Shooting embargoed cars is always exciting, but no matter how minimal the design changes or the chance that someone may notice that you are shooting a new car, security is always tip top and locations need to undergo approval, so it's no wonder that the studio is often the option many opt for, but the studio does have limitations and I was adamant in introducing Bentley to a more 'live' studio for their photography of new cars. 

The location in question was somewhere seeped in military history – I also had a history of my own – having shot there for Saab in my early years. Much had changed since I had last visited, but RAF Bentwaters – an ex Cold War base – provided the perfect backdrop for a gritty shoot with a bright orange Sporty Bentayga. Our only watch out… not to make it look like a drug deal was going down…

For this shoot, we wanted to also mix up our photographer choice. Sam had become our go to guy for all things studio, but as we moved into a live studio environment, and with the sporty feel of this derivative of Bentayga, we put our faith in motorsport photographer Drew Gibson, who brought a new way of doing things to our shoot rewarding us with some stunning photography, which when it came to layouts, very much inspired the design itself – using the images on the page with minimal copy and just allowing the photos to breath on the page. 

The shoot also introduced us to a future photographer that we would go on to commission, Alastair Staley – on the shoot he was Drew's lighting assistant. It also encouraged Bentley to consider more live studio locations for shoots. RAF Bentwaters also got the chance to feature again in a future photoshoot, when Bentley used the location again for the Batur.