.

Car Photographer Tim Wallace Displays at the China International Car Show

This week car photographer Tim Wallace’s work for Aston Martin could be seen at the 2011 China International Car Show in the form of 6 massive 2.3 metre square panels that made up the main stand for our client Aston at this infamous international show.

The work will be on display for the duration of the show and features just some of the work that Tim has been commissioned to shoot over the last few years for Aston Martin. This company pressence is firmly aimed at the ‘restorations’ element to Aston and drives forward the message into the ever expending investment markets of China as the number of classic and prestige car collectors in this area of the world increases year on year.

New Aston Martin Media of the work of UK Car Photographer Tim Wallace

A year in the work of car photographer Tim Wallace with this exciting new update showcasing just some of the automotive car photography that Tim Wallace produces of Aston Martins both classic and modern.