The 'JWJ Collection' Book

The Brief

To photograph a personal collection of twenty-two different cars and bikes for the recipients 60th birthday. Commissioned by a wife for her husband, she wanted him to be able to appreciate and enjoy all his cars in one place, admire the individuality of each one and create an archive for future generations. Each car had to be photographed in a location special to the family and in a setting that suited the style of the car which included their homes in the UK and Florida.

The finished results were to be showcased in a bespoke handcrafted book - one for each of their four homes.

The Process

Firstly, the location of each car and bike had to be identified and incorporated into a photoshoot schedule. There was only a four-month window to shoot all 22 cars and bikes, so time was of the essence!

I took care to style the setting for each individual vehicle and found locations to suit each of the cars. This involved detailed research to understand the individual provenance of each car.

There were many different factors to take into consideration during this project. For example, one of the cars was undergoing restoration work in a specialist garage, so I arranged for the photographs to be taken on-site with studio lighting which reflected the era the car was built in.

An Indian Board Racer bike, which was also one of the vehicles to be featured in the collection, was displayed in their lounge as a piece of art and so their home and the details of the craftsmanship of the bike, feature in the final shot.

I edited and finished the images ready to work with the designer, book printers, and bindery to create a perfect finish. By paying meticulous attention to detail including the foil lettering on the spine and face of the cover, and selecting the correct shade of orange for the cloth cover.

Testimonial

“I enjoyed working with Stella on the photoshoots to bring our ideas to life. My husband loves his cars which was the reason I was keen to give him something he hadn’t thought of buying for himself. 

I must say the whole process was fun and exciting, seeing all the parts come together. The reaction from my husband when I presented him with the book was priceless! I cannot thank you enough, the book is a work of art that we will treasure forever and pass to our children and grandchildren to marvel over”.  Jenny - London, UK