Christensen wins best in show in state photography contest

By in Photography

Christensen wins best in show in state photography contest

A Council Bluffs-based photographer won best in show in the 14th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography Contest.

The contest aims to raise awareness of Iowa’s natural and environmental beauty, according to a news release. It is open to both amateur and experienced photographers.

Buck Christensen is a studio artist with Pottawattamie Arts, Culture & Entertainment whose interests include Midwest landscapes, floral portraits and light painting. He has an ongoing series on Lake Manawa and exhibits in various galleries and art shows.



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Photographer Buck Christensen, second from right, shows off his studio space inside the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center during PACE Interactive, the annual fundraiser for Pottawattamie Arts, Culture and Entertainment, on Friday, July 29, 2022. 



JOE SHEARER, THE NONPAREIL


Christensen’s “A Misty Sunrise at Hitchcock” won first place for Iowa Landscapes as well as first place in the Robert D. Ray Best of Show contest. He also won third place for “Boy Scout Island Reflected at Sunrise” for Iowa Water.

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The contest had more than 600 photos across five categories. Winning entries can be viewed at keepiowabeautiful.org/photography-contest/winners.

“The winners of this year’s photography contest truly captured the beauty and essence of our state,” Andy Frantz, Keep Iowa Beautiful executive director, said in a news release. “We were thrilled with the quality and competitiveness of this year’s submissions. Congratulations to all the winners for their outstanding contributions to preserving and celebrating the spirit of Iowa.”



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Photographer Buck Christensen hands out candy to costumed kids outside his studio during Halloween at the Hoff the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.



JOE SHEARER, THE NONPAREIL


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Colossal + Domestika: Learn to Draw, Animate, and Paint with Four Classic Courses

By in Art World News

Colossal + Domestika: Learn to Draw, Animate, and Paint with Four Classic Courses

From Mattias Adolfsson’s The Art of Sketching: Transform Your Doodles into Art

In our next installment of courses with Domestika, we’ve got all your bases covered. Our Classic Colossal Bundle includes four classes hand-picked by our editors with more than 10 hours of instructional information to round out your creative skills. Taught by artists from our very own Colossal archive, you’re sure to be in good hands.

So what are you waiting for? Crack open that sketchbook and learn to find your very own style with Mattias Adolfsson, explore the possibilities of watercolor and gouache on unique surfaces with Ruby Silvious, draw fantastical beings with Vorja Sánchez, and learn the ins and outs of needle felting while creating your very own stop motion animation with Andrea Love.

Head over to Domestika now, and be sure to check out our ceramics, paper, and fiber art syllabi as well.

 

Two hands needle felt a red ladybug onto white felt.

From Andrea Love’s Stop Motion Animation with Needle Felting

Fantastical, whimsical creatures inspired by nature.

From Vorja Sánchez’s Whimsical Sketchbook: Draw Imaginary Creatures from Nature

An open spread of a sketchbook with softly drawn seeds and leaves from outdoors.

From Vorja Sánchez’s Whimsical Sketchbook: Draw Imaginary Creatures from Nature

Small tea bags, each with its own painting on the surface.

From Ruby Silvious’ The Art of Tea Bag Painting

A top-down view of the process of stop motion animation.

From Andrea Love’s Stop Motion Animation with Needle Felting

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Colossal + Domestika: Learn to Draw, Animate, and Paint with Four Classic Courses appeared first on Colossal.

Photographers Document First-Ever Instance of Humpback Whales Mating – And it’s Between Males

By in Photography

Photographers Document First-Ever Instance of Humpback Whales Mating – And it’s Between Males

A pair of photographers unexpectedly shot the first-ever images of two humpback whales engaged in having sex — and even more remarkably, the sexual encounter was between two males.

Photographers Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano were whale-watching off the coast of Maui, Hawaii in January 2022.

humpback whales sex males first ever images photographs

As the photographers shot images, two male humpback whales approached their boat and circled around it before engaging in some close activity together then eventually parting ways.

Krannichfeld and Romano knew that they had witnessed something highly unusual with the pair of humpback whales — so the photographers contacted PhD student Stephanie Stack of the Pacific Whale Foundation.

It turned out that Krannichfeld and Romano had photographed the first-ever images of humpback whales — a species that can span 50 feet long and weighs more than 30 tons — having sex for the first time in recorded history.

The photos of the underwater tryst not only marked the first time humpback whales have been observed copulating, but it was also the first recorded instance of homosexual behavior in the species — because both whales were male.

A Historic Finding By Two Photographers

The groundbreaking photographs captured by Krannichfeld and Romano provide an unparalleled glimpse into the private lives of these humpback whales — despite these majestic marine animals being one of the most studied species of whales.

“Despite being well-studied for decades, the sexual behavior of humpback whales has remained mostly a mystery until now,” Stack says in a statement to The Guardian.

“This discovery challenges our preconceived notions about humpback whale behavior. While we have long recognized the complex social structures of these incredible creatures, witnessing the copulation of two male whales for the first time is a unique and remarkable event.”

According to a press release by the Pacific Whale Foundation, the two whales circled the boat numerous times, allowing Krannichfeld and Romano the opportunity to carefully document the event by holding their cameras over the side of the stationary vessel. The Foundation says that it is illegal to swim with or approach humpback whales within 100 yards in Hawaii and the vessel remained in neutral as the whales approached the boat.

Although this is the first time it has been reported for humpback whales, homosexual behavior is common in the animal kingdom and well-documented for many species of cetaceans.
Scientists think humpback whales’ homosexual tendencies may be a way to practice reproductive behaviors, could be a way to form social alliances or to assert dominance.

The scientists’ paper on the photos has been published in Marine Mammal Science.

 
Image credits: All photos by Lyle Krannichfeld and Brandi Romano via Pacific Whale Foundation.

Sean Tucker: “Some street photographers will tell you I’m not a street photographer”

By in Photography

Sean Tucker: “Some street photographers will tell you I’m not a street photographer”

Sean Tucker will appear at The Photography & Video Show in Birmingham, England, on 16 March to discuss his book The Meaning in the Making, an exploration of the importance of creativity. The book draws on Tucker’s career, as well as insights from his psychology degree. 

Rather than specializing in one photographic genre, Tucker produces work across the spectrum, taking in portraiture, still-life, product photography and street photography.

While you can get a good flavor of Tucker’s work on his YouTube channel, which offers many highly polished informative tutorials, equipment discussions and much more, we sat down with him to get a taste of what to expect in his upcoming talk. 

Standard entry tickets to 2024 start from £14.95 and are valid for any one day of the event. Click here to buy your tickets. 

Photograph titled ‘Regal’, London, 2017. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Regal, London, 2017 (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Tell us about your photography journey to date.

I didn’t work as a photographer for the first 30 years of my life; I enjoyed photography as a child but didn’t do anything with it. In my 20s, I worked for the Church in South Africa, as an ordained pastor, and started doing videos for corporates to subsidize my income, because the Church didn’t pay very well. 

I had just turned 30 when I ended my job with the Church and a friend of mine said that if you have to start a new career at 30, then you might as well pick the thing you want to do and see if you can make it work. 

At that time, photography and video were definitely my main passions. It took me three or four years of trying – and failing – to launch my photography career, working in restaurants as a waiter to pay the bills. 

Then I got my first full-time job with a kitchenware company called Yuppie Chef; it hired me as its food and product photographer, and then as a food photographer for its magazine. 

After a year, I came back to the UK and did product photography for a company called World Stores. I headed up their photography for five years, then did photography and video for an American consultancy. 

About five years ago, I started working for myself, taking portraits, shooting street photography and making videos. So there’s a range of genres in there.

Photograph titled ‘Autumnal’, Brighton, UK, 2019. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Autumnal, Brighton, UK, 2019 (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Do you have a favourite genre? ? Is there one you like to switch to every now and then?

Portrait photography is probably my first love. I think it’s what I’ve got the strongest skillset for and I like that one-on-one intimate working with somebody. 

My university degree was in psychology, and one of my favorite things to do is counseling; I’m currently studying to become a qualified therapist in the UK. I think any portrait photographer will tell you that they become a bit of a therapist on some days, and I love that element of it. 

So I would say that portrait photography is top of the pile for me. Some of my Instagram followers might be surprised by that, because I don’t really post portraits on my feed – it’s mostly street photography.

Candid photograph of two women drinking in a cafe's outdoor seating area. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Candid photograph of two women drinking in a cafe’s outdoor seating area (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Is your talk at The Photography & Video Show going to focus on one thing in particular, or will it draw from your various interests?

I’m speaking twice at The Photography Show: the first is a talk I’m giving and the other one is an on-stage discussion with [landscape photographer] Thomas Heaton. My talk is called ‘The Meaning and the Making’, which is the title of a book I published in 2021. Basically, it’s my philosophy for the creative life, how to stay mentally healthy and motivated and inspired and so on. 

I’m going to be doing a truncated version of the talk that I’ve been giving about the book, which is normally for over an hour. However, I don’t get that long at The Photography Show so I’m going to give a flavor of a little section of the book and hopefully talk about inspiration and how we can find it. 

The other event is a discussion with Thomas Heaton and that will have a moderator present. We’ll be talking about our forays into YouTube and how we built our channels and grew our audiences.

Photograph of an office worker walking in a shaft of sunlight. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Photograph of an office worker walking in a shaft of sunlight (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

How would you describe your work to someone who’s never seen it?

The portrait photography I attempt these days has a classical approach. There was a time when I was throwing three, four or five lights on my subject, using colored gels and trying to get very fancy with things. Over the years I’ve stripped everything back and 90% of the portraits I shoot now are with a 50mm lens and one light, and that’s it. 

At some stage in the middle of my journey, I got quite inspired by the old masters. I used to sit in Room 22 of the National Gallery, where the Rembrandts are. I just realized that there was something about what he did that didn’t feel glossy; it felt quite gritty and earthy and he wasn’t trying to beautify people or hide their age. 

He was trying to make honest portraits and obviously didn’t have multiple lights to work with. He had natural light entering the room which he would control with shutters to narrow it and, because he used it so effectively, Rembrandt lighting is something we still talk about today. So I’m attempting a classical approach with my own portraits, as well as trying to keep them honest and simple in terms of execution. 

And then there’s street photography. Some street photographers will tell you I’m not a street photographer because I’m less interested in the reportage of human interactions, which is a traditional approach to street photography, and more interested in light and shadow in urban spaces. The human elements in the frame are often incidental or smaller in the frame and just provide some scale. 

I probably don’t fit that traditional model or definition of street photography, but whatever it’s called, that’s what I do in my street photography. I play with lines and shapes with the shadows, so there’s a graphical element to it. 

Photograph titled ’Himba Woman 2’, Namibia, 2018. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Himba Woman 2, Namibia, 2018 (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Across your creative output, how important are your videos about photography?

Very important. I wouldn’t have been able to go freelance as just a photographer now. I knew who I was and no one cared or should have cared; I was just doing run-of-the-mill work to serve clients and that’s fine.

I always struggle with the marketing side. It really has been because I’ve built an audience by talking about teaching photography or talking about creativity more generally on my YouTube channel that anyone knows who I am now. 

This has afforded me the ability to put some of the client work aside and just make the work I believe in and fund myself by building my own thing, which I’m grateful for every day.

There’s a certain amount of luck and good timing in it, too. It’s a lot harder to do now than it used to be. When I started [in 2016] it was probably easier, but I have been plugging away slowly and building it up over the years. 

For now, it works and that’s probably going to change sometime, but I’ve been very lucky so far.

Front cover photograph of Sean Tucker’s book ’The Meaning in the Making’, available as a paperback or a digital download

(Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Writing a book about the creative process is a distinctive thing to do and surely sets you apart from many other photographers…

I’m very happy to teach photography online but I think people who watch my channel know I use photography as a bit of a Trojan horse to talk about things that I think are more important, like our wellbeing and what creative output is actually for, the good it does us and how we have to keep all that in context so that we don’t take it overly seriously and lose that motivation. 

All that stuff is what I really care about because I’ve seen that it makes such a difference to people’s lives. I get emails from people thanking me for one thing I said in a video that really hit them at just the right time and made all the difference. Those are the emails I care about more than, “Thanks for teaching me which aperture I should be shooting at.” 

So much like it’s a different level of meaning for me, and while I say I’m very happy to teach photography, I’m always looking for that other level in what I do because it makes such a long-term difference for people. 

Photograph of a woman walking in a shaft of sunlight. Photographed by Sean Tucker

Photograph of a woman walking in a shaft of sunlight (Image credit: © Sean Tucker)

Which cameras and lenses do you use?

For studio work I have a Sony A7R IV with a 50mm f/1.2 – just that one-body, one-lens combo. 

For street photography, my most used camera has been the Ricoh GR IIIx, which is a compact camera with a fixed 40mm lens. I just like the portability of it and being able to transfer images to the phone via Wi-Fi. It’s a very lightweight travel setup. 

For middle-of-the-road stuff, I’ve got a Sony A7C and a Sony A7 III with a Sony 35mm f/1.8, an 85mm f/1.8 and a Zeiss 55mm f/1.8. 

That does me for any any kind of situation for street photography, portrait photography or filmmaking when I’m on the road. I can do pretty much anything with those. 

Aside from promoting your book and becoming a qualified therapist, is there another photographic ambition you’d like to achieve?

It’s more on the filmmaking side – I’ve always had a dream of one day, producing a feature-length documentary on certain subjects. That’s a lofty goal I have that may or may not happen, but it’s good to have a vision to aim for. 

Sean Tucker‘s talks at The Photography & Video Show

‘The Meaning in the Making’ with Sean Tucker takes place on the Behind the Lens stage on 16 March at 15:45. 

‘Thomas Heaton & Sean Tucker: In conversation’ takes place on the Behind the Lens stage on 16 March at 13:00. 

Both talks are free. 

Standard entry tickets to The Photography & Video Show 2024 start from £14.95 and are valid for any one day of the event. Click here to buy your tickets.

Photograph of Sean Tucker, photographer and a speaker at The Photography & Video Show 2024
Sean Tucker

Based in the UK, Tucker came to professional photography after a period spent making films for corporate clients. His output spans a variety of genres, including street, portraiture, documentary and still-life. In 2021, Tucker self-published a book about creativity and the important role it plays in the lives of humans. He also runs a successful YouTube channel, where his videos cover a wide range of photographic techniques. 

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This interview appears in the March 2024 issue of Digital Camera magazine, on sale from March 01. Click the link below to see our latest special subscription deal!

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Deadline for Albany photography contest nears

By in Photography

Deadline for Albany photography contest nears

MID-VALLEY MEDIA

The Albany Visitors Association is sponsoring the 17th Annual Albany Photography Contest.

The purpose of the contest is to find images suitable for use in the coming year’s marketing materials for Albany and Linn County. Photographers will get photo credit whenever possible, according to a news release.

A Place to Sleep, episode 1: Albany, part I

For the first episode of A Place to Sleep, we take listeners to Marvin’s Garden, a designated site for individuals experiencing homelessness in Albany, Oregon. 

Many of the photos will be used in advertising and the official Albany Visitor Guide that is printed each year. There are 20,000 Albany Visitor Guides printed annually; they are sent all over the world, the release states.

Images will also be used on the AVA website and social media platforms, and in print marketing.

The contest is open to photographers of all skill levels. First-, second- and third-place awards will be presented to winners in each category: Downtown, Culinary, Events, Historic Albany, Landmarks, People and Scenic. A first-place prize will also be awarded in the Youth category. 

People are also reading…

The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, March 8. To enter, email info@albanyvisitors.com. Information, rules and release forms are available at 541-928-0911 or albanyvisitors.com.

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Princess Diana: Stories behind famous pictures told in new exhibition

By in Photography

Princess Diana: Stories behind famous pictures told in new exhibition

By Eleanor Dye

Published: 07:44 EST, 29 February 2024 | Updated: 07:48 EST, 29 February 2024

The hidden stories behind famous photographs of Princess Diana are set to be shared in a hit exhibition coming to London for the first time. 

Iconic moments including Diana’s 1981 wedding to Charles, her black ‘revenge dress’ and game-changing gym wear style all feature in the Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition. 

Photographers Anwar Hussein and his two sons Samir and Zak will share their remarkable photographs of the late Princess and her family, paired with their first-hand accounts of the stories behind each moment. 

It has so far been featured in Melbourne, South Carolina, Las Vegas and more – and is now coming to St Katharine Docks in London for the first time from May 25. 

The exhibition consists of ‘larger than life images, bespoke art installations and first-hand narration’ in a 60-minute experience delving into the lives of the royal family.

The hidden stories behind famous photographs of Princess Diana are set to be shared in a hit exhibition coming to London for the first time. Pictured: Diana's 'revenge dress'

Diana attends Ascot the month before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 wearing a striped dress and a matching lilac hat

The exhibition shares several lesser-known images, such as this one of Diana wearing a casual white shirtdress for a visit to Ayers Rock during a royal tour of Australia in 1983

Anwar said Diana told him that a picture of her cradling a child during a visit to a hospital in Lahore in 1996 was her 'favourite photograph of all'

Accredited by the Royal Family, the Husseins make up the longest-standing family of official royal photographers, having collectively spent over four decades working side-by-side with the princess and her family. 

They received special access to document the lives of the royals in public, as well as capturing more intimate, private moments, including the unforgettable revenge dress which dared to break royal protocol and the princess’ simple handshake with an AIDS patient that showed the world how to be human. 

Samir and Zak followed their father’s footsteps into royal photography by capturing the lives of Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry, and now are multi-award winning and celebrated photographers themselves  

One story the exhibition tells is the touching image of Diana cradling a sick child in her arms during her visit to Imran Khan’s cancer hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, during April 1996. 

The photographers tell of the moment: ‘Diana later told me that out of so many pictures taken of her, this was her favourite photograph of all… 

‘She was so sad when she found out the boy had passed away shortly after her visit.’ 

The exhibition tells how iconic photographs of Diana wearing her ‘Fly Virgin Atlantic’ jumper, a gift from Sir Richard Branson, may never have come to light without the personal relationship between Anwar and the princess. 

Anwar Hussein and his two sons Samir and Zak (pictured outside Buckingham Palace) will share their remarkable photographs of the late Princess and her family

Some of the photos on display include the infamous image of Diana sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal while her marriage to Prince Charles crumbled

Photos of Diana wearing her Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt in 1995 may never have come to light without a conversation with photographer Anwar

Princess Diana attending a passing out parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Surrey, April 1987

Princess Diana visits Mianpur Old Age Welfare Centre in India in February 1992, wearing a cream dress with a pleated skirt and gold buttons designed by Catherine Walker

Diana wearing a pink dress with blue polka dots and a pink jacket by Paul Costelloe

Wearing a cream halter dress in 1992 for a Plácido Domingo event at Covent Garden, London

Diana was often seen wearing it when she left the gym at the Chelsea Harbour Club in London. 

Anwar’s sons describe: ‘Father had mentioned to Diana that he wanted to see how health conscious she was and be inspired by her. 

‘She agreed, so he snapped these photographs where we see Diana coming out of the gym.

‘Her popularity sky-rocketed as the public showed their adoration for her willingness to go against the grain and to forgo formality.’ 

As well as the famous revenge dress and the iconic shot of Diana by the Taj Mahal, the family also cast a light on photographs of Diana that haven’t been seen as often by members of the public. 

One shows Diana wearing a casual white shirtdress for a visit to Ayers Rock during a royal tour of Australia in 1983. 

Anwar is a long-standing photographer of the royal family and his family have collectively spent four decades working alongside them

Diana in her wedding carriage during her 1981 marriage to Charles

Wearing a strapless black dress for her first official public engagement with Charles in March 1981 to a black-tie event at Goldsmith's Hall in aid of the Royal Opera House

Diana in Melbourne, Australia 1988, visiting the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music

Pictures of the exhibition, which will be coming to St Katharine Docks from May 25

It also features other iconic photos of the Royal Family, such as Prince Harry and Meghan

In another, she attends Ascot the month before her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 wearing a striped dress and a matching lilac hat. 

Anwar said: ‘I am honoured and humbled to have been given the opportunity to photograph Princess Diana so extensively and to have had the pleasure of having many friendly and insightful conversations with her.

‘I am delighted that the images captured, as well as those of my sons, are coming home to London to recognise and memorialise such a remarkable woman and her sons. 

‘There are so many memories of our two families connecting and creating a special relationship, which I am pleased to be able to display in such a unique way through the exhibition.’ 

The Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition is set to open on May 25, 2024 at Dockside Vaults in St Katharine Docks until September 2. 

Tickets will be available to book from 10am on Thursday, February 29 and are available to pre-order now from £17 at PrincessDiana.London

PHOTOS — Sleeping polar bear wins wildlife photography people’s choice award

By in Photography

PHOTOS — Sleeping polar bear wins wildlife photography people’s choice award

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual judged competition that celebrates the best in wildlife photography. Winners in most categories were announced in October 2023, but the people’s choice award was announced on Feb. 7. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, U.K. The winning photographs are currently on display at the museum. The entire exhibit will also tour several museums around the world, including stops at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, B.C., and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario. Keep scrolling to see some of the photos.

Photographer Captures Unique Shot of a Legendary NASCAR Photo Finish

By in Photography

Photographer Captures Unique Shot of a Legendary NASCAR Photo Finish
A NASCAR official in the foreground waves the checkered flag as Daniel Suárez beats Kyle Bush and Ryan Blaney across the finish line.
Hampton, Georgia — February 25, 2024: Daniel Suárez, driver of the #99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, crosses the finish line ahead of Kyle Busch, driver of the #8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 BodyArmor Zero Sugar Ford, to win the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 25, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia. | Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images

The second race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season was an absolute thrill, with a trio of cars crossing the finish line side-by-side, creating a “photo finish” and one of the most incredible endings to a race ever. Photographer Alex Slitz was at the finish line next to the NASCAR official waving the checkered flag, capturing one of the best photos ever of a photo finish.

On the final lap of the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, February 25, Kyle Busch (#8), Ryan Blaney (#12), and Daniel Suárez (#99) battled their way around the 1.54-mile qual-oval track, neck and neck until the checked flag.

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Ultimately, as Slitz saw first-hand and brilliantly captured, Suárez piloted his #99 Chevrolet across the line first by a mere 0.003 seconds. You can see Slitz wearing a gray bicycle helmet in the video above.

While it wasn’t the closest finish ever — a pair of two-car battles were separated by just 0.002 seconds in 2003 and 2011 — Suárez’s nail-biting victory is the closest three-car battle in NASCAR Cup Series history and a remarkable sporting moment.

How Photojournalist Alex Slitz Captured One of the ‘Most Exciting’ Shots of His Career

“This image has to be one of the most exciting of my career,” Slitz tells PetaPixel over email of his finish line capture. “I shot this handheld standing next to the flagman. Photographers with Getty Images are the only ones in the stand, so it’s a truly unique shot.”

Photographer Alex Slitz next to a NASCAR official during the three-way photo finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 25, 2024.
Getty Images motorsports photographer Christopher Graythan captured this image of Alex Slitz at work during the start of the race. He shot from the same position for the race’s finish. | © Christopher Graythen / Getty Images

Slitz took the finish line photo using a Canon EOS R3 mirrorless camera and a Canon 15mm fisheye lens.

Although the fantastic shot makes it easy to believe that Slitz is a seasoned motorsports vet, he says he’s very new to NASCAR and motorsports photography. It was only his third race weekend as a photographer.

“For most of my career, I was a staff photographer at various newspapers with an emphasis on sports,” Slitz explains. “My first race was the Bank of America Roval 400 in 2022, which was a road course when I was a staff photographer at the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. By the end of the day, I was hooked as a photographer and as a fan of the sport.”

“My first race with Getty Images was the Quaker State 400 in 2023, and unfortunately, that was cut short due to rain. Although I have covered Xfinity and truck series races this was my first complete Cup Series race on a standard track. I have never seen a finish like this. The closest thing that comes to mind is Ross Chastain’s wall-ride at Martinsville in 2023 and if you haven’t seen that look it up, it’s mind-blowing.”

One of the most exciting parts of a race weekend is not simply the race; it’s the surrounding festivities, the air of excitement, and all the fans.

“I think the images of cars on the track are only a fraction of the story surrounding a race. Each sport has a culture that comes along with it and it’s our job to show it,” the photographer says.

Group of NASCAR race cars take a corner at Atlanta Motor Speedway at dusk.
Hampton, Georgia — February 25, 2024: A general view of racing during the NASCAR Cup Series Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 25, 2024 in Hampton, Georgia. | Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Slitz recalls that when he was in college, he heard a talk from photographer Sam Abell, who imparted wisdom concerning the importance of “providing context, emotion, and detail when trying to tell a story.”

“That’s always in my mind when I’m on assignment.”

The Speed and Intensity of Motorsports Photography Pushes a Photographer’s Skills

As for how working a motorsports assignment compares to other sports, Slitz says motorsports is among the most challenging.

“Logistically, it’s a huge undertaking,” he says. “Getty Images photographers work as a team when covering larger events like this and assignments are planned out in advance for complete coverage. My assignment for the race was flag stand at the start and finish, and the outside of the track. I usually stuck to turns one and two and the roof. With the size of the track and my given assignment on the day, I have to plan my shots and be prepared when I’m in place. This definitely pushes me creatively.”

“One of the things I’ve found at NASCAR compared to, say, football or basketball is how fast things can happen. I spent years covering University of Kentucky basketball which will always hold my favorite spot. With basketball, if a player puts up 30 points on any given night, I can spend my time shooting them. In instances like Sunday’s race, Daniel Suárez took the lead at the very end, and I had a matter of seconds to make my images.”

More Sports Photography

More of Alex Slitz’s photography is featured on Instagram and his website. The photojournalist is also active on X (Twitter).

Image credits: Photos courtesy of Alex Slitz / Getty Images

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