Keeping your photography alive during CV19
Images by APW Photography
27 Aug 2020
All of the photographers who use motorsport as a main or secondary source of income have had it tough over the last few months due to the CV19 pandemic. If the pandemic had started a few months earlier we might have not been hit so badly, but when the coughing started it was right at the beginning of the season which was a disaster. It’s now six months later that we are just getting back to work, be it in a limited way.
This is due in a small way to travel restrictions and the worry of having to isolate if visiting a foreign country. So those international travellers who come and visit the UK to race are staying put for the time being.
As are some of the domestic teams. We have seen even at the highest levels like BTCC that some teams have decided to give 2020 a miss, keep the funds in the bank and come back stronger next year. Again, this has resulted in some thin grids so far this year.
Also to compound your troubles, if you are looking for media accreditation that is getting quite competitive as well with less being allocated and therefore fewer places available. This is probably due to the social distancing rules that have to be put in place within the paddocks and media centres more than the reduced numbers on track.
Of course, some of the top flight domestic race series are seeing full grids but generally there are some gaps and some of the sponsors that fund the race teams are tightening their belts, which doesn’t help get the racers out on track.
So as a photographer what can you do? Well as the successful photographers will tell you, it’s all about your network, the people in your contacts book, getting in touch with these people and letting them know you are available and ready for work.
Remember the www. and social networks have a voracious appetite for images and old stock will just not cut it. Racers need to keep in with the sponsors and the sponsors want the publicity. So getting out there keeping the racers' names and sponsors brand in the public eye keeps everyone happy.
Adrian from APW Photography is one of those doing just that. Adrian can usually be found at the side of a speedway track but with his residence at his local track ending due to the team going under he has had to branch out.
Having taken on the Hawkstone International motocross event last year Adrian’s appetite for MX was well and truly wetted.
Adrian writes:
So it's been a very hard year due to Covid 19 and seems a very long time since I had picked up a camera to capture some motorsport action. The Hawkstone International MX was my last gig and was the most challenging event l had ever covered due to Storm Ciara. It hit the UK bringing heavy rain and wind gusts up to 90mph making the conditions on the day challenging to say the least.
So it was great to be asked by one of my speedway riders, Danny from the Carmarthen Dragons, to take some images at his MX practice track. STC Searles Training Compound is a private MX track not open to the public. It’s a wonderful, flowing track plus, as a bonus, it's not far away from home.
The weather was great and it was nice to be able to play with shutter speeds and work with Danny to get the shots he wanted. There were plenty of other riders to get shots of. It was great to see a classic CR125R.
Mostly the rest of the bikes were a mix of four stroke 250s or 450's. I must say it was great to get track side again and I'm looking forward to getting back there again soon.
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