FIVE QUESTIONS WITH: ADAM GOLDBERG

Five photographers in five cities with five Land Rover vehicles was the inspiration behind Land Rover North America’s innovative photography project to launch its official Tumblr site - http://tumblr.landroverusa.com. In the fifth of a series of interviews with the featured photographers, we ask acclaimed actor, musician, photographer and Tumblr devotee, Adam Goldberg, about his shoot in and around his native Los Angeles with a Range Rover Sport.

1. What attracted you to this Land Rover tumblr assignment?

It was really an interesting challenge and as I’m an avid photographer, I spend much of my spare time taking photos. This project provided an opportunity to apply my aesthetic to an advertising-type context and to do some things not simply for my self-fulfillment. It also gave me an excuse to work with some unusual cameras and different film stock.

2. With the whole of Los Angeles essentially being one photo backdrop, why focus on downtown L.A?

Since I was a teenager, downtown Los Angeles has always been an inspiration to me. I love the old Los Angeles Theater. So much so that I even have a tattoo of it on my arm. I’ve also directed a couple of movies downtown, so for me, it was a natural starting point.

3. It never rains in Southern California, but you had steady drizzle for most of your day. How did that affect the shoot?

I was a little concerned at first, but really I prefer the more consistent and even light of a gray day. I like to use a lot of Polaroid “chocolate” film which tends to overreact in bright sunlight and goes kind of yellow. Overcast makes it go a lovely chocolate brown. But that said, I wish we’d had a least one thrilling sunset.

4. You used a lot of different cameras on the shoot. Was that part of the appeal of taking the assignment?

I love unusual camera gear. For this shoot, I used everything from a Mamiya 7 II medium format rangefinder, a Mamiya Universal Press, a Polaroid SLR 680 and SX-70 and a Voigtlander Bessa III. At one point, the Range Rover’s back seat was filled with camera bodies and lenses and boxes of film.

5. You don’t usually take photos of cars, especially tall, black Range Rover Sports. Was that a challenge?

I actually found it to be an incredibly photogenic car. After a while, I was even asking, “So how much are these things?” I loved shooting the front of the car small with the vast, mist-covered hillsides on Angeles Crest Highway in the background. My girlfriend Roxanne - that’s her with Ludlow the dog - is a graphic designer, and is really critical when it comes to details. She thought the front was especially classy.

You can see more of Adam’s remarkable images by going to http://tumblr.landroverusa.com/drivers/1-Adam-Goldberg.