Is it a conversation piece at gas stations?

My friend and classmate from university, Adrian, acquired his dream car in his 20s - a DeLorean. "Great, Scott!" you say? Yes, the very same DeLorean featured in Back to the Future. This pop culture icon is so remarkable that Adrian has no choice but to respond to those who strike up conversations with him nearly everytime he fills up his gas tank. It's difficult not to notice this car, given its abundance of large stainless steel sheet metal panels married to a low slung, fast back chassis with its gullwing doors.

Back in December 2021, I received a message from Adrian's wife, Mel, about the car. 2021 marked its 40th anniversary. Whoa. Time flies. Could I help them commemorate the occasion with some photos? Of course!

I staked out a spot at the CSULB parking lot near the music department where we'd be away from most traffic. There, I could also completely control the light with my strobes. Before we met, I did a mock session with my car. After about 30 minutes of firing the flash, a campus police cruiser approached me from about 2 parking spots away. The officer leaned out of his car and asked, "Are you selling it?" "Nope, just taking photos for a project." "Okay, let me know if you change your mind." Then he drove off.

Adrian and Mel were just finished with a music performance (they both play horn) and were dressed in concert black. Perfect. Don't change! They arrived at the parking structure's second level, where I was setting up my lights. "Park here, angle it this way. Looks good." They both got out of the DeLorean dramatically, the gullwing doors swinging out and up before making their grand entrance. The only thing missing was some steam coming out of the cockpit, as if they had traveled through time. They looked sharp, as always. It was time to get started.

The photo session lasted about an hour tops. They just finished a gig, so I didn't want to keep them hostage for too long. We tried a few different poses and stuck with those to keep from needing to move the lights around too often. It was just the three of us since no voice activated light stand was available at the time. A few non serious ones made it through the lens.

For the photo nerds, I used a Nikon Z6II mated to a Nikkor 85mm 1.8G lens with FTZ adapter for the entire session. A mix of Godox lights were used off camera, including one Godox AD200 with fresnel head, one V1, and one V860II, all unmodified to keep the kit light and small. The Z6II did a good job acquiring focus under very low light. I specifically chose the 85mm focal length for its compression. I've since sold the lens in 2021 and currently looking to acquire one again! It's now February 2026 and I am using a Nikon D850 and Nikon Z8 for most of my work.

Shooting with friends is always fun, but it was especially fun with a challenging twist incorporating the DeLorean since it was the star of the session. I'm grateful for their patience whilst I moved the lighting around and, most of all, for asking me to do this photo shoot. Thanks, Adrian and Mel.

Ok, that's a wrap.