Lexus was this year's sponsor of Surface magazine's Avant Guardian competition for aspiring fashion photographers. The photographer Comrade (real name Michael Rodriguez) is a former winner of the competition and so he got the opportunity to shoot three double-page spreads in an advertorial that introduces
this year's competition. The new Lexus IS was shot in a studio in L.A. (5th and Sunset) and the landscapes were photographed on medium format at Sequoia National Park in Northern California. Comrade also did all the painstaking comping and retouching using various software programs such as Maya, Vue, Illustrator and of course Photoshop. "Comrade was perfect for the job. He is a former winner, he knows how to shoot cars, he is great at post-production and he is also very comfortable handling big productions and dealing with clients," says De Luna.
Client: Lexus/Surface Magazine
Agency: In House Creative Team at Surface/Team One
Creative Director/Art Director: Riley John-Donnell/Christopher Sams
Photography Editor: Roberto De Luna
Photographer: Comrade