Formula 1 race photographers

Chucktin

Senior Member
I'm watching F1 in Singapore this weekend. How do the Photographers submit their images? Anybody know?
We're I there I'd use a double SD card camera, D5?, and dupe med Rez jpegs to each card. One set gets turned in, other set is mine to prove I'm the Photog.
Set the date/time via GPS on site, make certain copyright data is set and accurate and use biggest, fastest SDs possible.
Do they wait until a break to turn in cards? Or every nn minutes during the event? Or does a runner come by to fetch the cards?
A runner would have it's advantages - keep the Photog producing, and disadvantages - more handling, choice of personnel, etc.
Sidebar: I'm always dissapointed to see that Nikon are only a minority amongst the scrum🤨.
 

Chucktin

Senior Member
I am photographer also 50+ yrs. Never did any racing photography for pay so wonder how they handle the logistics of getting images to the bureau ingest.
 

Daz

Senior Member
Normally on the football side it is down to the photographer, they normally carry a laptop with them and mobile hotspot the images to where they need to be.

Most images are not allowed much post production they need to accurately reflect what it taken.
 

editorial_use_only

Senior Member
I don't shoot F1 but I shoot series like IndyCar, NHRA, IMSA, WSBK.

It's not like the Olympics. We don't have runners or miles of cable running from the field back to an editing room with staff churning new work constantly.

Typically, we walk back to the media tent/building, then we start the ingest and edit. If you're filing on deadline or shooting for a team, then the race schedule dictates how often you're back in the tent. You'll be back in after each session to submit your latest. There's practice, qualifying, race, podium, interviews. Race - podium - interviews has no breaks. And each class will have every session. For example, for IndyCar, there was Historic Trans Am, and Porsche GT3, and IndyCar. Each one has their own practice, qualifying, race, podium sessions.

It's a hassle to walk back to the media tent. It can be a mile or more out then a mile or more back in, and you'll walk from window to window around the track. Dirt trails and hills with treacherous footing, locked gates with irritating rusty balky combination locks that weep rusty WD-40 all over your hands, and you have all your gear in your hands and on your back. Some of the photographers have small scooters to get them around the track more quickly. Sometimes we can get a ride in a shuttle. But typically if you're not on deadline, you minimize your walking. At least I do. If I don't need to come back in between sessions, I stay out.

There are some outlets/teams that do have a dedicated graphics person, I think I have seen some husband-and-wife teams do this. I forget which series, but every time I came in to the media tent, she was in the same seat, editing photos on a laptop. Whole day, she was in the same seat, editing photos. She didn't have any photo gear around her and she didn't have a photo vest. But that's somewhat rare. Typically we all edit our own stuff. The video crews sometimes have a dedicated editor, but a lot of the video shooters I know edit their own stuff.

Nikon shooters are not a minority. Opposite, from what I see. Five-plus years ago, it was a lot more Canon, I'd guess two-thirds of what I saw in the hands of photographers on this side of the fence was Canon. Now, it's a lot of Nikon in every series I shoot. I'd guess that it's more than 50% Nikon, it's more Nikon than everything else put together. The D500, D850, D5 are popular. At NHRA there were a few D300s bodies.

I'm watching F1 in Singapore this weekend. How do the Photographers submit their images? Anybody know?

We're I there I'd use a double SD card camera, D5?, and dupe med Rez jpegs to each card. One set gets turned in, other set is mine to prove I'm the Photog.
Set the date/time via GPS on site, make certain copyright data is set and accurate and use biggest, fastest SDs possible.
Do they wait until a break to turn in cards? Or every nn minutes during the event? Or does a runner come by to fetch the cards?
A runner would have it's advantages - keep the Photog producing, and disadvantages - more handling, choice of personnel, etc.
Sidebar: I'm always dissapointed to see that Nikon are only a minority amongst the scrum廊.
 
Top