What It’s Like to Shoot a 24Hr Race as a Motorsport Photographer
Here’s a new 13-minute mini-documentary by photographer Jamey Price that shows what it’s like to work as a motorsport photographer during a grueling 24-hour-long endurance race.
“Basically the question was asked, what is it like to cover a 24 hour endurance car race?” Price tells PetaPixel. “It’s an answer I can’t really describe. So we set about trying to film it.”
Price says he originally picked two other races for this documentary — the Daytona 24 and Sebring 12 — but those efforts were rejected by “the powers that be.” For the Daytona 24, Price was told by the series and the track that “No one will watch this. No one is interested in how the sausage is made.”
The team finally received permission from Spa 24 Hours (officially known as Total 24 Hours of Spa).
“It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions from start to finish,” Price writes. “FRAMES was never intended to be a blueprint for how to be a motorsport photographer or how to take pictures of race cars. I’m sure more than a few people will be disappointed it isn’t either of those.
“But what I DO hope is that it gives people a glimpse into the world that many of my colleagues and I live, and that you might think about the work behind the images you see and share on a daily basis.”
Here are a few of the photos Price captured during the course of the race:
Price is aiming to turn FRAMES into a series of short documentary films about motorsport photography, and you can follow along with the videos through the Instagram account. You can also find more of Price’s work on his Instagram and website.