LIFE THROUGH A LENS: JAYSON FONG
His automotive photography talents cover everything from motorsport to manufacturer shoots. Jayson Fong tells the story of his career so far
With a background in art and design, Jayson Fong brings a unique perspective to his automotive photography. Here he tells the story of his career to date and shares some of his favourite images
AS A YOUNGSTER, AUSTRALIANBORN and now Uk-dwelling Jayson Fong had no vision that he’d become a photographer, of cars or anything else. ‘I never really saw it as something that I would ever do,’ he admits. ‘Truth be told, I never actually liked photography when I was younger because I used to do a lot of drawing and art, as I still do. Photography I saw as kind of cheating, because I’d spend hours doing a drawing and you could just take a photo and get an instant result. I thought, hey, that’s not right!’
Cars, however, have always been on Fong’s radar. And for that he has his father to thank. ‘Dad has forever been a BMW fanatic,’ he reveals, ‘so there were always nice cars around. Perhaps because of that I developed a fascination for pictures of cars – apparently I’d spend hours surrounded by car magazines from an early age. Later on I became a big fan of evo. It has always been the benchmark in terms of writing and photography for cars. I remember eagerly awaiting for the next issue to arrive in Australia with that special airmail sticker on the front.
‘Photography came along when I bought my first car, a Subaru Impreza 2.0 R, a nonturbo model. Before then I used a camera as a tool for art, to document stuff. But then I bought my first car and thought this is kind of fun. So I took photos of friends’ cars and went to car meets and took pictures there, mostly for my own entertainment, but occasionally for money, too.’
That early experience behind the lens didn’t immediately unlock any deep-rooted desire to be a car photographer, but the young Aussie did have an automotive-related career in mind. ‘My initial plan was to be a car designer, just like everyone else, right? I was set on that path until I got to uni and realised that the car industry in Australia
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, Rally Sweden 2020 (previous pages)
‘My background in traditional art means that framing and composing a shot has always been my priority, and sometimes the results can look like paintings. But in motorsport you have to be quick, so I normally have a clear idea of what I want to achieve before the car arrives.’
Deconstructed Porsche 911 RSR (above)
‘Recently I’ve wanted to push my photography a bit further in terms of set-up and unique compositions. I’m currently working on a series of photographs featuring iconic cars deconstructed. I think this image of the 911 RSR shows the potential and visual power of this approach.’
TVR Griffith (right)
‘This is from a set of press images I took for the new TVR Griffith. I’d love to continue working with car brands and push the boundaries of what’s possible visually. Even when I’m taking “safe” shots for a manufacturer I like to provide some creative options, to show that there are fresh ways of looking at things.’
Lotus 25 at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix (far right)
‘I have great admiration for the photographers from the golden age of motor racing who constantly experimented with composition. Here, kneeling down by the Armco, I was hoping to capture the sense of speed in a similar way to the shots from those photographic pioneers.’
that I wanted to work in, Holden and Ford, was pretty much going to die.’
Fong completed an industrial design course at a Sydney university and emerged needing a means to make a living. ‘I thought maybe I should give this photography thing a go – I was making a bit of money, it seemed really fun. I enjoyed taking pictures of cars and I had a bit of creative freedom, so I went from there.
‘The first biggish publication I worked for was Motor in Oz. The editor at the time was Iain Kelly and he was into the modified car scene. I was really into modded Japanese cars and was doing a lot of photography for little online publications, and he saw my pics at some point and gave me a go. I probably only did three or four shoots for Motor before I ended up heading to England, so didn’t manage to explore the potential of that outlet as much as I wish I had.’
Talented though Fong clearly is, for a young guy comparatively fresh out of university and with little experience behind him, upping sticks and moving 10,000 miles from home can only be viewed as ballsy. But as Fong argues, ‘I had no responsibilities and wasn’t employed by anyone – I thought that if I go over now and it fails, I can always come back again. And if I stayed longer in Australia and got comfortable, I’d never leave.
‘Richard Fowler, who runs an Australian website called Motorsport Retro, was hugely supportive of my move to the UK and was the reason I was able to gain accreditation and opportunities to shoot early on. Essentially, though, I arrived with zero contacts but soon managed to get a bit of work from an online magazine. The big break happened when Motor Sport got in touch about a year after I’d moved over. I was at Goodwood at a Members’ Meeting working as a crew member for one of the cars – a friend, Simon Bowrey, was racing a 911 – and took some photos and shared them to Motorsport Retro. The guys from Motor Sport then saw them and asked for some pictures. Then Octane asked for some as well because they thought they were a bit different to the usual images from Goodwood. Things took off from there, including working directly for Goodwood on their official marketing. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.’
Although keen to photograph more modern road cars too, Fong has specialised in historic racing events and since his arrival in the UK in May 2014 has attended most of the major ones, becoming a well-known figure around the paddocks and tracks. His moody, evocative images have also led to him snagging photographic assignments across Europe, including the Monaco Classic, the
Cento Ore (a competitive tour for historic cars on Italian roads) and the Mille Miglia, twice. ‘The Classic Car Charter outfit I was working for on the Mille Miglia rents eligible cars for the event, and whenever there was a spare seat I’d jump in. I’ve been in a little Fiat 8V for 300 miles, a Lancia Aurelia – we went around Monza in that, around the banking, and it was really cool.’
Fong believes that the combination of his love of cars and his appreciation of art and design has shaped his photographic style, while the discipline of shooting race cars has sharpened his ability to determine where an unusual shot is likely to happen and to grab it quickly. ‘With motorsport there are all these variables like time, speed, and even the particular line through a corner that a particular driver takes on a particular lap that will never happen again. I really enjoy sitting on the exit of a corner and just watching as the cars come across. Some drift a little bit wide and pick up a little bit of dirt, and there’ll be a puff of smoke or gravel go up and you just go, “Hmm, if I can get this then I’ll have something unique.” With an artistic background, that’s important to me.’
Also incredibly important, says Fong, are the people you see and meet at events. ‘Without people, there would certainly be less of a story to tell through my photos, less emotion to explore. One of my favourite places to shoot is in the pitlane, where the human side really comes alive and gives racing a context.’
Although now branching out into commercial photography for car manufacturers – including the press shots for the Toyota GR Yaris prototype – Fong retains a passion for art, again with a very personal style. For the past few years he has painted 24 works, one per hour depicting significant moments of the race, for the duration of the Le Mans 24 Hours. He calls it #24forlm24 and sells the works, donating a percentage of the proceeds to charities.
A recent job saw Fong exercise the full gamut of his talents in one project. ‘A customer and now friend of mine who I met at the Spa 6 Hours discovered that I’m also a designer, so commissioned me to design the livery for a BMW 3.0 CSL he was building to race. To be honest I thought, “Oh wow. Am I allowed to do something original?” It’s kind of hallowed ground, the CSL. It was perfect having the art side combine with design and then with photography – I also did the studio shoot of the car, and I felt like that project brought everything together.’