That Time I Stumbled Upon A McLaren P1 At The Ring
It was back in August last year when I took a couple of days off from a hectic Speedhunting schedule to unwind and reset my brain. Since I was in the area, it would have been rude not to use the familiar surroundings of Nürburg village as my base for a few days… The Nürburgring and the area surrounding it is beyond superlatives. It is the most important motoring region in the world. Staying at the Lindner Hotel with a room that opened out onto the Green Hell itself, I spent the morning relaxing on the balcony, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the day. It was the sounds that day in particular that caught my attention. Throughout the course of the morning, the sound of a high revving combustion engine echoed around the hills. The sound was unlike anything I had ever heard before or since for that matter. I’m the sort who struggles to wind down, so after twenty minutes sitting in my room, I took to the roads in an attempt to pass the time before the Nordschleife opened its gates for us tourists. Even on a Monday afternoon, in the middle of August, the Nordschleife is no less intimidating. No photograph or video that I’ve ever seen has accurately portrayed the inclines, descents and off camber nature of the course. I sat trackside at Pflanzgarten for quite a while, just taking things in. The track was quiet save for a camouflaged Civic Type R doing some filming. With time ticking closer to opening hours, I made my way to the car park at the Nordschleife’s entrance where I found more cars present than I had expected. With around half an hour before the track opened to the public, I parked my car in the shade […]
The Nordschleife Collection in Print
This is something I’ve been trying to put together for quite some time, but can finally share with you that I’ve just released my first collection in print. Thanks to the good folk at Photobox, I’ve just launched an online gallery where you can purchase prints from as little as £19.99. Choosing images to publish is quite daunting. I must have made a hundred different decisions followed by another hundred processing methods before I arrived at something I’m happy to share. The first collection is an exclusive set of prints photographed during the 2012 Nürburgring 24HR event. I’ve selected five landscapes which best reflect the incredible northern loop and processed them with my own black and white treatment. The prints are available in a variety of sizes and also in mounted and framed versions. I’ve tried to ensure that there is something on offer for every budget: – 18″ x 12″ Print on Professional Paper at £19.99 – 30″ x 20″ Print on Professional Paper at £49.99 – Mounted 600mm x 400mm (23.6″ x 15.7″) Print at £89.99 – Framed (Black, White or Wood Frame) 750mm x 500mm (29.5″ x 19.7″) Print at £124.99 You can purchase the prints from the online gallery here
Photos of the Year 2012
It’s actually quite difficult to write a review of a year whilst trying to avoid every cliché available. I guess it is always good to take the time to look back and appreciate things and learn from mistakes. Speaking personally, 2012 was a bit of a hit and miss year. Although there were certainly some fantastic moments, there was also a lot of time that needed to be endured rather than enjoyed. Photography wise, I don’t think I built upon my technical skills and ideas as much as I would have liked to, mostly due to a lack of field work in comparison to other years. However, these are all things I can focus on for 2013 and try to evolve further as a photographer. I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who comes here, to those of you who take your time to send me e-mails and everyone I’ve interacted with over the last twelve months. I hope that your best moments of 2012 are your worst ones in 2013.
The Nordschleife
Is there a more important place on earth for petrol-heads? I’ve been to the ‘ring several times, but on each visit I’m always humbled. I don’t know whether it’s the size of the place, the location, the history or a combination of them all but it’s not a place you’ll forget in a hurry. I’ve wrote a more detailed story over on Speedhunters, check it out for more.
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part Three / The Race
I’m sure I’ve certainly said this before, my year revolves around the Nürburgring 24HR. It’s the centre of my world, an event that I dream of during the winter, look forward to in the spring and reminisce about during the summer and autumn when it’s over. It’s an event that has everything, and I mean everything – the greatest racing circuit on earth, changeable weather, an almost impossible variety of cars, hundreds of thousands of animated spectators and fierce racing. This, sadly, is my final N24 post for 2012 but not my last Nordschleife related one. Be warned though, there are around 40+ images after the link so these might not best be viewed on a mobile device …
Nürburgring 24HR ’12 – Part One
I’m quite a lucky person. I’m working in my dream job, traveling the world and photographing fast cars. I honestly couldn’t ask for more. Even the variety of events that I attend is often breathtaking, there’s never a dull moment. When you have it so good and yet one event still stands out above all the others, then you know it’s special. For me, the annual Nürburgring 24HR is the centre point of my year. It’s such a challenge to shoot but it’s just so rewarding in many different ways. We’ve just wrapped up our coverage on Speedhunters (which is well worth a look as always) so I thought I’d start catching up with things on here too. The first part of this story documents our arrival at the ‘ring on the Wednesday before the race …
BMW at the 2011 ADAC Nürburgring 24HR
I’m sure it’s obvious by now that I have an affinity for a particular German manufacturer. Growing up in a Ford household, which was part of a Ford family, I don’t think I ever saw myself as a BMW sort of person growing up. After pushing the usual stereotypes aside, I quickly came to appreciate BMW’s brand values. It’s not just about their performance, technology or image, it’s how they bring everything together into a package that just works. Every detail is considered and it shows in the the final product. I’m certainly not saying they’re perfect or without their problems but for me anyways, I can appreciate what they bring to the table. Last year, I was lucky enough to cover the annual Nürburgring 24HR for the second consecutive year for Speedhunters. Shooting the Nürburgring 24HR is a very difficult task. The sheer size of the venue, along with its unpredictable weather system does not make the challenge any easier. In 2011, I had set personal goals with regards to my photography. These goals were related to both the approach and execution of shooting an event. In particular I wanted to focus on the basics and taking technically better photographs. This lead to a lot of (and I mean a lot) of rather plain images but they provided a better base to develop from. I recently revisited my images from last year’s event and re-edited them in accordance with what I’ve learned over the year. This leaves me facing into 2012 with the ambition of changing it all again in an attempt to stay fresh and hopefully build on what I’ve learned so far. I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together. If you like it be sure to drop me an e-mail or a message on twitter. More images after […]
Manthey Racing to Retire from VLN & N24 Races?
Popular motoring journalist Chris Harris tweeted earlier that the iconic Manthey Racing Porsches will not be found contesting the VLN and Nurburgring 24 Hour races in 2012. According to Harris, the Balance of Performance system is stacked so heavily against the GT3 R that Olaf Manthey has decided to call it a day. Since 2005, Manthey have claimed five out of six outright wins at what is billed as the hardest endurance race on the planet (the Nurburgring 24 Hour) and a staggering 24 VLN race wins in the same time period. One would hope that Herr Manthey has something up his sleeve …
2011 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hour – Part Two
I’ll conclude my 2011 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24HR coverage with the second and final part of images. These images take place in chronological order from the Friday qualifying sessions right through to the race end on Sunday evening. Nearly a month later and I’m still feeling the effects of the N24. It’s truly the most difficult event one can photograph during the motorsport season. However, it also rewards you for your perseverance. Read on for more images …
2011 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hour – Part One
I’m slowly trying to come around after a couple of very intensive weeks of work. Bouncing from the legendary Nürburgring twenty four hour race to the wild festivities of Gatebil in Norway has taken its toll on this Speedhunter. There are quite a lot of shots from the twenty four hour that I want to share so I’ve decided to split the coverage into two, chronologically ordered pieces. The first part will take you from our arrival in Germany on the Tuesday before the race to the Thursday night after qualifying. The rest of the story is after the break …
Back from Hell
Apologies for the lack of updates recently folks, I’m still trying to get back on track after another amazing Nürburgring Nordschliefe experience. Lots of fresh stories over on Speedhunters and I’ll be sure to get some photographs up here before I head to Norway next weekend for Gatebil.
The Green Hell
In anticipation of the impending ADAC 24HR Nurburgring at the end of June, I’ve been digging through last years photographs from the event and dug out these shots which previously have never been published (well, some of them anyway). The photographs were taken on the Sunday morning of what is surely the most challenging twenty four hour endurance race on the planet. A big thank you to KW Suspensions for arranging the trip and the helicopter!
Random Snap #12
It’s been quite a while since I just uploaded a random snap to the site. I’ve just made some small design changes which I think simplifies the site a little further. A big thanks to Derek at DT Solutions for his endless patience for when I muck up the changes. December will be a month of reflection on Speedhunters and I just happened across this image of the #1 Manthey Racing Porsche from the 2010 ADAC 24Hr Nürburgring at the Quiddbacher-Hohe / Flugplatz section of the Green Hell. It should be a great month on the site so be sure to keep checking in.
