RM Sotheby’s London Auction

Blue Chip Automobiles

On Monday 7 September I took a trip to Battersea Park to see a spectacular array of classic and supercars for the annual RM Sotheby’s London auction. As usual RM Sotheby’s didn’t disappoint with this line up of 75 blue-chip automobiles, displayed for viewing during a champagne reception on Sunday 6 and Monday 7 September. The above Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster didn’t meet the reserve of £650,000 – £850,000

Auctioneer

The lots were numbered between 101-176 and the auction was streamed live. For any of you who have seen auctioneer Max Girardo in action will know he conducts the auction with panache and zeal, communicating in English, French and Italian depending on the bidder. Max always makes these events exciting and entertaining with the help of Peter Wallman (left) who introduces each of the lots with a potted history.

Lots

Below are a selection of the cars, they were each presented with military precision, either driven or rolled on and off the stage for all to admire. Stunning photographs taken on location of each car were displayed on screens above. My favorite was the 1953 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 coupé, with the 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider a close second

The star of the show, a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione ‘Tour de France’ which went for £4,250,000 on the hammer making competition history, it was exciting to watch as the telephone bids were coming in thick and fast. Ferraris as usual stole the show, with total sales achieved of more than £16.6 million.

To find out more and to see the prices they were sold for please click here.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be back in two weeks with more to share.

Enjoy the weekend! Bye for now.

Stella

Ferrari 488 GTB

The Ferrari 488 GTB Introducing the new addition to the Ferrari family, the Ferrari 488 GTB. I paid a visit to H.R Owen Ferrari Atelier yesterday to see what all the fuss was about, now this IS a stunning car.

The 488 GTB will set you back £231,820 if you have it kitted out like the one on display, this is the only one in the country and orders are being taken. It's an extremely powerful car reaching 62 mph in just 3 seconds, and a maximum speed of 205 mph.

Personalised

There is a huge choice of interior and exterior colours and finishes to choose from to have your car personalised. To help you decide, your options and choices are displayed on a huge screen as computer generated images in the comfort of Mark Spence's office. Best to be sure before you commit to signing on the dotted line. This link will take you to the website.

If you are in Knightsbridge, London, over the Bank Holiday weekend call in and take a look for yourself, if you have a spare quarter of a million pounds this could be just the car for you.

Thanks for reading I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Bye for now, enjoy the weekend.

Stella

Best of West Kent Veteran Car Run 2015 at Hever Castle Kent

Best of West Kent Veteran Car Run 2015 at Hever Castle Kent On Wednesday 29th July I photographed the Hever Castle part of the Best of West Kent Veteran Car Run.

This is an annual event organised by The Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, with over sixty cars taking part, dating back to 1898 and the majority up to the end of 1918. The owners looked very proud as they drove their cars into the grounds of Hever Castle, having first arrived in the morning at Chartwell, Westerham, Kent, then onto Chiddingstone Castle and finishing at Hever Castle for a picnic lunch.

It was wonderful to see so many cars over one hundred years old looking so resplendent in this picturesque part of the Kent countryside steeped in history.

My photographs below tell some of the story.

1915 polished Lanchester.

Dennis 1909 and detail of the side light

1898 Peugeot

Important top up of oil for this 1900 Peugeot and a Conrad 1903

De Dion Bouton 1904

Talbot 1914.

Thanks for reading I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Bye for now, enjoy the weekend.

Stella

Buckmore Park Launch with John Surtees OBE and Paul Hollywood

Buckmore Park Launch with John Surtees OBE and Paul Hollywood On Wednesday 15 July I was invited to the launch of the new Buckmore Park Kart Circuit, in Chatham, Kent. John Surtees OBE who is the only person ever to have achieved world championships on both two and four wheels, has recently taken ownership and wanted to spread the word.

This is the track where Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button practiced as youngsters. It is also where John’s own son Henry began driving as a child. John’s passion and enthusiasm will help to make Buckmore Park a major feeder for youngsters to further their career in motorsport, what better place to start. Buckmore Park is recognised as one of the UK’s premier outdoor karting circuits.

A group of enthusiastic friends, associates, press and media individuals watched as John introduced us to the John Button Suite in memory of Jenson Button’s late father.

John Surtees OBE founded the Henry Surtees Foundation as a result of a freak accident that ended his 18 year old sons life at Brands Hatch on 19th July 2009. Henry was one of the best young drivers of his era. The foundation was created to assist people with brain or physical injuries caused by accident to help them with their recovery.

The John Button Suite in honour of John Button, Jenson Button’s father. These beautiful photographs were unveiled at the launch of them together.

Photograph above of John introducing us to the track with his PA Sharon Bowness on the right and Rebecca Leppard on the left his PR manager.

Paul Hollywood the ‘Great British Bake Off ‘ presenter took time away from filming to unveil a new fleet of 50 karts and demonstrated the 2016 modelSodi RT8 390cc before we were allowed loose on the track. Scott Malvern racing driver, driving the striking blue and yellow Formula 2 car used by John to win the 1972 Japanese Grand Prix. The photographs below show John in the middle with Paul Hollywood on the left and Scott Malvern on the right.

I was amongst the first people to test drive the karts, I felt the adrenaline rush as I prepared in my red race overalls, protective gear and helmet, taking my place in kart number 5. It was a fun 7 laps, I don’t think I’ll take racing driving up any time soon as I managed to come last in my team. It was great fun, I can highly recommend it! I found it a great opportunity to capture this historic moment and to watch others enjoy it too, there was a lot camaraderie taking place.

For those who preferred to experience the track from the comfort of the clubhouse there was a simulator which was just as popular.

Photograph above of me in kart 5, thanks to Mariusz Goslicki for taking this one and the one below of me with Paul Hollywood and his son Josh.

Good to meet the guys above from The Drone Company who shot this brilliant footage.

Photographs above left Paul Hollywood in a reflective mood with his son Josh and on the right John Surtees OBE looking very proud.

Above on the track, everyone was keen to have a go

Photographs above a map of the track and my results. A great day out for all the family to have some fun time. Thanks for reading, I’ll be back in two weeks with more to share. Bye for now.

Stella

John Surtees OBE at Hever Castle

On Sunday 21 June in partnership with John Surtees OBE and the Henry Surtees Foundation, Hever Castle presented a collection of F1 cars, classic cars and motor bikes from the John Surtees collection.

John Surtees OBE is a force to be reckoned with, not only did he achieve world championships on both two wheels and four wheels and the only person ever to have done so, he was a four-time 500cc motorcycle World Champion too.

John also founded the Henry Surtees Foundation as a result of a freak accident that ended his 18 year old sons life at Brands Hatch on 19th July 2009. Henry was one of the best young drivers of his era. The foundation was created to assist people with brain or physical injuries caused by accident to return to community living by the provision of support for equipment and facilities.

The day was very well attended, John shared a few of his racing memories with his audience, many had their own little piece of history to share with him, about how their grandfather knew his father, or when they watched him race at Crystal Palace, it really showed what a great man he is, his spirit shone.

John spent much of the day signing memorabilia sold to raise funds. It is through events like this that the Henry Surtees Foundation is helping so many people recover from brain or physical injuries. To buy a copy of the book 'My Incredible Life on Two & Four Wheels' please click here.

A Drive Down Memory Lane

During the day on display in The Moat Restaurant were a selection of my classic and super car photographs from my exhibition " A Drive Down Memory Lane". To be amongst the first to buy a framed photograph, limited to 25 per image, please click this link, ten percent of all sales will be donated to the Henry Surtees Foundation. The exhibition will be at the RAC, Pall Mall, London in the autumn.

Visit Hever Castle & Gardens for the perfect day out in Kent. The gardens are stunning all year round, set in 125 acres, I took the photographs below on the day.

Thanks for reading I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Bye for now, enjoy the sunshine!

Stella

Classic Sports Car Club at Brands Hatch

On a wet and cold Sunday morning at the end of May I drove to Brands Hatch to watch the Classic Sports Car Club Summer Special Race meeting and to take a few photographs. The qualifying races took place in the morning and the main event in the afternoon. The previous day was warm and sunny and featured cars from the 60's and 70's and was much busier than the Sunday.

With it's iconic track and the wet surface, the Brands Hatch circuit was going to be a challenge for the most experienced driver. There were six races featuring the Modern Classics Series, Toyo Tires Jaguar championship, Magnificent Sevens, New Millennium and Dunlop Puma Cup Series and Tin Tops.

The photographs below show how it all panned out.

The photograph above shows Tom Eden driving a Caterham 7 who came 2nd in the CSCC Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens Group 2.

Above - The Modern Classic Series showing a bumper grid of 90's machinery with Miles Maserati driving car number 46 as the winner.

Above - Toyo Tires Jaguar Saloons were the second race of the day with Sam Clarke Jnr. taking 1st place in car number 126 and David Howard in car number 55 in 2nd place.

Above - The winner of the CSCC Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens - Group 2 was Peter Ratcliffe in car number 1 with Tom Eden in 2nd place in car number 64 and Jonathan Gibbs in 3rd place in car number 41.

Above - CSCC New Millennium & Dunlop Puma Cup, father and son Alan and James Broad in 1st place in car number 76.

Above - CSCC New Millennium & Dunlop Puma Cup in 2nd place Nikolas Barton in car 199.

Above - Liam Crilly filling up his Mazda RX8.

Above - CSCC Gold Arts Magnificent Sevens Group 1 Stephen Mansell in 1st place in car number 5.

Above - It wasn't smooth going for everyone though.

Above - The last race of the day CSCC Tin Tops with MS Society, I was cold and wet to see the end of this one so can't let you know who won, but this is what it looked like at the start! A big thank you to Hugo Holder the Competitions Director and Club Secretary, at Classic Sports Car Club for inviting me to enjoy this event.

Don't forget to treat your dad on Father's Day - June 21st at Hever Castle

Say thank you to your dad this Father’s Day and spoil him with a memorable day out. In partnership with John Surtees and the Henry Surtees Foundation, Hever Castle presents a collection of F1 cars, classic cars and motor bikes from the John Surtees collection. I have been invited to showcase my classic and supercar photography at this prestigious event with framed Limited Edition photographs for sale.

Featuring the photograph below, home of the Spitfire taken at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, and an F-Type Jag courtesy of AutoPrive, using a Leica medium format camera. What I particularly love about photographing with a Leica is the quality of the lens, capturing crystal clear clarity.

Thanks for reading I'll be back in two weeks time with more to share.

Bye for now, enjoy the weekend!

Stella

Bond in Motion London Film Museum

Bond in Motion London Film MuseumOn Monday evening I was invited to enjoy a private view at the London Film Museum, Covent Garden to see the 'Bond in Motion' exhibition. The evening was hosted by Clive from Prestige Promotions for his members to see the largest official collection of original James Bond vehicles ever staged in London.

This exhibition is certainly worth a visit, you can immerse yourself in movie history, I was in my element. The best part for me, other than the cars, was that beside each vehicle you could watch footage from the particular movie it appeared in. I felt like I wanted to go and watch all the movies again from start to finish!

Can you guess which movies the above vehicles featured in? Bottom right photograph

Serena Gordon and Philip inside the DB5 with the original scene in the background.

Aston Martin DB5

Amongst the cars on display I particularly liked the Aston Martin DB5, this iconic car has appeared in many of the movies, however this particular DB5 was from the 1995 movie'Golden Eye'. It featured in the chase with a Ferrari 355 in Monte Carlo with James Bond(Piers Brosnan) driving and his passenger Caroline (Serena Gordon).The added bonus to photographing the car was that Serena Gordon came to the event, it was lovely to meet her. I photographed her next to the DB5 and also inside, this time it wasn't with Piers Brosnan but with Philip, who came as a guest and bid £600 to sit next to her in the very seat James Bond once sat in.

Serena said it brought back many memories of that eventful journey in Monte Carlo twenty

years ago, looks like a hair-raising experience to me!

Above a selection of images I took during the evening, the bottom right photograph from

left to right, Clive Thomas, Serena Gordon, Philip (the gentleman who bid £600) and

Imogen Stubbs.

Above Clive Thomas and Serena Gordon with the DB5 from the movie 'Golden Eye' and footage on the screen.

Rolls-Royce

Now this one didn't appear in any of the James Bond movies, but it can be yours. 

I photographed this Rolls - Royce Phantom I Newmark Tourer convertible 1929.

Coach built by Brewster & Co in the US, with a left hand drive. 

This Rolls Royce is a rarity and a fantastic investment opportunity for a collector to own a piece of history.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back in two weeks with more news.

Enjoy the sunshine!

Bye for now.

Stella

Elite London Show Days May 2015

Following on from my last newsletter about the setting up of The Elite London Show a luxury lifestyle experience, set in the opulent surroundings of the Rizon Jet facility at Biggin Hill Airport.

The Elite London Show days on Friday and Saturday didn’t fail to wow the audience with a prestigious array of ‘boys toys’ guaranteed to satisfy the most discerning customer. I had the pleasure of interacting with the exhibitors and customers alike, to photograph the emotion of the second Elite London Show. What stood out the most for me was the passion the exhibitors had for their products and craft.

Here are a few of the photographs I took at the Elite London show days with a brief description underneath.

The photographs above show some of the exhibitors showcasing helicopters, supercars and inspirational sculptures.  All the images were taken using Nikon equipment with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens.

The photograph of the hangar above was taken using Nikon equipment with a 24-120mm lens.

The HDR process which I wrote about on my previous newsletter will tell you how it is produced.

The photographs above capture different moments at the show in particular the Spitfire flypast, bottom right.

The WWII plane captivated the audience with agile acrobatics, a fast shutter speed was a must for this shot.

Say thank you to your dad this Father’s Day and spoil him with a memorable day out. In partnership with John Surtees

and the Henry Surtees Foundation, Hever Castle presents a collection of F1 cars, classic cars and motor bikes from the John Surtees collection. I have been invited to showcase my classic and supercar photography at this prestigious event with framed Limited Edition photographs for sale.

Featuring the photograph below, home of the Spitfire taken at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, and an F-Type Jag courtesy of AutoPrive,

using a Leica medium format camera. What I particularly love about photographing with a Leica is the quality of the lens, capturing crystal clear clarity.

Thanks for reading I’ll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Bye for now.

Stella

The Elite Show London 8 and 9 May 2015

On Wednesday and Thursday I photographed the setting up of The Elite Show London, a luxury lifestyle experience, set in the opulent surroundings of Rizon Jet at Biggin Hill Airport.

The scene has been set with an array of super cars and jets on display amongst a select variety of luxury goods.

Below are a few of the images I took just to whet your appetite.

HDR Photography

The photograph above was taken using 5 images spliced together, this is called High Dynamic Range.

The reason for taking a series of images at different exposures is because it's not possible to get a consistent exposure in one single shot. The light inside the hangar is much darker than outside.

By taking 5 images in rapid succession at varying exposures and processing in Photoshop one image with an even exposure is made.

The images below starting top left and finishing bottom right show the five images that were used to create the final one.

Spitfire

The spitfire below is on display at Intrepid Design alongside some innovative furniture created using decommissioned and recycled aircraft parts. You can even visit the guys from the Heritage Hangar to book a short flight in a Spitfire too!

Yesterday Afternoon

The photograph below is how it looked yesterday afternoon, before the cars and jets arrived. The lodge back right is by Waterside Holidays, by the end of the day I felt like curling up and going to sleep, it's so homely! If you get the chance to visit, either today Friday 8 May, or tomorrow Saturday 9 May you're in for a luxurious time. This link will tell you more.

Thanks for reading I'll be back next month with more news.

Bye for now!

Stella

London-Brighton Jaguar Car Run

On Sunday 26 April I went to the 17th annual London-Brighton Jaguar Car Run which started at Chartwell, Westerham, Kent - family home of Sir Winston Churchill, to photograph the start of the run.

The run is organised by Jaguar World magazine in association with the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club.

There were over 300 Jaguars scheduled to drive through Westerham starting at Chartwell for breakfast, getting ready for their start times between 8am and 10am. The route they followed took them on the B roads and finished at Madeira Drive in Brighton where the presentations were due to take place in the afternoon.

You may remember that after the heat wave during the week, Sunday morning was forecast to be a cold, very wet, wintery day and the forecast wasn't wrong!

I arrived at Chartwell at 7.30am equipped for the rain with camera bodies and lenses protected with plastic bags (I find the small Boots ones are best, turned inside out). This allows you to work fast without the worry the rain will seep into the equipment, leaving enough room to look through the viewfinder and operate the controls, and most importantly the freedom to walk fast without the worry that anyone is trying to shield you with an umbrella. Might sound crazy but it works!

The weather didn't stop the owners of this Jaguar C-Type Enduro/Proteus Replica 1953 taking part from the Netherlands!

There were a huge variety of Jaguars, too many to mention, in particular the three Union Jags.

The styling of the Union Jag is based on the stunning XK8. This luxury convertible was inspired by Jaguar’s famous old XK-E (E-Type) sports car of the 1960s. I photographed the trio outside Chartwell. If you would like to hire them for your wedding, fun day out or corporate event please take a look at the Union Jagwebsite, you can't get more British than that.

Car of the Run Award

I hear it was a smooth run and sunny in Brighton, well done to all who took part!

Car of the Run Award was presented to Peter Hall with his MK 9 1961 Jaguar, presented by the Mayor of Brighton.

The Elite London 8 and 9 May

If you enjoy the finer things in life, this could be just the ticket at Rizon Jet, Biggin Hill Airport. I'm looking forward to photographing the construction of this prestigious event and will feature more in my newsletter next week. If you would like up-to-date news about the event please follow me on Twitter and Instagram @StellaSMS

The Elite London now in it's second year - will celebrate the luxury lifestyle world by showcasing jets, super cars and featuring stunning brands from fine art to fashion and luxury gifts to exquisite jewellery.  Visitors will be treated to a selection from the world's most respected companies and sought after brands. To book your tickets please click here.

Photograph below supplied from last years event.

Have a great bank holiday weekend.

I'll be back next week with more news.

Bye for now!

Stella

Fiat Step by Step Photo Shoot

A couple of years ago I was commissioned to photograph a private collection of classic and supercars as a special gift to the owner from his wife, so he could see and appreciate his collection all together in one place. The result was a beautiful handcrafted, limited edition photography book.It was important to me to make sure that we had planned where each car was to be photographed - the location, the time of day and the lighting, the rest is instinctive. There were over 20 cars in the collection and each one had it's own character I wanted to showcase.

Every location chosen had a special meaning to the owners and each came with it's own challenges, but one in particular stayed in my mind and it's this one I'd like to share with you, the Fiats - their two everyday cars, that they most probably have spent most time in.

The photographs below give a step by step guide to the process I went through to get to the end result.

I chose to do this shoot at the beginning of May so we could spend the afternoon setting up in preparation for when the sun went down. I had postponed this numerous times as the conditions weren't right. The first photograph above shows the cars in position.

The above photograph shows the angle I positioned my tripod with the Nikon D700 firmly attached, the lens I used was the 24-120mm. I set my Nikon SB910 speed light remotely inside the Fiat Abarth, with lighting at the front and either side of the cars. There was a flicker of light from the house and a couple of domestic outside lights too.

As the sun began to set an additional light was added in the outside seating area, with a flicker from the tea lights on the table and to the right of the house as well.

From the image above you will notice that lights have been added to the tree on the left and another garden light to match the one on the right. Many exposures were taken so I could check the lighting was just how I wanted it, my lighting technician was very patient as we balanced the lights to compliment the lighting inside the house. It was precision timing to balance this before we had lost all the natural light.

The end result below, is just as I had imagined with some careful tweaking in Photoshop to achieve the results I wanted.

Exhibition

This photograph and others from the book will be featuring at the RAC Pall Mall, London in the Autumn, with the opportunity to buy limited edition framed photographs. A small selection will also be on display at Hever Castle for Father's Day on Sunday 21 June 2015. I'll keep you posted as we get nearer the time. 

If after reading this it has inspired you to commission a shoot please do get in touch,Father's Day is just around the corner.

Thanks for reading I'll be back next month with more news.

Happy Easter.

Stella

Classic and Supercar Shows

Top Marques Monaco 16th - 19th April 2015

Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Top Marques car show, it is the only live supercar show in the world. It takes place every April in the prestigious Principality of Monaco and has grown to showcase all aspects of a luxury lifestyle. The show is held at the Grimaldi Forum, with the added benefit of the Esplanade to display the super boats with the opportunity to test drive them in the waters of Monaco.I was given the task to photograph H.S.H Prince Albert II on the opening day during his tour of the show. He took a lot of time to learn more about the supercars new to the market, the McLaren 650S, the Quant and the Lamborghini Aventador to name a few.The show started in 2004 with each year improving on the last, with that in mind if you are wanting to soak up some sun and culture, this one is for you. Follow this linkto get your tickets. I can recommend this Classic and Supercar Show.

Below are a selection of photographs I took at the event.

The Elite Show - London Biggin Hill Airport 8th - 9th May 2015

Rizon Jet at London Biggin Hill Airport is the prestigious venue for - The Elite London. London's most exclusive jet set lifestyle event, featuring over 100 luxury lifestyle brands. This is the second time Rizon Jet are hosting the show after last years huge success.Premium car brands will be on show and on sale to visitors who buy, collect and race the finest luxury super, hyper and classic cars. You can book exclusive experiences with the opportunity to take a flight in a Spitfire.

To book tickets to this exclusive classic and supercar show please visit their website to find out more.

If you would like a space at the show please get in touch with Roxana Ayling, her email address is roxana@theeliteevents.com

Congratulations to Rizon Jet who were voted UK No 1 FBO 2015.

I took the photograph below at Biggin Hill Airport, an F-Type Jag and Spitfire.

Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 6th and 7th June 2015

The Wilton classic and supercar show is a day out for all the family and is held in the grounds of Lord Pembrokes estate, this two day event showcases super and classic cars, with live shows in the arena. This is a good fun day with a huge variety of cars to see, including the head to head display, last year it was the Mercedes SLS.

I particularly liked the supercar display where the owners drove their cars in a procession for all to admire, this is well worth seeing. I even got to be photographed with my favourite car, the Ferrari 250 GTO.This link is to their website.

A selection of Ferraris on display outside Wilton House, the home of the car show.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep you updated with other car show later in the year to visit.More news next month about where my classic and supercar photography exhibition will be appearing next.

Bye for now

Stella

Luxury Supercar Tours

On Thursday 5 FebruaryI had the pleasure of attending the McLaren showroom at 100 Knightsbridge.

Andrew Carter from Redline247 hosted the evening to promote the Luxury European Supercar Tours 2015.

The tours promise to deliver luxury, exclusivity and VIP treatment. Judging by the conversation last night,

these are driving experiences designed to thrill, with expert organisation and attention to detail.

A car lovers dream - with everything taken care of.

The Pirates Of The Road

This is tour one and starts at Wilton House in Wiltshire onto London, Paris, Munich, Milan and Maranello. June 7th - 13th

The Black Run

This is tour two and starts at Blenheim Palace onto Holland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Germany.  September 5th - 12th

Andrew together with his wife Vanessa from Pandora Events take care of everything, it was a pleasure to meet them and their team.

The Elite Show - London Biggin Hill Airport - May 2015

Last week I attended a pre launch evening at Rizon Jet - London Biggin Hill Airport.

It was an introduction to meet the organisers and exhibitors of the The Elite London Show on 8 and 9 May 2015.

I can only described this as a luxurious haven for anyone looking for the perfect jet or supercar to add to their collection.

London's most exclusive jet set lifestyle event, featuring over 100 luxury lifestyle brands.

This is the second time Rizon Jet are hosting the show after last years huge success.

The evening took place in the hangar and was a taster of what was to come, I won't say too much as I want to tell you more closer to the time.

I'll be photographing the construction and assembly of the show, very exciting.

To book tickets to this exclusive show please visit their website to find out more.

To showcase your brand at the show please get in touch with Roxana, her email address is roxana@theeliteevents.com  

Thanks for reading I'll be back next month with more news.

Bye for now.

Stella

London Classic Car Show 2015

All I can say is WOW and well done to Brand Events the creators, who staged the preview launch for the inaugural 'London Classic Car Show'. A show that won't disappointed any car lover. I've been to a variety of car shows, indoors and outdoors, in many varied locations and this one is definitely in my top three. The show, at the ExCel exhibition centre in east London is easy to access, with in my opinion, the right amount of content. You get to see, hear and smell the cars, an intoxicating mix of car heaven. Brand Events have achieved what they set out to do, by putting London back on the classic car map. On until Sunday 11 January.

The two James’  May and Martin, officially opening the show. Both are avid car collectors, with James Martin commenting that he has two passions in life, cooking and cars. With the the opportunity to enjoy some of his recipes at his ‘Classic Cafe’, three cleverly converted food wagons. James May believes that there are 13 cars that had a profound effect on the motor car as we know it today, and tells all. During his interview with Chris Evans he revealed that he thought the car that changed the world the most was in fact very personal to him, and was the famous Corgi model toy of the ‘James Bond Aston Martin’, complete with ejector seat.

James Martin posing in a mini with his 'Classic Cafe' in the background. The pulled pork sandwich I had was delicious.

Adrian Newey is being honoured at the show. He is the all-time most successful designer in Formula 1, and revealed during his interview with Chris Evans later in the show, that all his drawings are drawn free hand. He learnt his craft whilst a young boy helping his father build cars, in particular a Lotus Elan sprint road car. You can find out more about his incredible career at the show and see on display an array of cars that have played a significant part in both his professional and private lives. I was fascinated to read how much he has achieved and to meet him. Be sure to visit the 'Motor Sport Hall of Fame Showcase' to learn more about him and others.

Chris Evans just before he went on stage to interview James Martin, James May, Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, David Coulthard, Martin Brundle and the event director Bas Bungish.

During Chris Evans interviews, he asked each of the guys to share with us, their memories of their first cars. Adrian Newey's first car was a yellow Lotus Elan which was previously owned by his father and last seen in 1980. It was interesting to hear him describe with a passion how he restored it. The show organisers had tracked down the car and Chris introduced it as a surprise addition to the evening when it was driven down the Grand Avenue for all to see and enjoy, Adrian was visibly thrilled to be reunited.

Adrian drove the car down the Grand Avenue with Chris as passenger for the Lotus Elan to take its place in the procession alongside other classic, veteran and super cars.

We were wowed with a first class display in the Grand Avenue, a runway that I can only describe as a motoring catwalk. Featured were some of the most valuable, rare and desirable classic cars in the world to kick start the new year with an aural explosion. With many of the cars from James Martin's and Adrian Newey's personal collections. Seen here a Mercedes Benz 300SL, with the enclosure behind and the elevated stage, where Chris Evans interviewed the motoring aficionados and organisers. This is just a brief account of a fun filled, educational evening. I highly recommend you go and see for yourselves, the show is on until Sunday 11 January. Thanks for reading I'll be back next month with more news.

Bye for now.

Stella

Inside Rolls-Royce at The Saatchi Gallery

The Saatchi Gallery on the Kings Road, London is playing host to 'Inside Rolls-Royce' a brilliant interactive exhibition and is a celebration of the exquisite craftsmanship that goes into making each and every one of these works of art. If you want to get out of the rain and submerge yourself into a world of pure luxury and experience what it feels like to commission your very own Rolls-Royce then don't miss it.

I won't tell you too much more as you need to see it for yourself, these photographs I took will give you a taster.

On until Sunday 16th November from 10am until 6pm with free entry.

Thanks for reading

Bye for now.

Stella

'A Drive Down Memory Lane' Exhibition Now On

The inaugural Classic and Supercar photographic exhibition 'A Drive Down Memory Lane'  launched

last Sunday 12 October with a VIP audience from the worlds of the music, aviation, sports, jewellery, publishing and fine art industries. The exhibition is currently being held atChartwell Westerham Kent, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill.

Theexhibition showcases my photography of classic and supercars, and is of particular interest to those who haveClassic and/or Supercar collections who would love to have their collection produced in a bespoke hand crafted book.

The majority of the photographs on display at the exhibition were originally taken for a bespoke book which I was commissioned to produce, to mark a special birthday.

The Process

I was approached back in July by Wayne Thornton, event co-ordinator at Chartwell, and was asked to display my Classic and Supercar photography to reflect Sir Winston Churchill's love of the finer things in life. This was an opportunity not to be missed.

In addition to the wide variety of cars I had already ear marked for the exhibition, I also had the honour of photographing a Lanchester 40 hp 1921 and a Rolls Royce 20/25 1935 in front of the house at Chartwell. Some of these photographs also currently feature in the Westerham & Oxted Life magazine.

All the photographs selected for the exhibition have been printed on Museum Quality Fine Art paper and framed in black ash wood with Art Glass to show the true colours of the cars and to minimize reflections by 99%. I can highly recommend this glass to show your photographs or art work at their best. I invested in LED lights to clip on each framed photograph for the finishing touch.

The Launch Afternoon

I had been planning the launch of the exhibition for sometime and was both nervous and excited, there was a lot to do to bring it all together, not to mention my speech - don't forget I'm use to being behind a camera!

I wanted the afternoon to reflect a little bit of nostalgia from the 1940s, with sparkling wine from Squerryes Court served in original champagne saucers (2 cases of the saucers were found in my parents' attic from their restaurant days) and Spirit of Kent beer from the Westerham Brewery served in traditional half pint dimpled beer jugs, with waitresses dressed in white aprons and decorative hats to complete the look.

The sound track for the afternoon was a compilation I put together from Vera Lynn, Glenn Miller, The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, and Charlie Parker as we worked our way through the decades to present day.

A number of visitors had brought their classic cars with them to set the scene, but the star of the show has to be the 'Tucker 48'.

The Tucker 48

The 'Tucker 48' is an iconic car was made in the 1940s by the great inventor Preston Tucker - of which only 50 were ever made. The car in the photographs is the 49th and the ONLY one in Europe. The last time it was seen in public was in 2008 when it won 'Best in Class' at the prestigious Cartier Style et Luxe Concour D'Elegance at Goodwood.

We are honoured to have this very car for the duration of the exhibition positioned at the front of the house for all to admire.

The Car Photography on Display

A car from each decade that Sir Winston Churchill was resident at Chartwell 1922 - 1965 are amongst the photographs on display. The exhibition is a car lovers dream. If classic cars aren’t your favourite there is also photography on display of some modern day high performance cars, such as the Ferrari Enzo, Ford GT and the Ferrari California.

The launch was a huge success - thank you to all who attended.

The Mulberry Room at Chartwell is proving to be the exhibition hotspot in Kent. A huge light and airy space, to showcase art works with well sign posted access from the M25, A25 and A21. The exhibition is held until Sunday 26 October - and please check the Chartwell website for opening times.

Testimonial by Catherine & Randolph Churchill (great grandson of Sir Winston Churchill) after the launch of the exhibition 12th October; “What a wonderful exhibition you organised at Chartwell yesterday evening. Randolph, John and I so enjoyed seeing your magnificent photographs as well as the fabulous cars on display. The rain certainly did not dampen the spirits as we all looked at the array of magnificent cars.”

I'll be back in two weeks with my next newsletter.

If you have enjoyed reading this newsletter and would like to read previous ones you may have missed please click this link www.smscreativephotography.co.uk/blog

Thanks for reading

Bye for now.

Stella

Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 2014

Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 2014

I'd been looking forward to going to the Wilton Classic and Supercar Show for a while now. 

The show took place in the grounds of the Wilton House Estate, near Salisbury.

The Wilton Classic and Supercar Show 2014 is an annual event, now in it's sixth year,

and took place on Sunday10th August. The show is the brain child of Lord Pembroke

the current resident of this ancestral home and his friend Jay Broom,

and was set up to share their love of classic and supercars with the public.

The show was suitable for all the family and had something to offer the local residents as well as avid petrol heads.

Major car manufactures were given the opportunity to showcase their latest cars, hot off the production line.

This years event hosted a demonstration rally event too.

The weather on Sunday started off wet and windy but it didn't discourage the crowds

who travelled from all over the UK to share a little bit of car culture.

Let me tell you more...

What Was On Display

There was a broad selection of cars on display including the only Aston Martin Bertone Jet in the world.

McLaren P1 a selection of Ferrari's

including a 1957 250 Testa Rossa and the Bugatti EB10 and the car above the 1959 Chevrolet Corvette.

The centre piece for the "head to head" theme for the show,

in which classic icons met their modern counterparts, was the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

and SLS AMG,  and also showcasing the BMW M1 and i8, Lamborghini Miura and Huracan.

The parade of over 150 supercars featured marques such as Bugatti, Pagani, McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin.

In front of Wilton House’s south façade, on the South Lawn, visitors could get up close to some rarely seen classics,

fortunately by this time the sun was out, umbrellas down, coats off and engines roaring.

Rally Car Display

The grounds also boasted a real life high-speed demonstration of superb Group B rally cars on an authentic rally stage,

with the Race2Recovery team joining

the action in the Bowler Wildcats that they fielded in the gruelling Dakar Rally earlier this year.

My Car Photography Exhibition

I will be launching my inaugural exhibition at Chartwell in Westerham, Kent, the family home of Sir Winston Churchill, featuring some of the most iconic cars from each of the decades he lived there, between 1922 until his death in 1965.

Sir Winston Churchill had a great sense of style and appreciated the finer things in life.

The exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks in October. I will tell you more about this event in forthcoming newsletters.

I am in the early stages of planning which photographs to exhibit and who to send press releases to. Amongst the photographs on

display there will be classic and supercars, my www.stellascordellis.com website will tell you more about me in this field.

Oh, by the way, the title to my exhibition is:-

"A Drive Down Memory Lane"

Where This All Began

My passion for car photography started when I was a child and shared my brothers'

interest in anything with wheels and an engine.

I started my photographic career at just 15 years old when I went to work at a

photographic studio in Croydon as a Saturday girl.

I left school the following year to start an apprenticeship with a three year

day release course at their commercial studio.

It's been a long and varied journey and my love of photographing people as well as cars has

led me to explore this exciting direction my business takes me to.

The Rolls Royce, Silver Cloud 1963 below was photographed as part of my course work whilst at college,

and looking back this is where it all began...

Thanks for reading. If you didn't go to the Wilton Classic and Supercar Show  this year,

its well worth going to next year, you won't be disappointed!

Bye for now.

Stella

Edenbridge Car Pageant

On Monday 26th May I drove a few miles south to Edenbridge to see (and hear) for myself what the car pageant I had read about had to offer. The weather was overcast and wet, not ideal for such an occasion. The event was organized by the Eden Valley Chamber of Commerce as part of the Edenbridge Fun Day. As a member of the Oxted Chamber of Commerce I caught site of an email from our chairman letting us know what another local chamber were up to over the Bank Holiday weekend. I’m very glad I took note of this because what unfolded filled me with delight and added so much to my visual and mental portfolio of cars! All on my doorstep in Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent.

John Surtees OBE

Edenbridge is the hometown of Motor sport legend John Surtees OBE.

This year John is celebrating 50 years since he won his Formula 1 World Championship title as well as his 80th birthday. John Surtees OBE is a one off; the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. John proudly showcased his F1 bikes and cars outside his Bradford shop, Station Road, the Surtees team factory and business base for the past 56 years. The cars were built at this address and mainly by local residents. Edenbridge High Street was closed to allow the parade to take centre stage. It was led by John in the Ferrari 158 which he won the 1964 Formula One Driver’s World Championship, and was followed by Team Surtees Formula 1 cars of the Seventies driven by Scott Malvern and Robbie Kerr.

Exhibition and Book

John will be launching his book “My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels” on June 19th 2014. The book contains over 250 photographs some of which were on display at TOPFOTO Gallery also in Fircroft Way. The photographs are an incredible account of an incredible man. The majority of the photographs were taken by John Topham a documentary photographer who lived in Edenbridge until he died in 1992, please follow the link to find out more about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Topham_(photographer).

The book can be ordered from Evro Publishing.

The exhibition was an added bonus to my afternoon as it showcased some of John’s finest moments, even better, it was an opportunity to own a limited edition print signed by John Surtees and very reasonably priced too, £50 for an unframed A3 print.

Fund Raising

The event raised funds for the Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Association and The Henry Surtees Foundation.

The foundation was set up in memory of John’s son Henry who was tragically killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009 aged just 18 years, whilst competing.

The Pageant

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many owners turn up with their cars and bikes, they had travelled from all over the country to take part in this prestigious event. I chatted to a few of them who were happy to tell me the history of their cars, one man told me he bought his MG when he was just 18 years old and has owned it for the past 36 years, and was passing it over to his son to enjoy.

Amongst the parade were Ferrari, Aston Martin, MG, Corvette Stingray, Lotus, BMW, Morris Cowley to name just a few. They followed John’s parade of cars and gathered at the Lingfield Road recreation ground, the other end of town, for all to enjoy as part of the fun day.

It was a very enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, thanks to all involved who made this the great success it was, despite the great British weather.

All part of my other passion in life photographing Classic and Super cars. You can see and read a bit more about this on my website www.stellascordellis.com

If you would like to commission me to take photographs of you, your family, or your cars, then please get in touch.

Bye for now!

Thanks for reading, my next newsletter will be in two weeks time.

Stella

Top Marques Monaco 2014

I have had the pleasure of photographing many Super Cars over the past year so I was very excited to be going to Monaco last month to visit the Top Marques event, the most exclusive Super Car Show in the World!

It took place over the Easter Bank holiday, but luckily for me it started on Thursday 17th April so I could get there just for the day on the first flight out of Gatwick and the last one back before Monaco was heaving with all the Easter holiday makers on Good Friday.

My Journey

I flew to Nice airport and got the train from a little train station a short bus ride from the airport called "Nice St Augustin". For a few euros I took the 30 minute journey along the coast line which must be one of the prettiest train journeys I've taken, it certainly beats the East Grinstead to Victoria line that I'm more familiar with.

We stopped at seven stations on the way and the train was certainly filling up with many people visiting Monaco for the tennis or the Top Marque Show. Once I got to Monaco it was an easy walk to the Grimaldi Forum home of the show. As I was approaching the forum I was just in the right place at the right time to photograph the arrival of the Lamborghini Aventador which took pride of place at the entrance to the show and was supplied by aaarentcars .

A Little Bit About Monaco

Monaco officially the principality of Monaco is the second most densely populated country in the world! Prince Albert II is the head of state and has immense political power. Monaco has a coast line of 2.5 miles and the state has no incometax, low business tax and is well known for being a tax haven and is attractive the super wealthy.

The roads were very congested due to the ongoing building work as the new Yacht Club takes shape and the preparation for the Grand Prix in May.

Grimaldi Forum

The Grimaldi Forum is the main exhibition centre and very impressive too. On arrival I was just in time to join in the walk about that was going on with Prince Albert II, I managed to tag along with the press to get a few shots.

The cars on display were an incredible array of dynamic performance and aesthetic genius. With the added option of being able to test drive a selected few, this I'm sure was a big attraction to the many visitors over this four day event!

Super Cars

On display were cars by a variety of manufacturers Noble, Ferrari, Jaguar, McLaren, Quant, Tushek, Tesla, Lexus, Mercedes, Bentley, to name just a few. I was there to promote my photography of Classic and Super cars and met with the spectators to show case my book which is designed with the serious collector in mind who would like to have their car or cars photographed to add value to their collection, but most importantly to document their car as a work of art and to reflect the owners lifestyle and finished in a bespoke limited edition book, this part of my website will tell you more.

If you would like to take time out in Monaco next year the Top Marques Show is from April 16th- 19th April 2015 I'll be back again to soak up a little more of my passion and of course the Cote D'Azur.

Thanks for reading

Stella