The Stunning Images of Formula 1 and How the Pros Do It

Formula 1 photography has every right to be bland; the scope of what can and can’t be done at first seems like it would be limiting and result in the same looking shot of the cars over and over again. The pros that shoot trackside, however, have no intention of fitting into the mold.

In this behind-the-scenes video straight from Formula 1’s YouTube channel, photographers Mark ThompsonQian Jun, and Vladimir Rys are profiled. The three veteran F1 pro photographers share their earliest experiences with shooting the sport and how even the general admission audience has some capability of getting good photos too. Of course there’s a little bit of gear talk, but more importantly there’s a brief overview of what conditions and elements in the frame they look for to make a memorable image. Like the professionals they are, they also speak of the importance to maintaining good communication between themselves and the crews on the ground so that they have better access for better images.

Even if racing photography isn’t your thing, I think you will be quite stunned at the world-class photos shown throughout this video. Have you shot F1 or other racing sports before? Share your own images in the comments below.

Ryan Mense's picture

Ryan Mense is a wildlife cameraperson specializing in birds. Alongside gear reviews and news, Ryan heads selection for the Fstoppers Photo of the Day.

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14 Comments

The video doesn't play, at least here in Australia. (It does in Youtube, though)

Thanks for the heads up. It’s still working on my end in the U.S. Don’t get many of these restricted type videos in the photography world so I didn’t even think to watch out for that. I added an extra link in the article to direct people to YouTube just in case.

Ryan, has to do with the FIA/F1 restrictions for video. You can watch it but has to be on their channel through YouTube if I am not mistaken. Correct me if I am wrong.

Unavailable in Europe also.

Looks like FIA struck it down. Or the algorithm is getting froggy

The images they come up with are creative and stunning. The video was well worth a look.

If you like F1 photography, check out Darren Heath. Amazing work.

Thanks for the recommendation. Vid Vorsic is great as well.

Awesome! My bf is way into cars, he watches Hoonigans on YouTube and comes running to me every time they post a Larry Chen video lmao. He does drag and off road racing mainly.

One of my favourite shots... Valtteri Bottas at Silverstone 2017. Hope one day I'll be able to work with F1...

Still down for UK viewers

Spectacular. Speed. Colour. Drama. What else could there be?!

awesome video
i could watch that for hours
definitely a dream of mine

You can play it in the US using the "Watch on YouTube" limit. The FIA, to no one's surprise, doesn't allow the video to be embedded within other web sites. I'm envious of the long free practices that they have in F1. Nowadays Indycar only normally has 45 minute sessions outside of the Indy 500.