Black White Photography - UK (2019-11)

32
B+W

John Rourke is a Fujifilm X-Photographer and founder of Adrenal Media,

the official photo agency for the FIA World Endurance Championships

and European Le Mans Series. Here he shares his life in the fast lane.

READY FOR ACTION

All images

© John Rourke

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You come from a background of art

and painting, how has this affected

your photography?

I’ve always been inspired by fine artists,

such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Monet,

Turner and Leonardo. I feel this really

led to a great appreciation for light,

form and emotion.

How do you prepare for

a motorsport event?

You need to be prepared for any weather

and all eventualities. You can be shooting

landscape-style action, panning-style car

shots, pit lane, environmental-style

portraits, studio-style portraits and press

conferences. I try to plan for as much

as possible.

How do you manage to show the

human amid all the technology

of the race track?

The use of primes really helps with directing

the viewer to exactly what I want them to

see. I’m a prime lens addict. I love working

in the f/1.2 to f/2 range.

I’m always hunting for that natural

moment, the perfect expression, so I walk

up and down the pit lane and paddocks

looking at faces, or what people are doing,

checking for details. I’ll often take a shot

first then ask that person to move so I can

try to get something more. The mechanics,

for example, love having their images

taken and they always look cool.