Travels in Italy with Kodak Portra 160

I couldn’t ask for much more than a splendid Series 1 E-Type up in the Italian mountains. Well worth the trip. 1/320s 70mm F4.0 with polariser.

Every year during the quiet time of winter I cast a wide net to find as many cars as possible to shoot for the following Spring. Usually, I’m hoping to find cars local to me in the South & East of England, so when a Maltese man living in Italy dropped me a message on Facebook I was left scratching my head as to whether he had read my original post. Little did I know that this would soon turn into my most exciting shoot of the year.

Flying over the Alps gave for great views from the plane alone. I always make sure to get a window seat. 1/8000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

After a bit of back and forth I decided that the opportunity of being driven around in wonderful cars in and around North Italy was too good an opportunity to miss, for both the experience and my portfolio. One budget airline and a small hostel later and I arrived and settled into the beautiful city of Verona. Now, whenever you meet someone in person after only speaking to them on the internet there is always that slight worry that they are not quite what they first seemed. Thankfully for me my host Ken was every bit as nice as he’d come across on Facebook and what followed was a cracking weekend.

The big Daimler Double Six. As smooth as you’d expect a big old V12 to be. 1/1000s 35mm F2.2 with polariser.

I was there to photograph two of his cars for Jaguar World Magazine, one of the finest original Series 1 Jaguar E-types around, and a car that had spent its whole life in Verona, and an equally magnificent Daimler Double-Six. To make life even better for me, a heavy shower of rain had completely cleared the atmosphere of moisture and everywhere I looked I was greeted by stunning views of the mountains. Boy, was I keen to drive out to them in one of these cars! As well as shooting the images I needed for the magazine digitally, I captured most of the long weekend on rolls of Kodak Portra 160 using my trusty Nikon F100, which are the images you see in this (and next week’s) blog.

This original Series 1 Jaguar E-Type is one of the finest you’ll ever see. 1/1000s 35mm F2.2 with polariser.

The mountains made for a great backdrop. 1/320s 70mm F4.0 with polariser.

The first full day was pretty heavy going as we did both shoots back-to-back with the help of Ken’s daughter Celine. Ken knew someone with a very pretty Italian villa which made for the perfect backdrop for such high-end cars. Once the statics were out the way for the Daimler and for both cars together, it was time to head off to a second location in the E-type. Initially we headed back to the ‘Blue Room’ where Ken securely stores all of his cars, dropped off Celine and then drove to the mountains. Here we were in the pre-Alps, nothing massive but still very impressive. Certainly, much more so than the flat farmlands I am used to back home.

At the end of the day Ken drove me up to the top of a viewpoint over the city which made for a great opportunity for nightscape shots. 1.3s 58mm F1.4 +1 1/2 stops.

Certainly a romantic spot and we were surrounded by plenty of young couples. 1.3s 58mm F1.4 +1 1/2 stop.

Fortunately, Ken isn’t one of those people who’s overly precious with his cars (which makes sense given he rallies them), so after driving up a rough dirt track we managed to find the perfect spot to park the car up with mountains in the background. This is why I came to Italy, and it is a shoot that will certainly live long in the memory.  Statics completed we headed out to get the driving shots, at least one of which I look forward to one day printing out and putting up on my wall. The last order of the day was to get back, switch cars and finish up with driving shots of the Daimler which we managed to do along a road running by a river not too far out of town. A long day but a very productive and successful one.

Travelling to Lake Garda. A heavy rain shower a few days before my trip cleared the air and gave unusually clear views out to the mountains. 1/4000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The Jaguar XJR made for a great ride over to Lake Garda, especially as we had picked up an extra person. 1/4000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The conversion plugin I use for my colour negative photos struggled to handle the outrageous levels of blue in this scene. Seeing such big mountains over an equally big lake is just breathtaking. 1/640s 200mm F4 with polariser.

Having done so much on day one we could take it a bit easier on day two and, in the morning, we planned to head to Lake Garda, somewhere which I believe needs little introduction. However, things took a rather interesting turn. When Ken came to pick me up, we were greeted by a slightly lost looking Dutch woman asking the best way to get to Lake Garda. Ken and I gave each other a bemused glance upon which we mentioned we were about to drive there. She was happy to jump into the back of the car and on we went to pick up Celine before going to the lake. Brave woman, but she did say that we both came across as trustworthy and sometimes that’s enough.

My travel companions for the day. Celine, Ken and our Dutch hitchhiker. 1/640s 110mm F4 with polariser.

Unsurprisingly boat rides were popular with tourists. 1/640s 85mm F4 with polariser.

Now at this point I should mention that this whole thing was only possible due to a couple of coincidences. Originally, we had planned to take the Jaguar XK8, a two-seat roadster, but an newly-discovered fluid leak meant we instead took the Jaguar XJR (yes his collection of Jaguars is pretty damn impressive), a much larger car with a full five seats. Second, Ken had arrived a bit later than originally planned due to a family emergency. But with these two things in place, it meant we were at the right place at the right time with the right car to take our new passenger out to the Lake. But it didn’t stop there. It turned out this woman went to the same university in the Netherlands that Celine’s sister was going to later in the year, and after a bemusing phone call it was decided to have the two of them meet up later that day. Just a few hours later this person who had been a complete stranger was helping prepare lunch back at Ken’s house. I certainly can’t knock the Italians for their hospitality.

The town of Lazise itself is also picturesque with plenty of Italian stone buildings. 1/3200s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

Wandering the streets with a gelato was a lovely way to spend a morning. 1/1250s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The Jaguar XJR looking the business in this mirrored window. 1/1000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

But back to Lake Garda. It’s not hard to see why the whole area is such a tourist trap. It’s blue, it’s really really blue. I think the only way we’d have a lake this colour in the UK is if we had a chemical spill! Standing in the town of Lazise and looking out across the lake, I was struggling to comprehend that the land I was seeing on the other side was a large spit of land that was only halfway to the other side of the lake. It’s enormous. It’s a pity we had so little time here, but it is certainly somewhere I intend to come back to in the future. But at least I had a chance to wonder the streets with an authentic Italian gelato in hand.

This grand Italian Chateau was the original home for the Series 1 E-Type back in the 1960s. 1/800s 35mm F4.0.

The E-type outside of the garage where it originally lived. 1/200s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

However, we had to get back, as we had an important appointment we certainly couldn’t miss. We were taking the E-type back to the home of its original owner where the nephew now lived. This grand building was an impressive example of an Italian Chateau, with amazing pieces of history inside to match the age of the building. I was fortunate enough to get a full tour of the house, which had some splendid paintings of various members of the family going back centuries. Again, something that wouldn’t have been possible without Ken’s great local connections.

The inside of the chateau was reminiscent of a museum, with amazing historical pieces of interest as well as large collections of art. 1/60s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The fine collection of paintings were a highpoint of the tour of the house. 1/60s 35mm F1.4.

The garden out the back was filled with classical features. 1/600s 58mm F1.4.

The final stop of the day was an attractive hotel local to where Ken lives that is clearly owned by a very eccentric individual. Walking into the foyer you are met with this strange fusion of old-style architecture and 1960s psychedelia. A magnificent glass chandelier, large photos of slightly odd-looking nudes and gold statues of women contorting themselves as they emerge from giant clam shells. It’s certainly something that has to be seen to be believed and was another interesting touchpoint for my trip.

The final stop on my tour with Ken lead me to this attractive hotel. 1/1000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

The inside is a product of great eccentricity and has to be seen to be believed. 1/60s 35mm F1.4.

I feel that these statues are very reminiscent of something out of the early James Bond films. 1/40s 35mm F1.4.

The pretty garden out to the rear. 1/1600s 35mm F1.4.

With my time with Ken drawing to a close I had one day left which I will write about in next week’s blog. The days I had spent with him however had been both memorable and productive and I am happy to say that both articles will soon be published in the upcoming issues of Jaguar World. Keep an eye out at your local WHSmith and keep your fingers crossed for a shot on the front cover.

Wisteria hung liberally around the gardens. 1/1000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

The front garden with its large fountain. Much less psychedelic on the outside. 1/400s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.

Ken and I. Luckily I didn’t blink when I handed my Nikon F100 to Celine to take this photo. 1/100s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.

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