Driving Home for Christmas

Lake Tahoe
California - 2024

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I had this photograph in my mind for a good year or two before I took it. Mountain roads with snow tunnels this high are not easy to find and even then, filming on them can be a logistical challenge as there are always going to be other cars on the road.

Our research led us to a mountain area near Lake Tahoe that always has high accumulation of snow throughout the winter. But my ambition of bringing in a 1953 Ferrari and a wolf to the set took the production effort to a challenging level. The car was worth around $12m and we certainly didn’t need any accidents, but we simply had to use it; it is so beautiful.

My default position is to make my work as attention grabbing as possible - and since I tend to make photographs rather than take them - the key is always in the preparation. As I saw the frame develop in my head, I imagined this is a colour photograph, as the burgundy of the Ferrari would pop against the white of the snow; if there was a bend in the road, we could use that to make the backdrop as uniform as possible.

I guess this photograph has a fairytale vibe and that was my intent. She is simply driving home for Christmas.

Brooks Nader is so good to work with; she is family to us and smashes every role we give her.
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