“Oh-ho!” says one of the onlookers, “I hear a bull. An angry bull is coming!”
Atop a parking garage in Vancouver’s Gastown, the echoing and re-echoing note of a large-displacement V12 hammers off hard concrete surfaces, seeming to come from every direction at once. Slowly, the beast climbs, a roaring crescendo, and we wait.
Behind the Lens: shootingwith automotive photographer Marcel Lech.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
It’s a rare bright day in Rain City, and the sun is still warm where it glints off the glass skyscrapers and filters past the revolving W of the Woodward’s Building. Our hunter is studying the light, framing the shot in his mind. He guides his prey forward a little, to the left, lining up the perfect angle, readying his weapon.
*click*
Captured.
Welcome to supercar-crazy downtown Vancouver, a place where you can stand on a corner and spot the finest works of Maranello, Sant’Agata Bolognese, Stuttgart, and Goodwood. There’s a rare matte-black bull on the concrete slab in front of us, one you’re not likely to see cruising on ordinary streets. It’s a Lamborghini Reventón, the million-dollar Lambo – and it’s not the first time it’s been bagged by our shooter.
Marcel Lech, founder of Marcel Lech photography, has shot it all. Like many big guys, he’s soft-spoken and self-deprecating, but once the photoshoot is on, he gets his game face on. “If you take bad photos, no one’s going to call you,” is his simple business plan. Marcel doesn’t take bad photos.
Marcel Lech’s finished product from our photoshoot.
Supplied, Marcel Lech Photography
This particular assemblage of high-end sheetmetal – a Mercedes-Benz SLS Black-series, a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster and the Reventón, a Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II, and a pair of SUVs – is part of a magazine advertisement shoot to run in a local West Vancouver lifestyle paper. Commercial sessions like this are one way Lech and his business partner Justin Cheung keep the lights on, but it’s a part-time gig for both of them. The last six months have been very successful, but it’s taken a while to get here.
Marcel shoots and Justin bags and tags, if you will. The latter’s skills lie in the social media world, in leveraging brand interest and exposure to millions through Instagram and other next-generation broadcast platforms. As he puts it, “I don’t need to translate a shot of an exotic car to people who don’t speak English. It’s a universal language.” The pair are also involved in photographing other luxury goods like jewellery and watches, but cars are where they got their toehold in the market.
To date, Lech has photographed upwards of 20 Aventadors, Ferrari 458s, McLaren MP4-12Cs, and all the other mid-engined exotica that’s almost common around central Vancouver. He’s also got put notches on his lens for Porsche‘s plug-in hypercar, the 918, as well as the McLaren P1. Tuner culture is a big part of his portfolio too, covering a full spread from a local owner of an original Hakosuka Nissan GT-R, to a modern R35 GT-R wearing an insane Liberty Walk body kit and packing 850 horsepower.
RWB-tuned Porsche 911, courtesty Marcel Lech.
Supplied, Marcel Lech Photography
Factory-prepped supercars aren’t unique enough for many status-conscious owners in Vancouver, and many of the cars Lech has shot have been heavily customized with rare carbon fibre aerodynamic enhancements. One of these local shoots led to a flight to Miami to photograph a manufacturer’s catalogue, gaining exposure.
The pair have a few tips for would-be photographers. Time spent scouting locations means knowing where to shoot depending on time of day; having a few spots in your back pocket is incredibly useful for impromptu photo sessions like this one, where Lech was contacted overnight for a rush job. Cheung has another tip: “Bring donuts along. It helps to bribe friendly security guards.”
However, the key to Marcel’s success isn’t a secret: do good work, constantly aim for perfection, and find your own style. For a given photoshoot, it’s not just the time spent behind the camera either, hours are burned in post-processing, getting everything just right.
Lamborghini Aventador, courtesy Marcel Lech.
Supplied, Marcel Lech Photography
Cheung and Lech have been toiling on various shooting sessions since 2011, and are just now starting to see both widespread recognition and the paycheques that come with it. A major mainstream brand photo session is planned in the upcoming months, as well as the potential to travel overseas to capture a bevy of rare machines.
It’s been a long road, but the big break finally came at the tail-end of 2013. A local Lamborghini owner equipped his all-black Aventador with a ski-box, snow-tires, and a protective wrap, and went ripping up through the top of Cypress Ski Hill after a dump of snow. Thus was born the “Snowventador.”
Similar to Swedish professional freestyle-skier and Red Bull team member Jon Olsson’s ski-box-equipped cars, the Snowventador laid down a new gauntlet for snow-blasting exotics and Lech’s photos went viral. This was immediately backed up by a second Aventador photoshoot, this one wrapped in camouflage based on BAPE, a Japanese high-end clothing brand. It too went viral, and Lech’s Facebook page now has something above 1.6 million Likes.
McLaren P1, courtesy Marcel Lech.
Supplied, Marcel Lech Photography
You can check out more of his work on his website as well as following along on his Instagram, both places where you can see hyper-exotica faithfully captured and displayed.
Instinct and skill, sure, those are both abilities any hunter needs, but if you had to pick one reason Marcel’s star is on the rise, it’s the oldest pair of tricks in the book: persistence and patience. I can’t wait to see what’s going to end up in his trophy case next.
Behind the Lens: shootingwith automotive photographer Marcel Lech.
Brendan McAleer, Driving
