[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: So we're driving in Colorado today, not to shoot a
car for a magazine article, not to shoot
a car for an episode.
We're just doing it because we want to do it.
And that's something that never actually happens.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: We're finding roads we want to go to, not roads
that an editor has assigned to us.
This is shooting cars from the perspective of the
photographer, from the shooter, from the
videographer.
And that's something that you never get to see.
And that's why we're doing it.
I'm joining up with my good friend Marc who has been
shooting cars for most of his life.
It's something that was a passion for him like it was a
passion for me.
It's not about the money.
It's about doing something that you enjoy and doing
something that you take pride in.
Something that you can look back at and say,
I'm happy I did that.
And Marc is just one of those people.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: I met Marc about four years ago at Laguna Seca.
It was a Grand Am race.
And he was quiet, but he was funny.
And you could tell there was something special about him.
Quiet, humble, modest, and one of the most impressive
automotive photographers out there.
And, in fact, I know you've seen his work.
I set up this episode as being one in which three friends,
Marc, myself, and Will Barber, all got to do what
they wanted to do.
It wasn't necessarily about a story for an article, or a
story for a video.
It was more about the story of what we liked to do, what we
had a passion for.
And that's traveling, and photography, and video.
And what better place to do it than Colorado, Denver, with a
Porsche 911?
A Carrera GTS fitted with snow tires.
We started off in Denver and, well, we took the fastest
route to mountains.
We want those landscape shots.
And what better road than I-70, right past Denver into
the Rocky Mountains, the heart of some of the best scenes in
North America.
And we didn't really have an objective.
We looked at a map and said, OK, those roads look good.
Those are the roads you're gonna take.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: We chose the road heading to Mt.
Evans for, really, no particular reason other than
the fact that we knew it was windy.
And actually, four years ago when I was scouting roads on
Google Street View, well, Mt.
Evans was the place where I found the first photos of the
Porsche Cayman undergoing high altitude testing on the Mt.
Evans auto road in the middle of the summer.
And there you go, a Google Street View van drives by and
gets shots of all the prototypes lined up.
And you actually see, as the car drove down the line, the
engineers trying to cover up those cars from Google Street
View, which I though was a very interesting story that I
just wanted to tell you guys.
MARC URBANO: When we originally came here, I was
thinking a profile with just this as the background.
Think we can get up there?
WILL BARBER: Gonna try.
MARC URBANO: Ah [BLEEP].
[LAUGHTER]
JF MUSIAL (OFFSCREEN): Marc, to me, is a
very interesting person.
He's actually very quiet.
WILL BARBER: You want the car right here?
MARC URBANO: I think right here is as good as
it's going to get.
WILL BARBER: Is this clearing good or do you think there's
more of an opening over there?
MARC URBANO: I think it looks a little better over there.
But, just, we're not seeing that vastness from street
level, from road level.
JF MUSIAL (OFFSCREEN): But that's why I like him.
He focuses on getting the shots that matter.
MARC URBANO: Oh, it's much better, so much better.
You gotta get up here, Will.
JF MUSIAL: He's been around the world.
He's seen everything.
But the chance to shoot a 911 on snow tires, in the winter,
in Colorado, I just had to call him up.
And he flew out here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
WILL BARBER: It's pretty hard.
MARC URBANO: Yeah, but--
WILL BARBER: There's a point of no return right there.
MARC URBANO: Yes, I wouldn't want to get too close.
You don't want to push it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: Right now, the only place open at its highest
altitude is Loveland Pass.
So by the end of the day that's where we want to be.
It's about 12,000 feet up.
It's the highest paved road that's open year round.
Up here, the lack of oxygen doesn't only affect us.
It's hard to breathe.
But it also affects the cars.
This Carrera GTS, though very powerful in California or New
York, you can tell it's hurting a little
bit with this altitude.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: So do you want us to clean it or anything.
MARC URBANO: No, the way it is is awesome.
JF MUSIAL: A dirty 911?
MARC URBANO: A dirty 911, it's perfect.
JF MUSIAL: Right there?
You sure?
OK.
MARC URBANO: Editorial PR, you always have some guidance from
an art director or somebody.
Not to say that that's a bad thing.
It's just there are things you have to
capture for your client.
And this way we're just shooting what we like.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: Sure enough, you get to Loveland Pass, come
around the corner, and road's closed.
So you make the best of the situation.
And that's what makes a good photographer.
That's what sets Marc apart, I think.
WILL BARBER: So we got the statics.
What do we want to do here?
MARC URBANO: Try a little slow speed sliding shot around this
little hairpin.
WILL BARBER: Do you want me tight to the wall or out wide?
MARC URBANO: Tighter, just so you have a track out.
WILL BARBER: Are you gonna be shooting towards
the avalanche sign?
MARC URBANO: Yes, I'll be on the inside.
WILL BARBER: So I'll come around.
MARC URBANO: We should be pretty clear.
Most people--
WILL BARBER: I gotta be slow on this because it's off
camera, as you said, but it's just perilous.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JF MUSIAL: And at the end of the day, what do
you walk away with?
Well, more than just memories of your friends going out and
doing what you love.
But these are products that will last.
These are videos that will be around for quite some time.
These are photographs that will go into archives.
They may be forgotten about.
But they'll always exist.
And we're documenting an industry like no one's ever
documented it before.
And that's--
that's why we're doing this.
[MUSIC PLAYING]