Cruising, Shooting, Learning the "Soul of Motion" at the 2015 Mazda Kodo Drive

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety." - Ansel Adams

The term automative photography, in a sense, is a misnomer. Initially, the term automative photography suggests the act of shooting a car - an inanimate subject matter. But when you're committed to the act of shooting a car like the Mazda 6 or Mazda 3 of Mazda CX5, when you're going down on all fours trying to get that winning image, when your senses know that a sunset, a bridge, and moving car belong together automative photography is not at all photography with an inanimate object. Automative photography, really becomes photography involving three moving, breathing, and life-alterting subjects: the one taking the photo, the one looking at the photo, and the car.

My "Kodo in Motion shot of the CX5 taken with the FujiFilm X30

The shooter is not just a machine taking shots. The viewer is not just an observer who doesn't feel. In the same manner, based on the Mazda Kodo design language, a car isn't simply a mass of metal. Mazda believes a car is like a living creature that creates an emotional bond between a driver and their car comparable with the relationship between horse and rider.

My "Details" shot of the CX5 taken with the FujiFilm X30

Through the photos we took during the 2015 Mazda Kodo Drive x FujiFilm Photography Workshop at the Green Canyon Resort in Clark, Pampanga, we learned that in the "Kodo: Soul of Motion" language, there is a striking relationship connecting the photographer, the viewer, and the car.

My "Details" shot of the CX5 taken with the FujiFilm X30

We're all animals that chase, dash, pounce. Like the inspiration behind Mazda's Kodo - the cheetah. Because Mazda's "Soul in Motion" design embodies the dynamic beauty of life. Because we move. Because we can be moved. Because we believe in the power of everything that moves.

My "Basic Pose" photo of the CX5 taken with the FujiFilm X30

Through the three exercises (Basic Pose, Details, Kodo in Motion) prepared by Top Gear photographer Mikko David, we saw the embodiment of "Soul in Motion" even when the Mazda 6, Mazda 3, and Mazda CX5 all stood still. We saw the Kodo even when looking at the finest details. The Kodo language makes Mazda cars move even when they're not moving. Kodo language makes them move even when you're looking at a shiny CX5 emblem. This, Mazda believes is the essence of the ultimate Motion Form.

Kodo brings us all together. The photographer. The viewer. The car. All with hearts beating, moving swiftly as one. MH

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