Here are two projects from Jeff Ludes, showcasing two very different approaches! First up was a shoot for Honda and their first-ever electric SUV, the Prologue. Jeff’s team spent about a week in the San Francisco area, capturing the city, neighbourhoods, coastline, and redwoods. They even squeezed in a little video work, utilising the existing team, with Jeff taking on double duty as DP.

For something completely different, Jeff had the opportunity to team up with Gybow for a personal project, utilising their impressive revolving LED system. On the first day, Jeff and his team shot a model and captured HDRIs at a unique rooftop location. The next day, they moved into the studio, this time with the McLaren, where the Gybow was set up to envelop the vehicle in a perfect bubble of light and reflection. Check out the behind-the-scenes video in this feature. Once everything was captured, Mainworks brought it all together seamlessly and naturally, as always.

Jeff recently finished a couple of integrated stills & video productions. First up was for Lincoln, and their new Nautilus. The shoot started in the cold, dark early morning in the California desert, to catch the colors of the sunrise. The team spent the day covering a whole lot of stills, before heading back to LA for two days of integrated shooting. With two shoot vehicles, Jeff was able to efficiently split his time between directing the video, and capturing still images on a second set.

When Jeff came across this amazing tent structure, built in So Cal’s Santa Monica Mountains, he immediately started preparing for a personal shoot. Adding in a beautiful BMW, talent, styling, plus horses, and it wasn’t too tough to create stunning images. Jeff takes a more loose approach to a personal project, shooting hand-held alongside his DP, Chad Huff.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has shot automotive projects around the world for over 15 years.

Welcome to 2024! 

It’s a good time to look back at some of Jeff’s favorite projects from the last couple years.  Based in Los Angeles, Jeff shoots motion and stills on location worldwide.

Jeff recently finished a couple of projects for Lexus' and Toyota’s newest SUVs.

First up was a shoot for the Toyota Grand Highlander. Due to the vehicle being top-secret, it was decided to render it in CGI.  So Jeff’s team brought a stand-in car to set, to get an accurate reference for the team at Curve to work with. After a long and hot day in the hills, the beach was a welcome break! But still plenty of work to do, even while enjoying the breeze. Lastly, the studio was one place the vehicle would be safe, so Jeff’s team was able to mimic the lighting on location, and work with the talent inside the car.

Next up was the Lexus TX, this one a secret as well! But in this case, the team decided to scout out locations out of the public eye, and shoot with the actual vehicle. Over just a couple shoot days, the team covered exterior, interior, running, details, the whole gamut. Jeff worked closely with the retouchers at MainWorks to make sure each image looks beautiful, but always natural.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has shot automotive projects around the world for over 15 years.

Subaru has just launched their all-new Crosstrek, so finally Jeff can share the project, shot last fall. The team timed the shoot perfectly to capture the turning colors of the leaves around Telluride, Colorado. As a top-secret new vehicle, special methods were used to keep it out of public view while shooting. Shooting in the mountains is no issue, but to capture images of the vehicle in town, Jeff employed the new Gybow LED lighting array, at a secure LA studio. Check Jeff’s Instagram for more details on this amazing tool.

More recently, Jeff spent some time in Japan, where he set up a personal project.  A red 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT seemed like a perfect match for the streets of Tokyo, so he spent a day chasing cool locations and dramatic lighting.

Jeff wrapped up 2022 with a couple exciting projects, both around his home base of Southern California. First up is a project for Hyundai, shooting their new Ioniq 6 electric vehicle. Over six days, Jeff and team covered the car from every angle, and then shot a day of video, presented during the reveal of the car to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show. With a huge shot list, Jeff managed multiple units around the city to ensure they got every shot.

Next up is a cool concept for Turo, the car-sharing service. For their headline, "Open New Doors", Jeff created this series, where a whole other world exists just through the vehicle. The smooth results are not only the result of great retouching, but also good planning on set, to match the angle and integrate lighting.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has shot automotive projects around the world for over 15 years.

Here’s a look at three recent projects from Jeff. First up is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Shot in Northern California, from the coast to the mountains, Jeff covered every aspect of the new SUV, from running shots to lifestyle.

For Subaru, Jeff had the chance to shoot their new Solterra electric vehicle. A rare LA rainstorm didn’t mean a weather day - the team simply put up umbrellas and continued on, capturing both the rain on one shot, and the clearing skies on the next.

A truly special project came from Chevy, with a request to showcase the wide diversity of people you might find behind the wheel of their vehicles. It was an exciting chance to work with talent that’s too often underrepresented in advertising today.

Jeff recently directed a dual video + stills project for Infiniti, and their top-of-the-line QX80. Over three shoot days in LA, the team covered running footage, beauty shots, and product demo videos, plus a list of still images as well.

Next up was Hyundai and their futuristic new Ioniq 5 electric vehicle. Splitting the shoot between LA and Northern California gave a huge variety of locations, from rugged coastlines to the city.

Another Hyundai project followed, this time their full-size Palisade SUV. Even further north this time, Jeff and crew headed to Washington State, and were rewarded with some truly epic locations. For this project, Jeff had not only a very full shot list, but he also directed two days of video shooting, for the reveal of the vehicle at the New York Auto Show.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has been shooting for automakers around the world for over 15 years.

The end of 2021 saw Jeff busy with a variety of projects across the country. For Chevrolet, his team packed up and headed to North Carolina, spending eight days with the two electric Bolt vehicles. Jeff worked with the weather as the rain came and went, bringing some drama to the series. 

Next up was a shoot for Subaru, and the revised Ascent SUV. Shot locally in the LA area, you can see these images now on the Subaru website and in magazine ads.  Jeff’s next project was with Hyundai, for their new Santa Cruz, the first-ever truck from the brand. The team headed to Northern California, for its epic landscapes: stunning redwood forests, rocky ocean overlooks, and rugged mountain trails. For seven days, they covered every inch of the truck and spent a day shooting video as well.

To end the year, Jeff headed to Philadelphia on a personal project. With an Audi A5, he split the two days by exploring the city and hunting for fall colours as the leaves turned. The skies cooperated as well, taking the mood from sombre grey to a vivid explosion of colour.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has been shooting for automakers around the world for over 15 years.

Jeff recently spent some time with Hyundai in California’s rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains. Now even more off-road capable, the team pushed the Santa Fe up and down all kinds of trails, and even squeezed in a video shoot including their Palisade as well.  The shot list was long, but with a week to pull it off, it all came together smoothly.

Once again, Recom Farmhouse brought Jeff on board to capture visuals for Canoo, an electric vehicle startup based in California. This time they chose a desert setting for their Midlander vehicle, the off-road capable version of their Lifestyle Vehicle. With a shot list in one hand, the team kept an eye open for opportunities as they presented themselves - it's impossible to predict a desert dust storm, but when it happens, you gotta shoot it!

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has been shooting for automakers around the world for over 15 years.

Jeff has been keeping busy with a wide range of projects, taking him to a few new places along the way.  First up is another project for Lincoln, this time shooting their Nautilus in Northern Michigan. With just one shoot day and a long shot list, the team dodged rain clouds to capture the vehicle both in motion and at rest with a beautiful home on the lake.

Recom Farmhouse brought Jeff on board for two projects. Canoo is a start-up EV manufacturer in California, working to bring its skateboard-architecture vehicles to the public soon.  To demonstrate their pickup truck version, Jeff and his team sought out rugged scenery in the Eastern Sierras, and were blessed with fresh snowfall during the shoot, which made for some very dramatic scenes.

For the second project with RFH, Jeff took to the air for another electric start-up, Archer. Again, plenty of brainstorming, researching, and scouting pointed the way to the best possible locations, this time the California desert. Jeff shot both from the ground and the air to create the scene of this future EVTOL aircraft making distant locations easily accessible.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has been shooting with automakers around the world for over 15 years.

Under new safety protocols, Jeff and his team shot successfully throughout the remainder of 2020. One of the first big shoots to put new safety measures in place was Jeff’s project for the Hyundai Elantra, shot over eight days in the LA area. With a mix of agency and clients both on-set and viewing remotely, the team shot a wide variety of images, with real-life couples as talent.  

Below the California desert skies and into the night, Jeff shot with the Acura team, for a special edition of their NSX supercar.  Once the shot list was all checked off, Jeff pushed a bit further, coming home with some dramatic bonus shots that weren’t expected at the outset, but turned out to be the highlights of the project.

But the most remote project lately was Jeff’s personal shoot of a classic 911 Turbo, speeding across a snow-covered Jackson Hole. With the vehicle being produced in CGI by Mainworks in Germany, it was a great way to welcome the winter, and now to kick off 2021!

Like the rest of the world, Jeff and his team have learned ways to adapt the way they work, to keep everyone safe on set.  A few key changes have been put in place to keep everyone masked-up and well-spaced, but with tools like remote screen sharing for those not on set, shoots have been moving forward smoothly.  You’ll be seeing those results soon, once embargo dates have passed.

Looking back to earlier in the year, one of Jeff’s last projects before lockdown began was for Chevrolet, with their Suburban and Tahoe SUVs. With 2 weeks of shooting in Southern California, the team came away with a huge library of images to choose from.

And once lockdown was lifted, Jeff hit the road on a personal project with a Mini Countryman and a pair of real-life roommates. It was a great way to get ready for shooting in this new environment.  

"We are fortunate to be shooting again, and extra fortunate to be joined by such a caring and conscientious team. We hope to see you on set soon!"

Times have quickly changed, but Jeff’s commitment remains the same: to prepare ahead and create the best shoot circumstances possible, then make some amazing images. Early in the year, Jeff and his team of two assistants, plus talent, spent a day in the California desert with Porsche’s latest 911. On this personal project, Jeff showed what can be accomplished with a skeleton crew, coming away with shots including car-to-car action and drone shots.

CGI projects also tend to lend themselves to a somewhat more compact team, with the car rendered digitally in post.  Here are a couple recent examples from projects for Nissan and Renault. With CGI shots, because the car isn’t real, Jeff finds it essential to keep all other aspects as real as possible, such as shooting a reference vehicle in place, and lighting it as they would on any other shoot.

Jeff’s production team has been working to implement protocols for working conscientiously and safely in this ’new normal’.  Both high-tech solutions such as live screen sharing, and simple things, like the use of masks, combine to make productions that are smart, effective, and produce great shots.

Here’s a look at the second half of 2019 for Jeff.  First up is a week-long shoot for Hyundai’s updated Ioniq vehicle. Jeff and team shot on their home turf of Los Angeles, with great locations and weather. The shoot included a day of video production as well.  

One of the more exciting projects this year was for Jeff’s long-time client Subaru, which brought everyone together in Colorado and Utah to shoot their Outback. Drones, kids, rigs, stars, waterfalls, dogs, bikes- the shoot covered it all.  

Jeff’s second social media project for Lincoln this year covered a holiday theme. Shooting entirely hand-held, Jeff and team covered a huge variety of setups over two fast shoot days. Capping off the year, the team flew to Acura’s PMC factory in Ohio, to shoot the creation of the special PMC Edition MDX. The red paint looked stunning from every angle, creating the perfect playground for lens and lights. "See you in 2020!"

Jeff Ludes’s latest personal project found him shooting the 590-horsepower Maserati Levante up and down Southern California, covering both stills and video. Though he spent five days with the vehicle, the most fruitful times were in the dusk hours when the blue paint picked up the deep blue sky.

California had a ton of snow last winter, so it was a great opportunity for this project for Mazda. After shooting for a few days on a Hollywood backlot, the team packed up and headed for the mountains, which turned out to be the highlight of the project.

Lincoln brought Jeff on board for another social media campaign, this time centered around the desert and architecture of Palm Springs. The desert sunrise was stunning, but the best part was exploring reflections at this glass-clad modern building.

Jeff Ludes’s latest project for Honda was the launch of the entirely new Passport SUV. The team got to demonstrate its off-road capabilities on some amazing scenery in Utah, Colorado, and the California desert.

Amazingly, each of these images is a well-orchestrated Photoshop composite, as the top-secrect vehicle couldn’t be transported. Good planning and good retouching brought it all together.

Jeff then shot a personal project involved a vintage Toyota Land Cruiser and a surfer on the Oregon coast. The small team was greeted with an amazing sunrise over the Pacific.

Infiniti recently brought Jeff on to help develop a new visual style, and this series is one of the first results. Together with his motion team, Jeff shot stills and video, which were then combined in a dynamic edit of four finished pieces. Featured in this Spotlight are two of those, as well as a selection of stills.

Many of Jeff Ludes's projects in 2018 were shot on location in Northern California.

A shoot for the newly revealed Hyundai Santa Fe saw the team spend over a week on a road trip through wine country, past redwood forests, and on to the rugged coast with a full schedule of shots.

Jeff took on a personal project to shoot a McLaren 720S supercar in and around the streets of San Francisco. As with his other personal projects, he took a very loose approach, starting the day with a few location ideas yet shooting all the opportunities encountered along the way.

Jeff's last shoot released in 2018 was the Kia 'Spirit Animals' social campaign, shot in the Lake Tahoe area. Working fast in the difficult conditions, Jeff shot four vehicles, each paired with an animal, brought in by a professional trainer. A unique and fun way to end the year!

Lastly, Jeff is proud to present his motion reel, filled with automotive shoots both personal and for clients such as Ram, Subaru, Hyundai, and Lincoln.

Jeff Ludes has been staying busy with a wide variety of projects. First on the list was one of his longest-running clients, Nissan. The images featured in this Spotlight were produced with a CGI rendered vehicle, which required plenty of planning to get such dramatic lighting in the scene without having the car available.

Next up was a short trip to Santa Barbara wine country for Lincoln and the beautiful MKC. Jeff’s biggest project to-date this year was a 19-day production for Chevrolet, shooting a variety of cars and SUVs across California. Here’s just a peek, with more images soon to be released.

After all that, Jeff took some time off, producing a series of personal work shot on the streets of Tokyo.

The last days of 2017 found Jeff Ludes and his team shooting a highly-confidential vehicle in southern California, the new Ram 1500. Careful planning was needed to stay out of the public eye, as they worked from downtown to mountain tops, shooting non-stop.

The social media launch of the new Lincoln Nautilus was a bit different, shooting over night on the roof of the glitzy Dream Hollywood hotel. The car was lifted 12 floors up by crane, and the whole venue reimagined by a team of set decorators, creating a surreal environment for the launch party of the vehicle.

But the wildest shoot of the bunch was with Subaru and the new Ascent. With a full cast of kids on set each day, Jeff was kept on his toes continuously to capture all the action.

Based in Los Angeles, Jeff has been shooting cars around the world for over a decade.

Finally released to the public is the new roadster version of BMW’s futuristic hybrid, the i8. Jeff Ludes spent part of his summer shooting it in Spain, taking the chance to really explore light and shadow, and to push the naturalistic look that he’s known for. Production Paradise member Sonda Productions ensured the whole thing went smoothly.

Shortly after returning home to LA, Jeff went into another large production, this time for Lincoln, to reveal the new Navigator. Working with talent was a key part of this shoot, and provided plenty of unexpected opportunities beyond the client’s shot list.

Jeff then headed to Portland to shoot a personal series with a beautifully blacked-out Harley-Davidson. After personally scouting and planning, Jeff’s team spent one day and into the evening shooting a huge range of locations all over town. Moving fast and light meant more variety, and more shots - too much to choose from can be a good problem to have!