Texas Deloreans - Dennis

August 27, 2018 Filippo Nenna

As I meet more DeLorean owners around Houston, I find they all have a deep respect for the history of the car. From the literal trials and tribulations of John DeLorean, to its controversial funding and manufacture in Northern Ireland, and the car's placement in pop culture as it starred in the Back to the Future movies.

Dennis keeps Back to the Future props in the car for when he has it on display at movie showings and events like Houston's coffee and cars. There is a full-sized Flux Capacitor, a hover board and copies of Gray's Sports Almanac and Oh La La.

The car is meticulously maintained and, like a lot of the cars I have seen, has some modern upgrades such as LED door lights and steering wheel.

If you would like a portrait session with your DeLorean or other classic vehicle, shoot me an email at fil@filnenna.com.

Texas DeLoreans - Shannon

August 6, 2018 Filippo Nenna

With the gull-wing door suspended in the air, I met Shannon. He is a long-time DeLorean owner with a well-kept 1983 model. These cars had a short production run but the cars seem to be standing the test of time.

In my journey of capturing the character of Houston on film, I thought it would be great to take portraits of DeLorean owners. The DeLoreans were built in Northern Ireland, but after the company went bust, the remaining parts were eventually brought to Humble, near Houston where the central DMC (unaffiliated to the original company) repair facility is located. Houston is the new home of the DeLorean.

Because of this, there is a cluster of DeLorean owners around the city. During this first session, Shannon told me about the ongoing improvements he is making to the car. With the repair facility close by, and the ease at which you can complete your own repairs and upgrades, the owners are able to keep these cars running and even overcome some of the limitations that killed the sales of the car in the first place - underpowered engines, temperamental doors and lights that quickly drained the battery.

A father and his young son stopped to look at the car in the middle of our portrait session. It seems like a natural instinct to want to be near and touch this iconic vehicle. I am amazed that the car can excite kids born decades after Back to the Future was released.

I took detail shots and no square inch can be mistaken for another car, not even its cousin, the Lotus Esprit. The square headlights, the grid of the tail lights, the wheel hubs. The look of the car grows on you. It is funny that, even though this was my first time with a DeLorean, it felt intimately familiar.

This was a hybrid photography session where I used a digital Canon 6Dii and a medium format film Hasselblad 500cm.

Engagement pictures of Alex and Julia

July 23, 2018 Filippo Nenna

Here is a triptych of shots taken for Alex and Julia's engagement inspired by the seated man in David Hockney's "Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy", a double portrait he painted in 1971.

I was keen to incorporate the beautiful wooden window frames in their Houston bungalow, and so composed the double framing of Julia by the window, and Alex by Julia.

Lifestyle photography - Piano Yoga

June 25, 2018 Filippo Nenna

Here are a few fun shots we added to the end of a central Houston portrait session. We managed to combine Julia's yoga poses with the piano - the cat wandering into the center of the shot was a welcomed element for the composition!

I broke out the large format 4x5 camera to get a few film shots with a more classic look and the ability to angle the plane of focus.

Family portrait session - The Murphys

June 4, 2018 Filippo Nenna

What's better than a tailored suit? A tailored suit with a custom-made sword. All that was missing was an Aston Martin - maybe next time.

The session preserves a memory of the family house before a post-Harvey rebuild. Houston is very much still in recovery after the 2017 storm.

We used a mix of colour digital photos and a couple of rolls of black and white film though a vintage Hasselblad 500.

The best picture in my world

April 30, 2018 Filippo Nenna

Group of men in Biccari Italy in the 1960s

There is a picture in my shoe box of prints of my dad from when he was a lad. He is with a bunch of friends on a street somewhere in Italy. It might be in Biccari, where he grew up, but its possibly somewhere else because you are more likely to take pictures on vacation. Looks like they are getting ready for a wedding.

The photographer was either scrambling for an acceptable exposure, or a creative genius - the men are a bit under exposed and the street and sky are completely blown out. You can barely make out the buildings they are standing next to because they are so bright. Perhaps the contrast was also a function of the printing process.

I completely love everything about this picture. I'll be trying to replicate the style of this picture in a future portrait.