The Prancing Horse
At its core, this picture is essentially a love letter to both Ferrari and Italy. I think this is as powerful a symbiotic relationship as exists anywhere in the luxury brand marketplace. Like an oyster and its shell - Ferrari and Italy have a palpable co-dependency. I make pictures, I don't take them. This series, shot in the indelible geometric harmony of the Tuscan countryside, was preceded by many days of location scouting and then many hours of distilling thoughts and homing in on what could be both creatively original and hold the attention of others. Both these filters are always challenging and necessary and I remind myself that “no idea is final”. To be creative is not enough in itself - the work must elicit emotion from others. This location near Val d’Orcia offers layers in the distance and a sense of journey. I knew the cypress tree, the backdrop, the old Fiat, and of course the 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza 0530 would all combine to give an emphatic sense of place. The frame would shout “Tuscany,” but in my spitballing, my sense was that I needed one further ingredient to offer some sort of visual dislocation. That is where the prancing horse came into the equation. The origin of the iconic Ferrari stallion is well documented. In June 1923, Enzo Ferrari won a race at Ravenna where he met Countess Paolina, the mother of Francesco Baracca - an ace of the Italian air force and national hero of WWI, who used to paint a horse on the side of his planes. The countess asked Enzo to use this horse on his cars, suggesting it would bring him good luck.
Some will inevitably think the prancing horse is a product of AI, which is why we now always have a film crew on set taking BTS. The stallion, which came from Rome, will also happily testify to his key role. The stallion not only gives a further nod to Ferrari’s heritage, he also lends compositional balance to the photograph. I think it was a good iteration.