"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." - David Yarrow