IN THE KNOW: MOTORSPORTS EVENTS

LEE MARSHALL and his company, PHOTOREVERIE, have been managing the event photography for Motorsport Vision (the owner of five of the UK’S race circuits) for 11 years. This includes up to 500 track days, driving experiences and corporate events every year. He probably spends more time at race circuits than any other photographer in the UK.

“Unlike a traditional motorsports photographer, who will be concentrating on only a few clients per weekend, our business is very much a numbers game,” he says. “With the exception of corporate events, most of our sales are completed during the event itself, with anywhere from 50 to 200 potential clients purchasing digital and printed products.

“All three types of event we attend are quite different and have very diverse customers, but they all require the same types of skills. At the forefront is the ability to be able to shoot reliably and creatively without having to edit your photos. All our photos are sold ‘as is’ because we don’t have the time to edit photos (3000-plus every day) prior to selling.

“When we’re shooting a track day, most of our potential customers have done it before and purchased photos previously. We’re therefore always trying to shoot something new or edgy, but we also have to mix it up with traditional shots and locations too. If we haven’t got 20 to 30 decent shots of them over a day (multiplied by up to 120 cars or bikes) it can sometimes be quite difficult to make sales.

“During the summer it isn’t unusual to work a 13or 14-hour day with a two-hour commute at either end – and then to do it all again the next day.”