The new-for-2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S is an apex predator on pavement. It’s simultaneously an elite 200-mph sports car and an earnestly comfortable, accessible luxury vehicle. I died and went to heaven behind the wheel, but before I got there, I connected with photog Jonathan Harper to get a set of his signature ultra-glossy after dark images with the car. Enjoy.
Harper, also known simply as JBH, is a self-taught photographer specializing in cars, based mainly in Los Angeles and sometimes New York. If you take a scroll through his Instagram you’ll see a lot of German hardware, Porsches especially. He does commercial and editorial work–you might have seen his Panamera longroof pics from my review of that car a few months ago.
Harper has developed something of a specialty in light painting. I asked him why he’s into it and he explained a bit via email:
“As a car fanatic I love to make cars look good through photography. Natural light is nice but you have to be in the right place at the right time to really make the most of it. What I like about night photography like this is that I can control the light and make what I want with it. I use an LED wand to highlight certain parts of the design. It also lets me show the true color of the car, this is especially true for darker colors that may get a bit lost in lower natural light. Guards Red has no issue with that, it looks so good under the light.”
“Even though my style and workflow has changed quite a bit since I wrote this basic guide to light painting, it could still get someone started on this type of photography.”
He also broke out a prism, to create some interesting lighting effects, on this particular photoshoot, which you’ll see a few slides in.
