Can you tell us about the cars? Do you drive off road yourself?
I'm more of a motorcycle rider but I did learn a lot about the cars from spending time with the drivers. I can tell you how they smell (like race fuel and wet dirt) or how they look when they're coming directly toward you (ten times their actual size) but not too much about the mechanics. The part that was interesting to me is how quickly they're repaired in the harsh desert climate, I've heard that people will fly in a transmission by helicopter if they need to.
There is no standard of beauty for these cars- some of them are beaters, others are designed by a team of mechanics. I have a friend who races class 11, a stock production VW Sedan class that involves a team (driver and co-driver) cramped into a tiny bug racing through the silt and over the rough terrain of the desert. That seems like the toughest class to me, you have essentially every single factor working against you except the strength of your will and the will of the person next to you.
How did you get into shooting off road racing? Why not still lifes, or lattes?
I was at Burning Man last year when I met Josh Martelli, who co-owns Mad Media. We were friends right away and he invited me to shoot the Baja 1000 as part of their coverage for Polaris, an off road vehicle company who would be racing their UTV class down the Baja peninsula. Mad Media specializes in off-road racing coverage, the two owners of the company (Matt and Josh Martelli) are also the owners of the Mint 400, an off road race that takes place near Las Vegas Nevada.
I was lucky that Josh hired me to shoot the race as my previous experience was mostly shooting sports and daily coverage for a newspaper in Columbus, Ohio where I work full time. He took a chance on me and I feel very grateful for that. So really, most of the year I am shooting still lifes, lattes, portraits and parades...needless to say I jumped at the chance to fly through the mountains of the Baja coast in a helicopter shooting off-road racing.
Can you tell us about shooting from helicopters?
Typically when you're shooting from a helicopter for, say, a news story you are very high up using a long lens and cropping in to a photo to show the area. For races you want to feel like you're in the action so the pilot flies accordingly...you are flying close to the ground at very high speeds to match the pace of the car for a good shot. There are many other pilots in the air for these races because the other teams have their own coverage, so the pilots are constantly talking to each other about their locations on the course. At times there will be another helicopter very close to yours and you can hear the traffic talk in your headphones- so you're trying to shoot and phase out the noise in your ears. The tough part is finding the cars at times- people get held back on the course and you're flying around to find them. It's a huge course in the case of the Mint 400, but thankfully in that case it's a loop so there is a better chance of locating your team. In the Baja 1000 you get one shot, they're driving straight down the peninsula so once they're gone, they're gone. Last of all you're thinking of the fuel gauge and making it home in time. in Baja we had to land before sunset so there we were, flying over the mountains with the doors off while the sun was going down. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.
Have they ever crashed?
The cars or the helicopters? Yes, the cars crash often. Sometimes they crash into each other, sometimes into the dirt. It can be fun as long as no one is hurt. Was that a poem?
Yes the cars crash, they do it spectacularly with lots of noise and smoke and crunching metal. Most of the parts can be replaced quickly so typically they zip tie the pieces back together and continue into the race.
Which races have you done? Any favorites?
My favorite was the Baja 1000 because of the beauty of the Baja peninsula and the slightly lawless feel of the race. So far I've only shot the Baja and the Mint 400...we will see what the future holds.
Do you shoot specifically off road? Or do you shoot other racing as well?
So far my experience is only in off road, but I think there is a lot of potential in shooting track racing with both cars and motorcycles. The beauty of shooting off road is the potential for huge clouds of dust , dirt and the changing light of the track. Most of these guys are racing from sunrise to sundown and that allows for so much variety when you're chasing them on the course.
A painter once told me that there are two types of painters - figurative and landscape. A lot of the photos we've seen of yours are amazing, huge landscapes of the desert filled with bad ass race cars, shot from the sky. Do you also shoot the racers as well? Do you prefer to shoot landscapes?
Yes, I love shooting the contrast of these cars and the beauty of the landscape around them. If I'm able to shoot more racing I'd love to follow up and see what these racers go through in their prep time...the grease, the sweat, the logistics of mapping the course with your team. I'd love to show the race experience from beginning to end, tell the story of racing and show how it's a sport that isn't filled with glamour the way that others are. It's gritty and real, and these guys put blood and tears into what they do.
What did you think of the car chase shots for the latest Mad Max?
BADASS. I love that they made all of that happen with real cars, and real drivers. Amazing.
