Five Top Tips for Becoming a Motorsport Photographer

Photo credit: Mike Widdowson - https://www.mjwmedia.net/

If you're a motorsport enthusiast with a passion for photography, turning your hobby into a career might be the perfect next step. Motorsport photography is an exhilarating and dynamic field that requires a unique blend of technical skill, creativity, and a love for speed. It is a very competitive field but if you have plenty of grit, determination and an unwavering passion, then there is no reason why you can’t forge a successful career doing what you love.

We thought we would share our top five tips to help you on your journey to becoming that successful motorsport photographer.

1. Invest in Quality Equipment.

Quality doesn’t always mean expensive. You can still pick up quality cameras and equipment on the second hand market.

A good camera is essential for capturing the fast-paced action of motorsport events. A DSLR or mirrorless camera with a fast autofocus and a wide aperture lens is ideal. Additionally, consider investing in a telephoto lens to capture that more distant action. A lens that covers 300mm+ is the sort of focal range you should be considering. Plus, adding a wide-angle lens to your kit would be a lovely addition, ideal for capturing the overall scenes and atmosphere over the course of a race weekend. Finally, a decent monopod is also a worthwhile investment, especially when using that 300mm telephoto lens! There are a few other considerations to think about as well from a decent camera bag, to filters such as a polariser and UVs and don’t forget about that all important rain cover (afterall, pretty much all motorsport is outdoors and especially in the UK, you can almost guarantee rain at some point!).

If you are just starting out on your photography journey, you do not need to spend a fortune to start snapping motorsport photos. Investing in quality equipment is the long term goal, but you certainly do not need to splash out straight away. Consider purchasing a second hand DSLR. Whilst mirrorless cameras are now the norm, when it comes to motorsport photography, DSLRs can still very much hold their own. Plus, you can now pick them up considerably cheaper! For example, we have seen a Canon 5D IV for around £800 or even a Canon 1D X II for £1,200. Whilst still an big investment, these cameras were not so long ago the crème de la crème, especially the 1D X series when it came to sports photography. Add on a couple of lenses and you could kit yourself out for around £2,500 (second hand). In today’s photography market, that isn’t a bad effort. There is also a real possibility you could source the equipment even cheaper with further research and smart shopping around.

Summary: Do not completely write off the DSLR market just yet, especially for motorsport photography. Shop around and do some research. You do not need to spend £5,000+ when just starting out.

2. Understand the Sport

Grassroots to F1. With determination, perseverance and a desire to learn as much as possible, you can work your way up to the very top.

To become a successful motorsport photographer, you need to have a deep understanding of the sport you're covering. In fact, it is good to have an in depth knowledge across many different motorsport series and categories of racing. Research the different types of races, the rules, and the strategies used by drivers and teams. This knowledge will help you anticipate the action and capture the most exciting moments.

Start by getting to grips with grassroots or national level series. In the UK, there is a fantastic motorsport scene with racing across all levels. From the British GT and the BTCC to Ginetta racing, single seater championships to Ford KA endurance racing. We have it all here in the UK! Almost every weekend throughout the spring, summer and autumn there is a motorsport event happening somewhere. Understand the specific rules, regulations, and scoring systems that govern each event. Soak up as much knowledge as you can around the entire world of motorsport. Live and breath it. You will no doubt dream of becoming an F1, NASCAR or rally photographer and you will get there if you are prepared to learn and hone your craft across more junior series and championships. Remember to be patient and build up a strong portfolio.

Summary: Start small, aim high. Start by photographing grassroot or national level motorsports, build up a strong portfolio and gain as much industry knowledge as you can.

3. Practice Regularly

Whether at your local track or travelling further afield, practice, practice and then practice some more!

Photography is a skill that requires constant practice, development and learning. Whether that is landscape, street or sports photography. In fact, you never stop learning with photography. It is an art form that is constantly changing. However, if you don’t start somewhere then you will likely never board the fast moving photography train, and so the best thing to do is just start. Anywhere and anyhow. Attend local racing events, hill climbs, motorsport festivals and race weekends, no matter the size and experiment with different settings and compositions. Some will be awful (perhaps even most) and some will be OK. The more you shoot, the better you'll become. With photography sometimes it really is that simple. ‘Practice makes perfect’ as the saying goes.

If you are at a track and you are finding that nothing you try is working, you just can’t nail the focus or find a decent composition, sometimes the best thing to do can be to head for the paddock or away from the on-track racing and experiment with capturing the atmosphere instead. The paddock is a fantastic place to start, especially as with a lot of UK national motorsport series (i.e. British GT) the paddock is open, allowing spectators (and in this case you) fantastic access and opportunities for photography. From the cars being prepped and worked on, to the mechanics and teams, there is a lot of atmosphere on offer within the paddock, all waiting to be captured. At some race weekends, depending on the size of the event there will be lots going on besides the racing. Fairs, stalls, fan zones, live music and more. Spend time capturing this. You can also search out those more intricate shots. Detailed shots of the cars, mechanical equipment, the fans, car badges and so on. People love to see these behind-the-scenes images just as much as the cars on track. Give the viewers of your images FOMO (fear of missing out). Photography is about storytelling. Tell the story of your experience attending that motorsport event.

Summary: Practice, practice and practice some more. Experiment with photographing both the on track action but also exploring the paddock and other parts of the race circuit. Tell the story of the entire event that you are photographing.

4. Build Your Portfolio

Spent time crafting an excellent, visual engaging portfolio.

A strong portfolio is essential for attracting clients and showcasing your motorsport photography skills. Curate a collection of your very best, ultimate motorsport images that highlights your creativity and technical ability. When it comes to thinking about building a portfolio, you want to define your style. Whether that is a particular shooting style or an editing / post production style, define yours. Create a strong visual identity. If you look at some of the leading motorsport photographers operating at the top of the industry, they all have a strong visual identity. Find and hone yours.

Something that lots of photographers are guilty of, myself included, is trying to include too many images within a portfolio. More is not always better. In fact, it is far better to have 5 incredible images than 25 mediocre ones. It can be very hard as photographers trying to narrow this down to just a select few. You are essentially critiquing your own work. One idea is to ask someone else to choose for you, or show a selection of your images to multiple people and go with the top few images from their feedback. Alternatively, print your images out. You can learn SO much from printing your images. More than you might think. A physical portfolio seems to be a thing of the past, but we say let’s bring it back! We guarantee that printing your images will help with defining and choosing your very best images. Plus, printing simply for this purpose isn’t expensive. Even if you don’t put them into a physical portfolio, stick them on the wall as inspiration towards your ultimate goal of becoming that F1 photographer or give them as gifts to family members for Christmas.

These are just ideas to help get you started but it's often very helpful (if also hard sometimes) to get feedback on your work. However, it will be one of the quickest ways to learn and improve. You can also use social media to discover which images work best and which are the most ‘liked’. When it comes to your website (which you will need eventually once you have built up a good portfolio) you will want your absolute best images only on there. But, social media is a bit more open and free.

Finally, consider entering photography contests and sharing your work in other ways to increase your visibility. You will often gain feedback, hopefully constructive and this will only help you to learn and develop further. Plus, some competitions offer photography equipment as prizes, so a great way to boost your kit for little or no cost!

Summary: Your portfolio should consist of your very best work only. It should highlight your skill, storytelling ability and visual identity. The best portfolios are the ones that always contain a strong and clear identity. If someone can look at a photograph and know that it’s one of yours, then that is pretty much the aspiration and dream of any photographer.

5. Networking

Networking is absolutely crucial. The more you network, the better chance you have of being noticed.

It’s that age old saying ‘it’s not what you know but who you know’. Your ability to network effectively is critical to having a career as a motorsport photographer. When you attend a race event, don’t spend all your time behind the camera. Network! Talk to the teams, race organisers, marshalls. Anyone and everyone! Find and search out information and opportunities. A photographer’s life is 20% taking photos and 80% admin and marketing. Networking is just another form of marketing. You are marketing and selling yourself. So do not disregard it as something only ‘business executives’ do. It can be uncomfortable and feel unnatural but the more you do it, as with photography, the better you will become at it. Think of yourself as part photographer and part business CEO, as that is essentially what you are. You are ultimately trying to create a successful photography business, with you are the heart of it.

Networking with other motorsport photographers is also important. They can provide valuable insights, advice and even opportunities. Building relationships with other photographers can help you learn from their experiences, including their mistakes and ultimately that will help you to find new clients (and keep them!). Remember, learn as much as possible, from everyone, all the time!

Away from the race circuit attend industry and social events, join online forums, and connect with professionals across different social media platforms. Get yourself on LinkedIn!

Summary: Network, even if it feels uncomfortable. Networking is one of the most crucial skills to develop and one you will need to continue doing right throughout your career. The more you do it, the better and more natural it will become.

Remember, becoming a successful motorsport photographer takes time, dedication, failure, resilience, networking and building a strong portfolio with a clear visual style and identity. If you can manage all of this, then you can turn your passion into a rewarding and successful career as a motorsport photographer.

If you would like to accelerate your motorsport photography career and learn from a professional motorsport photographer in person, then come and join us on one of our motorsport photography workshops. We are a world leader when it comes to motorsport photography courses, workshops and training. A number of our workshops are media accredited, getting you even closer to the action with unrivalled access not found anywhere else! Go check them out and get in touch with us today.

Until then, grab your camera and head out to photograph some epic motorsport, come rain or shine!