25 years of Motorsport Photography: From noob, to older noob
I’ve been photographing motorsport for over 20 years, these 25 images cover some of my journey from being a trackside spectator to someone who occasionally believed their own bullshit, calling myself ‘a professional’ , right before crashing back down to reality.
When I started, film cameras were just about as common trackside as digital. Over the years, I’ve progressed through the platforms, starting out with film as a complete no-hoper, point-and-shoot digital as an enthusiastic amateur, a DSLR as an amateur with delusions of grandeur, and now, 15 years on… still an amateur, still using a DSLR (mirrorless has yet to catch up with me). However, I do now have a much better understanding of what being a ‘professional’ actually takes.
As you can probably tell from the pictures, I’m not a purist. I’ve learned to pan in-camera, but I also like to play silly buggers in post-processing. I just enjoy taking pictures. While I’m not constrained by the strict rules of photojournalism, I still try my best to deliver a decent-looking image.
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have some successes along the way, and I’ve been fortunate to work with, and learn from, some of the best photographers in the industry. Some milestones include selling pictures to Lewis Hamilton (arguably the biggest hater of photographers… in the world), getting published in multiple magazines (mainly photography ones, but Autosport used one on their socials, that counts right… right?), shooting the pit lane for WEC four times, and holding a Press season pass for British GT. I’ve done retouching work for Aston Martin and Mercedes AMG, was invited to a charity night at the BRDC clubhouse with Ross Brawn, and even managed to claw back a four-figure sum after being ripped off twice by the same sim racing company.
My momentum hit a bump with COVID in 2020, and things derailed pretty much completely in 2024 with a cancer diagnosis (in remission now, but it's slow progress). It's been a bit of a wild ride through it all, and I’m grateful for getting to do as much as I did. So, to the beginners in this sub, enjoy the process while you can. I know it’s a cliché, but you really might not get the chance tomorrow.
Thanks for taking a look. If you’d like to see more, you can find a few hundred neck-strainers on my Instagram (you’ll understand if you look): https://www.instagram.com/fireproof.creative/