THE CRAFTING OF FERRARI WITH PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTOFFER RUDQUIST.

What first interested you about industrial photography?

We constantly use things like tooth brushes and cars, rarely wondering how they came into being.

Whatever I use I always wonder how and why, so for me to be able to see things like this close and upfront is truly a boyhood dream.

Everything can be shot in a million ways, for me to be able to photograph these situations in the way I perceive them in my own bubble is fantastic! It’s a true luxury as a photographer.

When shooting luxury cars what camera would you use to gain the best image quality?

I use a technical camera, the Arca Swiss, I’ve been using these cameras for many years. Even if I use a digital back, it follows the same technique as with any other large format camera.

Like any other large format camera it doesn’t work quickly. This to me is what I really like when using my Arca, I have to walk around, take time, see what is interesting, think again, have a coffee, and set up the camera. Once the setup is done, focus is set, exposure fixed. A silent click and 4-5 seconds later another click, and the photograph is taken.

What do you find most inspiring about shooting luxury cars in this way?

The thing that I find mostly inspiring when seeing luxury cars being made is the involvement of hands. The hands sometimes appear to be more important than the eyes. Its as if the master craftsmen can feel the surface of the car with their fingertips and make a decision if all is up to standard.

At the Ferrari factory in Modena we saw how masters filed areas of the car by hand into perfection. Striking the area to feel the difference with their hands. It reminded me of the techniques I’ve seen wood workers using to feel the smoothness of the piece, or how Japanese propeller sharpeners, wielding a sword looking sharpening tool over the edge of a brass propeller to shape it into perfection, reducing the drag of the boat, hence increasing fuel efficiency. These are techniques you learn over a long period of time very much like a good tailor, but its something we do not necessarily connect with industrial manufacturing.