Off to the Races!
It’s so crazy think that only a year and a half ago, I didn’t ever give racing or Motorsports a second thought. Now, I try to watch any race of any kind that I can on tv, or even better, in person. I do my best to watch the Formula 1 and NASCAR races every weekend. And more importantly, I’ve found my true passion within photography. And to think it all started with a Google search….
One day, in maybe late 2020 or early 2021, I was doing some online searching about different types of photography and different jobs within the field of photography. At least if I remember that correctly. Either way, the search was photography related. Anyway, I came across an interview on an online publication where they were interviewing Jamey Price, a motorsport photographer who works with some big-name racing teams and car manufacturers. I found the interview interesting, and I started following Jamey on Instagram, after seeing that I enjoyed viewing his incredible work. I looked at his work and thought, “I want to do that!” My interest in motorsport photography had received its spark.
Now, the date is May 2nd, 2021. My stepmom bought my dad a package with the NASCAR Racing Experience at Talladega Superspeedway. He was getting to drive a NASCAR racecar! So they invited me to tag along with them to come and watch. So I went with them, camera gear packed and ready. The first part of the experience consisted of my dad riding shotgun in a car with a driver. I watched, and I took photos.
In between the photos I took everything in: the incredible sounds of the car running laps on track, the incredible size of the track (keep I mind this was Talladega Superspeedway, and my first time at a track), and even the smell of racing fuel. I could tell this was definitely something I was going to be able to enjoy. The sound of the racing engines alone generates a feeling inside that I don’t even know how to explain. I guess the best I can do is an incredible joy. Then to cement in my feelings up to that point; my stepmom proceeded to buy me a ride in a NASCAR race car, and what an experience it was! Then came time for my dad to drive and so I enjoyed it some more, and took some more pictures. And from that day came what is, to this day, is one of my favorite shots I’ve taken (pictured below).
And by the end of that day, we decided we would go to a race there. Not only that, but I decided I enjoy motorsports photography. More so, I had found my true passion in photography.
We ended up buying tickets to the 2021 Yellawood 500, the October race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Unfortunately, that race got rained out. I still was able to get a few photos, but not very many.
Fortunately, we were able to get a rain check and come back for a future race. We were able to get tickets to the Geico 500 at Talladega in May of 2022.
Just two weeks after the Yellawood 500, I was able to go to an Event in my hometown: the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival. The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival is a weekend full of racing and car shows, and even Mecum Auto Auctions come into town for it. I got to spend a full 2 days shooting cars both on exhibition and racing right in downtown Chattanooga!
Needless to say, I had an amazing time that weekend! And with that, 2021 brought me a new passion, and a new career goal, all in one: motorsports photography. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen so excited for something new.
