I had the opportunity to shoot Tyler’s Daytona Blue Nissan 350Z last week. He drove all the way from Temecula, Ca so the pressure was on again to make his trip worthwhile. I didn’t want him to drive all the way out here just to shoot in a parking garage so we went out into the hills of Santiago Canyon for this shoot. You might recognize the location from a couple of my other shoots but I love how wide open and picturesque it is there. The best part is that the location is fairly secluded and I haven’t been hassled by any authorities yet. That in itself is worth the drive out.

I had originally planned to utilize my strobes while there was still daylight but we started shooting at a perfect time and the light on the car was great. Nothing wrong with a little natural light now and again. I was really happy with how the front quarter rig shot came out.

If you haven’t already skipped my mindless rambling and checked out the photos, Tyler has done an awesome job modifying his Nissan 350z, inside and out. If you were curious, here’s a list of his modifications:

Body:
Nismo V2 Front Bumper
Nismo USDM Side Skirts
Nismo Rear Valences
Nismo Carbon Pillar Garnish
’06 Headlights, Custom Graphite Silver

Brakes/Suspension/Wheels:
Volk TE37 18×9.5/10.5 +12F, +15R
Toyo T1-R 245/275 35/18
SPC A-Arms
SPC Camber Arms
SPC Toe Bolts
BC Racing Coilovers
Stoptech 6-piston Front Brakes

Engine:
Nismo Cat-back
Berk HFC’s
Cobb Stage 2 Reflash
Motordyne 5/16 Plenum Spacer
Color Matched Engine Cover

Interior:
Custom Covered OEM Seats
Pioneer Avic D3
JL 10W7
JL xSI 6.5 Components
Infinity Kappy 6.5 Rear Speaker
JL 500/1 and 450/4 Amps
Wicked C.A.S. Door Pods
RSW CF Window Switch Overlay

BJ requested a few rig shots and this one in particular gave me a bit of trouble. First off, because of the angle of the rig, the suction cups blocked a lot of the hood requiring a lot of touch up on the actual vehicle. I usually try to minimize that because too much touch up ends up looking cheesy.

Secondly, the pole itself goes through a relatively detailed section. I usually try to avoid that because it’s harder to retouch than a plain ceiling or wall. It took a little doing, but I managed to clone the pole out.

Lastly, I don’t know what it is about silver, but I was having a hard time blending the cloning and the airbrushing I did. Especially when I was trying to remove the shadow of the rig on the car.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with how the shot came out. Just goes to show you what a little patience and a few beers will accomplish.

BJ hit me up for a shoot because he’s lookin to sell his 350Z and he wanted some good shots before he let it go. He specifically asked me to focus on certain rig shots so thats what I did. Post processing took a bit longer but I try to accomodate my customers as best I can. The clean Nismo front bumper and the 19 inch Work Meister S1′s really set this car off. All in all, the shoot went great. BJ’s a good guy and was easy to work with. Whoever ends up buying his car is gonna be really happy.

Modifications:

2003 Nissan 350Z / Track Model / Chrome Silver/

Factory Packages and Options: Navigation / 18inch Rays Track wheels / OEM Brembo Front and Rear BBK / OEM trunk spoiler

Aftermarket Parts: Nismo Version 2 with Canards bumper (replica) – Quality paint by Makito (Seven Apple)
Work Meister S1 19×9.5 – 19×10.5 | Toyo T1r 255/35 – 275/35
Tanabe GF210 lowering springs
GReddy Evo2 Full exhaust
Veilside V1 Carbon sides
Jim Wolf Popcharger
Stoptech Front Rotors
Hawk HPS Brake pads
Polished Tow Hook

I combined these 3 images

to get this image

Mel contacted me on My350z.com for a photoshoot of his highly modified Nissan 350Z. With a full Vertex body kit and custom FIVE:AD rims, he is well on his way to building an awesome machine. The way Mel modified his Nissan 350z was clean and subtle, but at the same time the car screams “Check me out!” But don’t take it from me, check out these photos:

Here’s a list of his current modifications just in case you saw something you liked.

Interior

Sparco Milano 2 Suede Seats
Momo Shift Knob

Vertex 10th Anniversary Edition Steering Wheel

Works Bell GTC Flip Up Hub

Works Bell Short Boss Hub

Carbon Fiber Instrument Cluster Cover

Exterior

Vertex Front Full Bumper

Vertex Side Skirts

Vertex Rear Full Bumper

M1 Autobody Spray On Clear Bra

2006 OEM Bi- Xenon Head Lights Painted Matte Black

2006 OEM LED Tail Lights

S2000 Antenna

Engine

Gruppe M Carbon Fiber Intake

Gruppe M Carbon Fiber Ram Air System

K&N Filter

Mirror Polished Plenum

Carbon Fiber Z Tube

Carbon Fiber Brake Fluid Cover

Carbon Fiber Battery Cover

Custom Blue Grounding Wire Kit

NGK Iridium Spark Plugs

Motordyne 5/16 Isothermal Spacer

HKS Hi Power Dual Titanium Exhaust

In Car Entertainment

Pioneer 6500-DVD Headunit

Pioneer Navigation

Pioneer 12 Disc Changer
IPOD FM Modulator

Pioneer 6.5” Separates and Speakers

Wheels/Tires

Two FiveAD S5:F 19×9.5 +35 Offset in Matte Gunmetal

Two FiveAD S5:F 19×10.5 +33 Offset in Matte Gunmetal

Project Kics 20mm Spacers for the front

Project Kics 25mm Spacers for the rear
Two Toyo T1-R 255/35/19

Two Toyo T1-R 275/35/19

Brakes

Project Mu 4-Piston Forged Front Brake Kit

Project Mu 355mm SCR-PRO Front Rotors

Project Mu B-Force Pads Front & Rear

Project Mu Teflon Brake Lines

Project Mu G-Four Brake Fluid

Suspension

Eibach Pro-Kit Springs

Tokico D-Spec Adjustable Shocks

SPC Rear Adjustable Arms

SPC Adjustable Toe Bolts

Cusco Polished Front Strut Bar