The 2014 St. Petersburg Grand Prix Gala featuring a Ferrari F430 and a Ferrari 458 Italia - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRLast Friday evening was my second year in a row receiving a media pass to the 2014 St. Petersburg Grand Prix Gala. I got to see a number of interesting cars last year, including Lexus LFA #406. This year, there was only one car I had not seen before, the Maserati Ghibli.
Mingling among supercars at the 2014 St. Pete Grand Prix Gala - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRMaybe it was because I got there just as the event started at 7pm, but it seemed to be a bit of a low key affair this time. Then again I only go to be able to see supercars, so having not that many people around when I was shooting is a plus.
Guests of the 2014 St. Petersburg Grand Prix Gala with a racecar - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRWhen photographing the same event as years past, I try to find shots I did not before. This year I went up to the open second floor to make photographs from a bird's eye view of the gala. I am not sure why this never occurred to me last year.
I have seen this Ferrari 458 Spider many times before - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRContributing to the smaller feel to the gala this year also was that there were only three cars outside. Last year I got to make one of my favorite images of the year, framing a row of cars with the open scissor door of a Ford GT supercar. At least the lack of cars let me photograph the above Ferrari 458 Spider from a couple of angles, which I will feature in a future post. However, I already saw this particular Ferrari last year and actually see it regularly driving around my neighborhood. Is it possible for a Ferrari to become commonplace in my mind??
The stunning Maserati Ghibli at the 2014 St. Pete Grand Prix - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 5-exposure HDRThe best part of this year's gala for me, by far, was getting to see the Maserati Ghibli in person. Immediately I thought this is a stunning car and the best looking sedan I have ever seen. The Ghiblie previous to this was not a car I thought about much or daydreamed about. That all changed after seeing this beautiful metallic gray Ghibli seemingly waiting for me to just come and photograph it, if not drive home with it!
 |
 |