As SRO America heads to the beautiful state of Alabama for the upcoming rounds at Barber Motorsports Park, the event is particularly special for one of our very own – photographer Fred Hardy, a Birmingham local.
Hardy, who primarily photographs the Pirelli GT4 America series, covers a lot of ground throughout a race weekend, explaining that “when I get my brief, it outlines key moments or anything that would be considered to be a bit out of the ordinary that I need to pay attention to.”
With so many elements to factor in, he has established a consistent routine; “typically I'll come to the track first thing in the morning and do like a paddock walkthrough, just to see what the teams and drivers are up to. It’s a perfect time to get some candids.”
From there, he emphasized that organization is key, not only in terms of a tidy workstation and equipment setup, but also ensuring that he comes into the day with a clearly defined plan. “I like to keep in mind exactly what I want to capture for the day, and try not to repeat anything from the days prior. I prefer to map things out and focus on reserving certain shots for specific sessions and sectors.”
Evidently, not only is the quality and quantity of work important, but so is the speed. With so many deliverables to factor in, he has mastered the art of efficiency.
“I'll shoot my session, empty my cards, download everything, do my selection, and complete an edit. Sometimes there are pictures that need to be sent out more quickly for PR and social assets, such as pole position awards and podiums.” With an estimated 8,000 images captured per day, it is imperative to establish a workflow that operates seamlessly.
He also values versatility in order to provide a variety of perspectives, carrying two to three camera bodies on him, and a selection of four different lenses – a 20mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 400mm. He also has added an old film camera to his kit in an effort to change up the dynamic.
However, his background did not originate in motorsports. Instead, in line with Birmingham’s brimming culinary culture, he has a deep history in food photography.
“I did food photography for the better part of three years. I started off as equipment manager in a studio, and then I worked my way up to an assistant photographer, then went on to be a full time photographer. I shot editorial food for magazines, and some of my work has been featured in Food & Wine, Southern Living, Real Simple, and stuff like that. It was completely different from what I do now, but I enjoyed it a lot and still return to the studio from time to time.”
The gravitation towards motorsports came naturally. As a self-proclaimed “car kid,” with a lifelong fascination with cameras, it was only a matter of time before the two interests merged together.
“When I was growing up, my dad would always have some sort of weird camera on hand. New tech would come out, and he would buy it just because he liked it. He would never be one to call himself a photographer, he was just a guy that really loved capturing photos of his family. He always let me play with the cameras, and over the years I found a way to blend it with my passion for cars.”
“As for motorsports photography itself, I just started off as a spectator. I would buy a ticket, camp out, I would watch races and take photos throughout the weekend. It evolved from there, I started pursuing it more and more, and then eventually the door opened for me to make it into a career.”