Shooting Monterey Car Week for Moët Hennessy

Every August the Monterey Peninsula turns into the center of the automotive world, and for those of us who work it, Car Week is a sprint. This year Moët Hennessy brought me on for four activations across the week. Three of them are shown here: Whispering Angel pouring at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club car show, the Lamborghini Serata Italiana at TPC Pasadera, and the Veuve Clicquot activation at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Whispering Angel at the MPCC car show

The morning fog held over the first fairway while Ferraris, an E-Type, and a lawn full of classics rolled in below the clubhouse. In the courtyard, Whispering Angel was flowing from a very large bottle mounted on its own pouring cradle, which became a show of its own. Half my job at an event like this is the brand moment, and the other half is the setting that makes it worth remembering. MPCC gave me both in every direction.

The club is familiar ground for me. I photograph multiple events there every year, including the Monterey Symphony's annual gala and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County's annual golf tournament, and knowing a venue that well pays off when the light is moving and the schedule is tight.

The Serata Italiana at TPC Pasadera

Lamborghini's evening at TPC Pasadera celebrated 60 years of the Miura, and the atmosphere matched the occasion: string lights over the lawn, a vintage Miura parked like sculpture, and Moët & Chandon on every tray. Evening events are where the GFX 100 II earns its keep. The light drops fast, the moments do not wait, and medium format files keep the glow of the string lights and the deep dusk sky without falling apart. Pasadera is another course I know well, since I photograph events there throughout the year, many of them for local nonprofits.

Veuve Clicquot at the Concours d'Elegance

Sunday ended the week where Car Week always ends, on the eighteenth at Pebble Beach for the Concours d'Elegance. The Veuve Clicquot lounge sat under a beautiful old oak beside the eighteenth green, on the lawn just below the Lodge, dressed in that unmistakable yellow: striped umbrellas, deck chairs, and branded boater hats on bistro tables. Between the fog over the bay and all that color, it photographed like a set built for the brand, because it was. The eighteenth is practically a second studio for me at this point. Between corporate events and bucket list rounds, I photograph at Pebble Beach all year long.

Four events, one team

Brand work at this level moves quickly, and it works because of the people running it. I always enjoy working with the dynamic team at Moët Hennessy: Roberto Loppi, Michelle Kofman, and Mia Roig. Four activations in one week is a lot of moving pieces, and they make it look effortless. Car Week is the highlight of the brand calendar here on the Peninsula, and being trusted with all of it is not something I take for granted.

Common questions

Who photographs brand activations during Monterey Car Week?

I do. I'm Manny Espinoza, a commercial photographer based in Carmel-by-the-Sea, five minutes from Pebble Beach. In 2026 I covered four Moët Hennessy activations across the week.

What is the Serata Italiana?

Lamborghini's evening celebration during Car Week. The 2026 edition at TPC Pasadera honored the 60th anniversary of the Miura, with Moët & Chandon pouring for guests.

Which brands pour at Car Week?

Across this year's events I photographed Whispering Angel at MPCC, Moët & Chandon at the Serata Italiana, and Veuve Clicquot at the Concours d'Elegance, all part of the Moët Hennessy portfolio.

What gear handles a week like this?

The Fujifilm GFX 100 II, handheld, from foggy mornings on the show lawn to string-lit evenings. The files hold highlight and shadow detail through every kind of light a Car Week day throws at you.