Martin James Photography

It’s one of the most glamourous and picturesque locations in the world, exclusive abode of the rich and famous. It’s a place where people like to see, and be seen. In short, Monte Carlo is a photographer’s dream. But when you’re asked to capture, in still and moving image, a four day event that involves a supercar showcase, a race up into the hills, a presentation out in the bay surrounded by billionaires, and a hotel that markets itself as luxury perfection, you start to do something very quickly: panic! Sorry, did we say panic? We meant plan!

We pulled out all the stops for this one: working in conjunction with Eddie Jordan and the charity he represents, we brought in a drone team from the UK, flying a high-end DSLR to track the cars speeding round the circuit. We mapped out all the points we’d need to shoot. We assigned multiple photographers and videographers to specific moments in the schedule. It was a huge project and by the time we flew out to Monaco we were raring to go.

Capturing the essence of such a glamourous event is all about the details; from following specific people (we had to know where they would be, where they were going, and what time they would be there) to working alongside car companies like Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, BMW and Audi, everything had to be perfect. The car companies, especially, wanted to make sure their cars were captured on brand and in-line with their marketing messaging. We even took some shots for the Fairmont Hotel itself.

But by far the success of this project was the unplanned moment in which we orchestrated a temporary shut-down of the main road outside the Fairmont, getting all the cars to line up and perform a grid start. The traffic was building up as we simulated a race day countdown: 3…2…1…and they were off, leaving us with a feeling of absolute awe, and some of the most electrifying photos we’ve ever shot.