A Different Kind Of Motion

If you haven’t noticed through my website already, I am drawn to slower photography - candid moments, documenting travel, studio work and overall environments where I can take my time and both photograph and appreciate what is occurring.

Wow, a drag race was the complete opposite.

Having people in my life who love cars meant I too was dragged along to what was, my first ever drag race! Loud, fast and unpredictable. Everything was timed in seconds, and I had to keep up. It felt like I was stepping into a completely different version of photography.

At first, thought I hate to admit, I struggled to keep up. I mean bar the camera this was my first drag race, I was intrigued! However, with that, came missing moments, mistimed shots and trying to keep in sync with my surroundings. But somewhere after a bit of time and some chaos later, something shifted. I stopped trying to control and started reacting instead.

That’s when it clocked. Trying something new doesn’t come with perfection, otherwise how would you learn? It was about being present, recognising patterns and timing myself correctly, anticipating movement and accepting that not every frame would land. And the few that did land, I was so happy!

Not only was I experiencing my first drag race, but I was also photographing it for the first time. I made connections with drift drivers, shared my photographs and aided my skill set. So overall, that is a win! Growth doesn’t happen in comfort, sometimes it happens when it is too quick to realise and you have to move with it.