1969 GTO Judge - Driving With Style

Brad spent at least an hour positioning the cars relative to each other and to the building behind them. The three owners moved their cars an inch forward or back, turned them slightly and positioned their steering wheels many times until just the right combination was found. Brad used a Canon EOS 1DS with a Canon 28-70 zoom lens, fastened to a 12-foot high Gitzo tripod to get the proper angle. I was on the ground recording what Brad was doing with my 10.1 mega-pixel Pentax and a more conventionally-sized tripod. Brad used specialized equipment to get the desired effect and the results certainly show what five hours of prep-aration can achieve. The final shot was used for this issue's centerspread and the cover.

In order to provide the proper mood, extras were used to sit in the Athens Coney Island diner, to make it look like it was open. The ruse worked, as the photographers had to shoo away people looking for dinner. At least one woman became very irate-apparently the hot dogs there are that good!

After The Shoot
Once the shoot was complete, Brad began to work on a composite of the shots taken throughout the day. Since Brad's camera and the Judges remained stationary for the entire shoot, he was able to take shots from mid-afternoon until nightfall that were idential except for the light. From there, he fed all of the shots into a Macintosh computer. Using Adobe Photoshop, he and retouchers assembled a composite of the best exposures of each car, backed by the best overall exposure of the restaurant and the parking lot. "Photoshop allows me to extend my creativity beyond the photography," Brad explained. "After the fact, I can go in and create the image I want that wouldn't be possible just by taking the photo. That's the perfection ailment I'm afflicted with!"

If all that photographic manipulation seems like cheating, it's how most commercial photography is currently produced. Though some Source Interlink magazine covers are assembled in this fashion, this is the first time HPP has had a composite cover.

If you think there aren't any car guys left at GM, think again. Even better, GM has many hardcore Pontiac fans, Jeff Denison being one of the most well-known, both in and out of the corporation. As Lead Digital Designer, Jeff's job is to keep developmental programs on-track and to make sure the designs are properly integrated with the engineering departments.

Being an active hobbyist working for GM, Jeff is frequently consulted on historical topics, and his input with this project is what really helped the idea evolve into this shoot and its integration into the book. Over lunches with Drive Team Manager Brian Baker, the ideas they devised to pay tribute to the GTO in print culminated in the concept for the photos you see here. "As one of the guys who helped organize it and had a car photographed, it was a unique situation for me," Jeff explains. "We worked as a team and we all helped each other. It was an important component of the success of the shoot."

Jeff's '69 Judge is a gorgeous example of the breed, in Warwick Blue with black interior. It's a Ram Air III, four-speed car with 3.55 gears and Safe-T-Track. He purchased it in 1999 and, aside from detailing the engine compartment, hasn't done much except drive it and display it at local shows. This is a car he takes out and has fun with.

In addition to the Judge, Jeff also has his first car, a '67 GTO convertible that he has owned since 1973, a '69 Trans Am convertible clone, a '70 Trans Am and a '98 Grand Prix Daytona Pace Car Replica/GTX that was one of the original four built. Jeff is a very active member of POCI and is a founding member of the new Motor City Chapter.