Our Automotive Associate Creative Director and pro photographer, Mike D’Ambrosio, was on hand to capture MINI Driving Experience footage. For many reasons, this was a shoot unlike any other, and it was also a ton of fun!

How many days was the shoot?

You mean hours? While a location like this would normally require at least two full days, I had just five hours to capture rollers, instructors, static shots and interior details. The short time frame was due to COVID, but we’d be outside and overall very safe.

How do you prepare for a shoot like this?

Three things gave me an advantage:

• I know the location very well.
• I had pro driving instructors helping me out. And I do mean pro.
• I had some logistics guys prepping MINIs I had preselected from their inventory.

What’s it like working with pro drivers?

In short, amazing. They can place the car on a dime consistently, for multiple takes. And they do it with a smile. I worked with Matt (a stunt driver for movies like Ford vs Ferrari, among many others), and Laura, who just happens to race for Thunder Bunny Racing… as a hobby. Both work as instructors at the MINI Driving Experience and BMW Performance Driving School. These are serious people at serious speed, so when shooting, you have to be totally prepared.

Speed? How fast did you actually go?

I’m on a closed course, and my camera car is a fast BMW X5 M50i. Some of these shots were taken at 80 mph, with me shooting out the back with the tailgate open. We’d also have walkie-talkies to help communicate and a clear plan as to what I was trying to capture in that particular shot.

Do you ever get too close?

You’ve probably seen the writing on your car’s passenger mirror “Objects in mirror are closer…” That applies to looking through a lens as well. More than once, I was shooting a driver coming toward me to flick the tail out, only to find the car eventually filling the frame. It was CLOSE. The first time, I jumped up. In reality, the car was still many feet away, but it was a good wake-up call.

I was splashed a lot too…

Do you mess up?

For every one good image, there are 2–3 bad ones. Tons of things are out of your control, like road bumps, sliding around the back and the driver framed incorrectly.

How do you stage the car on the track?

The MINI Driving Experience happens on a race track, but without the rumble strips, it doesn’t always look like a race track. To solve this, I placed the MINIs by striped barriers or picked asphalt that had a lot of rubber marks. Sometimes, I sacrificed location for lighting – the setting sun provided beautiful backlighting.

Is there a difference shooting MINI vs BMW?

MINI as a brand has become more serious. One look at the MINIUSA website confirms they shoot their cars exactly like BMW. So no, I shot MINI cars exactly as I would any BMW.

Any advice for doing a big shoot in a short amount of time?

• Plan as much as you can in advance.
• Know what you’re shooting. Don’t forget details like wheels or interior.
• Always try to save your best shots for magic hour.
• Have fun!

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RITTA is an award-winning advertising agency. We have a proven track record in digital marketing and print for the automotive industry, most notably for BMW of North America. [Contact us] today for a free marketing consultation.