Racing photo report

Racing photo report

Photo report from races, car presentations, test drives for a company or magazine

Why Make a Photo Reportage?

Sometimes it happens that you want to attend an event, but then it turns out that on that day you promised your beloved granny to transport all her harvest from the dacha so she could make a bunch of preserves for the winter. There’s nothing to be done, and instead of enjoying the smell of burning rubber and the squeal of tires, you load your car with potatoes and other useful vitamins and micronutrients. But somewhere deep down, there’s hope that maybe there will be a professional photographer at this event who will make a cool reportage, and you’ll be able to see at least something. Sure, your friend’s stories are interesting, but only if they know how to shoot and don’t shake their phone like they have Parkinson’s.

So, you log into Instagram and, miraculously, the organizers have posted a reportage with a bunch of photos. That’s different! Yes, all 200-300 photos won’t fit on Instagram, so they left a link to their website where visitors can browse through all the photos. Our hero looked through all the photos and decided to come next time. Besides, the photos will be useful for reporting at the end of the month or year. Also, the materials can be used for announcements next year.

When I was shooting reports from drift or circuit races at Moscow Raceway, organizers often gave photographers shooting instructions. In addition to the racing shots (which photographers love to shoot), there were also items like “beautiful photos of banners or flags of all official sponsors.” This allows companies to use their photos for advertising, etc.

What are the other advantages of reportage photography at automotive events and races?

You see, as a photographer, I’ve always loved shooting drift because I always stand closer to the track than anyone else. With spectators, it’s like this: you come early, take a seat in the front row, and the rest peek behind your back. Okay, you bought an expensive ticket to the front row in the middle, but in races, there’s no perfect point – it’s not a theater where all the action takes place on one small stage. A photographer has the right to move around the entire track, choose the most diverse shooting points, go to the paddock, and, in the end, shoot from the spectator stands. True, you have to run around all day with a heavy camera, but that’s another story.

In this regard, a photo report will be more interesting, even if you buy a ticket to the front row. Of course, photos or videos won’t replace the atmosphere of a hot summer day, and won’t convey the smell of rubber and the screech of tires. But on the other hand, you went to the raceway, saw everything with your own eyes, and then looked at the photos again at home and relived the atmosphere and mood of that day. At the same time, you saw what you couldn’t see from afar from the stands: how the team prepares the car in the pit lane or how the driver concentrates before the race. Double pleasure! Even I, as a photographer, love to look at reports of my colleagues because they could capture completely different moments that day.

But at the racing track, you can shoot not only reports but also staged shots.

You can check out how I shot the Supra for my project at Moscow Raceway via the link.

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