Things become even more bizarre in southern France. An avenue of pine-trees near Nأ®mes is reflected in an SL 55 AMG on a sunny summer afternoon. Henneka is arranging the shot with his assistant. Aircraft are constantly taking off and landing nearby: Air France and army pilots are carrying out their flight checks. All of a sudden, a smart appears on the set, driven by a man in a flying-suit - he is one of the pilots who has just been thundering over the scene. From his cockpit he caught a glimpse of the SL roadster as the sun flashed on its shiny skin, and after landing he has made his way over at once to investigate this phenomenon and capture the unusual sight with his digital camera. A tour d'Europe with no end of interesting encounters.
Dietmar Henneka and his assistants were certainly kept busy at every photo location. Before each shot, even the tiniest specks of dust had to be removed from the Chrome Cars with special cloths. The visual challenge presented by the chrome-plated automobiles, the constantly changing reflections and the unpredictable brightness of the motifs was uncharted photographic territory - even for an automotive portrait photographer as experienced as Dietmar Henneka.
Source of supply: Cars from the stars
The twelve photos for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz car calendar were taken in Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Portugal and Spain. The calendar may be ordered at a cost of 25 euros (plus postage and packing) from Trefz in Schwieberdingen, Germany.