Branded Vehicles

Your three-dimensional representation of a Piet Mondrian canvas painted onto a vehicle immediately caught my attention. You’ve shot the van parked on geometric street slabs resembling the squares and rectangles of the Dutch artist’s graphic artwork. Mondrian’s abstract inspiration came from looking down at the grid-patterns of the world’s major cities. It’s appropriate then, that your entry, taken in Milan, has augmented Mondrian’s vision with your own photographic interpretation.

Like two google eyes, the wheels of the truck look on in amazement as the cyclist powers past the ships on the heavy goods vehicle. There’s something oddly surreal about seeing a truck on the road together with ships on the sea alongside a human pedal pusher. The absence of any wording on the HGV begs the question:- Why are there antiquated ships painted on a modern juggernaut that's carrying fresh flowers?

I don’t usually like people posing in front of competition subjects because it often makes it less of a serious challenge contender. But in this case it makes perfect sense to ask the kilted window cleaners to stand next to one of his tartan branded vehicles. I do like that you’ve captured the wording on his ‘No Peeking’ t-shirt. Especially, I imagine, if one was to look up at him working on top of his ladder. On second thoughts - its something I’d rather not imagine.

You’ve certainly raised the roof with this photo. As judges we set these challenges in the hope that something unexpected will turn up to surprise us. Your branded vehicle accidentally jammed under the roof of what looks like a petrol station perfectly fits my brief of ‘the more unusual - the better’. The way you’ve framed your composition showing all of the vehicle under the damaged roof tells the whole story - right down to the ‘Police line do not cross’ tape running along the bottom. These moments happen just once in a Blue Moon and you were fortunate enough to be there - unlike the Skyland Distributing Company driver who definitely wished he hadn’t.

In this digital age it’s easy to fool photo viewers with manufactured images. Your post-processing skills have done just that with your branded car reflection. Utilising the black background has allowed you to doubly oomph the white multicoloured image. You’ve literary taken a leaf out of your company’s self-promotion by appropriating their adverting slogan of “a lateral and creative approach” and adapting the ethos for own photographic entry.

I had to do a double-take when I saw your very funny entry. It certainly looks as if it’s a real lady taking a real bubble bath inside a real truck. The rolled-up green shutters give your photo the touch of authentication seeing the lady starkly exposed by the actions of the delivery man. Well done to Europcar for having a sense of humour and to you for including the man and perpetuating the joke.

I love the comparison of the half dressed woman depicted on the side of the passing truck with the shirtless man sitting on the sidewalk. The irony of your composition is that the weed advertised on the vehicle may have been the onset of the man ending up homeless in New York City. Your quick reaction in capturing this mordant moment has resulted in a narrative most people wouldn’t have noticed let alone stopped to photograph.

Many entries to this challenge were badly framed by being unceremoniously cut off at one or both ends of the vehicle. Here you’ve purposely cropped three sides to centrally align the truck, wisely retaining a wheel and steps leading up to the refrigerated doors to contextualise the image. You’ve squared the composition around the silver metal edge to give your truck the appearance of a billboard poster. Its just deserts that your determination to follow the delivery van and wait for it to park in order to take a good, sharp photo has given you a top ten place.

I’ve highly commended your photo for two reasons: Firstly, because it’s the only photo that actually shows the truck’s cargo outside the vehicle. And secondly, it made me smile because the Carlsberg truck has (in all probability) had its back wheel stolen and is propped up by the best beer crates in the world - probably!