Snap Decisions

In the second part of photographer Tom Cunningham’s truck photography features, he selects a few of his favourite images and explains how, why and where they were shot

- Tom Cunningham

Renault’s cold mountain

Advertising images often command a much bigger budget and are inherently complex. So let’s briefly walk you through the entire process of this image, from start to finish.

The critical decision is obviously made by the client, who decides they need an image for an advertising campaign. During a conference call, it was agreed the brief should reflect the T High’s long-distance capabilities, space and ergonomics.

Renault’s agency is Stream Ltd, based in Marlow, Bucks. Their account director, art director and myself began a consultation process, the result of which is a set of rough drawings (known as ‘scamps’ in advertising lingo). I take the process forward from here.

To best communicate the art director’s vision, we decided to shoot the truck element of the project in the studio, where we know we are safe from the weather and have ultimate control over the lighting. With that bit complete, I had to find a suitable backdrop.

Years before this project I’d been on a car shoot in and around Capel Curig, Caernarfonshire and remembered the views across Llynnau Mymbyr to Snowdonia. I often send a location to myself via WhatsApp, so I don’t forget! Anyway, it was just perfect. Mountains, trees, water, all in the right place. The next challenge was the sky. Lots of photographers have image banks full of skies to drop in when the need arises. I am no different. The sky for this image was shot in Miami three years beforehand, with the same camera. Finally, unable to source a suitable piece of clean tarmac, the foreground and reflection were created using CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) by Floss, the post-production house who pulled the whole project together.