James Sanny

View Original

Ecto 1K

Born in 1984, it almost feels like it's my obligation to love the movie Ghostbusters. It is, after all, touted as being one of the best comedies ever made. And, for those of us who enjoy ghost stories and comedy, it's a pretty solid blend of the two. For me though, this was more than a love of the movie itself. It was my first journey into fantastic technology. Over the top toys that every kid wished they had in the 80's, even if they'd never seen a real ghost.

While I did get a shot to photograph an Ecto replica back in 2016, it was a modern day take on the classic car. The Denver Ghostbusters Ecto Magnum was really a brilliant car and getting picked up at my hotel in it was a moment I'll never forget. Cruising around a city I don't know, with guys I don't know, in a car I would've died to have.. That was one for the books! For what it's worth, I still think the Dodge Magnum is the best modern platform for today's team, but the Cadillac CTS-V is definitely a close second. All that to say, seeing a more accurate, nearly identical year replica felt like an entirely different ballgame.

This 1964 Cadillac Miller Meteor Ambulance, done up to look like the original '59 Ecto 1 was fantastic. Watching it roll down the highway, lights flashing, seeing the the back loaded up with the packs.. It was like I was living in a scene from the movie (well - the new one where things are happening in the Midwest, not New York City). In fact, that was the goal of this little get together. Not only did I want to see the car in person and get a chance to photograph it but I also wanted to try and create some imagery that felt like it could've come from the newest Ghostbusters film, Afterlife. Since I live in Kansas, the scenery from the new film felt a bit more doable than anything larger scale.

My goal was to try and tell a story with these. While I definitely could've used the owners, as they were suited up, I knew my time was limited and I really wanted to focus on the car. Hopefully I've done the car justice and definitely hope to meet back up again when the new film is out to possibly recreate some movie scenes!


Gear: Sony A7RIII, Sony 24-105 f4 G OSS, B&W CPL, YN360, Sunpak Tripod

Post Processing: Adobe Photoshop