At last, we're back in business! It's been a long time since the gorgeous Stratos, but let's see if we can't find a gallery to better it. Is this Dark Avenger going to be the one to do it?
The first shot, then. "I'm a scenery man", indeed we know! This is a glorious use of the surroundings, I love the way it's vivid without looking saturated. The rumble strip in the bottom corner (where it always seems to be!) is incredibly clear, and the clouds almost look real. The car itself seems very dark in these surroundings, but in no way dull. It makes the car seem rather menacing, especially in that we can't even see the wheel rims or much detail on the side. A very well composed shot, and as always it goes well with its task of opener.
Into the thumbnails...
I knew a photo of this car 'burnin' rubber' would appear somewhere! It's still on the line, of course, and a little bit of body lean adds to the overall realistic feel of this shot - the crisp lines are spoilt a little by Polyphony's laziness with the green bank in the background, but even so it adds a nice accent to the photo. Perhaps this would've looked nicer with the afterburners lit, to add some more interest to the car.
The second thumb - a striking shot. Again the kerb in the bottom corner is very sharply captured, in contrast with the blurred clouds, which make the sky look like an overspeed vortex of some sort, rather like the car is creating its own weather! To the untrained eye the car looks so straight-on to the camera it could be parked, but with that much body roll I doubt that somehow
sideways but in control. I like the row of hills in the background, too.
Afterburners! Now, those have been modified slightly, haven't they - surely they aren't that red on the original car, but more orangey?
The advertisements are taking my eye in this shot, they're very crisp. Tilted camera works well here, giving the impression of rolling into the coming corner. Again it's bright and colourful, again in contrast with the dark and moody style of the car. The distance-warning signs are a nice touch, as well.
The fourth thumb, I hoped this camera would see use. Having the bottom of the Corkscrew in the background looks great, and again everything is beautiful vivid colours. The blurring adds a good impression of speed, and seems suitable here - the car is dead flat and level, powering on into the next corner, making it appear very skillful and practised as well as fast. Very good.
The last thumbnail... This is a very unique shot, I've never seen this angle used before. It seems a little dark in comparison, and lacking the many colours of the others. The only thing relieving this is the fencing to the right, which helps slightly, although the tree to the left just looks a bit odd. I don't really like over-crest shots such as these, and usually the only redeeming factor is being able to see the sky underneath the car, which I like. Unfortunately, the car's too far over the hill in this one and so, it's my least favourite photo here.
The final photo of this set, then - oh yes, and it's a good one. Believably taken by a marshall or spectator at the top of the Corkscrew, who watched you slide two wheels over the dusty gravel and captured it being blown up by your passing. The car is very sharp indeed in this photo, and looks long and sleek - in fact, I could possibly mistake it for a GT-R in this shot. I really like this photo, the angle is extremely good, the colours are bright but not saturated and the idea itself is great. A brilliant photo!
Overall, this is a very nice update. For the most part, the photos are bright, interesting and very cool. The lowliness of this car (comparatively speaking, that is
) is not at all noticable. I was at first very surprised to see an 'ugly' rear wing fitted, but in fact all it does is add to the impression that this car is a lot better than its name suggests. Genius work once more. My favourite by far is the spectacular last shot. 👍 👍
DE
