Very nice Jon! The MC Red looks extra festive! :biggrin:
Amanda Jones does photo sessions in studio around the USA year round. We usually see her in SF in the summer/fall, and sometimes do not have a theme or plan in mind. This year, after taking delivery of my MC red in May, I knew what the theme would be given the appropriate color of the new 'sleigh'. Since the prop (Model S) was kind of hard to bring into the studio, she agreed to fly out a day early and do the shoot at our house, in the garage. She comes fully equipped (2 Hasselblads with digital backs, flood and strobe lights, stands, cables, backdrops, MacBookPro with Aperture etc, SD cards, external hard drives, dog toys & treats, etc, etc.). We set up a studio in the garage and she spent about 2 hours, shooting about 300 photos, pausing every 20-30 to download photos and review quality, lighting, white balance, etc. We had a shot plan in mind, and had the props (e.g. the Tesla pin on Abby's bow, Tesla hats) all set. Abby is a pro and has done this for 6 years, so she is a willing and able subject. After the shoot, Amanda then reviews the photos, selecting about 200 good photos, and also selecting the 3 or 4 that she thinks will work best. We then go back and forth (lots of e-mail) on font/color/typeface, layout, graphics, text, etc. She did a bit more Photoshop work on the photos this year due to the background in the shots (garage wall and equipment). She also took our 'usual and customary' ornament in the lower right corner of the inside right page and Photoshopped the Tesla T onto it (from a close up shot of the front of the S). The back photo I took at delivery in Fremont (when you could still pick up your car indoors-when delivery volumes were low). I added the VIN as an 'inside joke' for the TM folks in case they wanted to check up on the sender. This is annual labor of love, and this year was a bit more of a production than in years past. Amanda however is a true professional and can see and execute the vision we have and create an 'old fashioned' folding card (still appreciated in this era of e-cards etc). There is a marketing phrase from a card company that says 'a card that's a gift' and that is our motto.
FWIW, I know Jerome liked it (got an e-mail from him)--haven't heard if Elon got his yet....
