Calendar girls
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Custom big rigs and beautiful women can often complement each other perfectly... By George Barrow and Roger Snider
AFTER SHOOTING CUSTOM big rigs around the world for the last seven years, Roger Snider decided to combine glamour with trucks for a limited-edition calendar.
Having previously resisted photographing women and trucks together to avoid falling into an age-old cliché, Snider reconsidered the idea when he came across a few old calendars at the Peterbilt factory in Texas during the company's annual truck show.
The calendars were in an old storage area, and had been rolled up and tucked out of the way for decades. Snider at first thought the images were "kinda hokey", but then concluded they were nostalgic and of a style that could stand the test of time.
Having been inspired by the history of American trucking and the vintage images used in their advertising, Snider researched old truck ads to draw inspiration for his own work. Some of the images used glamorous women, some were made with beautiful landscapes, and some had both. But they all had a romantic sensibility to them that Snider loved. A passion for fashion
"I enjoyed the fashion dynamic that Peterbilt was famous for in its ads and calendars so much that I asked myself what modern versions of the images would look like. I had a specific vision about how I would execute the shoots, starting with casting the right women, styling them appropriately, and finding the right locations," Snider explains. "At first it was just Agnes Olech, the actress I chose, and me driving to truck shows with a few dresses in the rental car and Agnes doing her own hair and make-up on location in the middle of nowhere. As the idea began to evolve, I was able to secure a few clients in the trucking industry who appreciated this idea and hired me to shoot calendars for their company. "Now I have answered the question of what the Peterbilt ads might look like if they were created today, and have added to the legacy of memorable American trucking photographs." •
• Roger Snider's Chrome and Elegance — Big Rigs in Vogue calendar is available from chromeandelegance. com. We've got five autographed calendars to give away. Just answer this simple question: is Peterbilt owned by Volvo, Paccar or Daimler? Email your answer to suzy.bull@roadtransport.com. For terms and conditions, please log on to http://bitly/ Jf1hPn
Beauty first: Pierre Jacot, 85, was the original creative director who came up with the idea of class personified by the beautiful women used in 30 years of advertising for Peterbilt. Pierre emigrated from Switzerland in the 1940s and was surprised when Snider rang to tell him he was re-imagining his work for the 21st century.
In memory of: Michael Dusi from Paso Robles, California custombuilt this truck (above right) for his aunt who passed away from breast cancer. Snider knew about this build ahead of time and had the best pink dress fitted for the model.
Cover material: This 1965 Peterbilt 281 (right) from Yuma, Arizona was the last truck shot in the studio and the last one selected from the American Truck Historical Society LATHS) national truck show. It became the cover for the calendar, because Snider says all the elements came together perfectly. The model is Victoria Barabas, and the shoot was completed in Less than two hours a record time for the crew.
A 12-year vintage: A 1968 Peterbilt 358 built by Brent's Custom Trucks and owned by Leroy and Joanie Braclin. It took 12 years and $800,000 to build this oneof-a-kind day-cab street rod. Shot in front of the historic Capitol Theatre in downtown Yakima, Washington, it's the only photo with both models and was originally intended to be the cover, but the colour scheme was a better fit for the 4 July so it was moved to that month.
Keeps getting better: Snider has been shooting this truck for years, as it continues to be restored. The 1993 Peterbilt 379 (above) from Medford, Oregon has been lowered and stretched like a car. It is a personal favourite of the photographer's.
The perfect match: With restoration work done by Rod Pickett, this Frank J Bell truck from Vernon Washington is a 1982 Peterbilt 362. The truck was chosen from the ATHS show because it was a cab-over and it matched the dress perfectly.