“They” say a picture is worth a thousand words. I don’t know who “they” are, but it is an interesting challenge. For these thousand words, we travel back in time to 2013 when a fledgling team took to their local track in Colorado for some mid-season testing. Bringing with them, three of the best young riders in the AMA paddock; Jake Gagne, JD Beach and Tomy Puerta.
It isn’t very often as a photographer you get the chance to have an entire track to yourself for the sole purpose of shooting. Granted that the team was looking to test as well, but that’s a footnote to my story. I recall that this was all about me! So, on this the 6th day of August, the entire RoadRace Factory crew headed to High Plains Raceway out on the fringe of the Colorado Plains to burn race gas and give the camera as many middle fingers as possible. It was a beautiful day that got even more so towards the afternoon. After-all, it’s the weather that really makes this image what it is.
Starting off the day, the crew and riders just set out to make laps and get a general feeling for the track’s characteristics. As evidenced in photos, there was just a bit of levity to be had as well. For my part, I was still new at the whole motorsports photography thing. I fancied myself a pro when in reality I wasn’t even close. I can’t say how lucky I was to even have this gig so I just dedicated myself to learning all I could. This was my first real opportunity to have riders in a closed environment where I could direct them and we could work through some concepts I had. The biggest problem that day was, me. Having only one season under my belt and working with sub-optimal equipment, I put a ton of pressure on myself to just get some usable shots while playing the part of someone who knows what the f**k they were doing.
This is where things just got to be fun yet completely off the rails. When working on the Plains, elevation can be a problem. Most tracks that don’t host national level events lack infrastructure like stands and walls and things.. so you have to make do with what is available. In our case that day, it was a ladder and couple of Yamaha TTRs. Now, I don’t recall seeing “No Ladders” in any safety briefing I’ve ever attended, so on this day we just went for it. It’s amazing how you justify risk when you’re in the moment. I can’t say that I’d climb a ladder on the inside of a corner again, but I was able to get some great images in doing so this day. As you can see, so did the teams videographer. Nothing sketchy to see here folks.. keep moving.
While I had scored some great shots from atop a ladder, I knew I had to move on and capture some more of the traditional angles that sponsors like to see. You know, images that are 3/4 side showing all the stickers and shiny bits that make parts suppliers happy to be supporting the team. Problem is at that particular track, there are almost no “safe” places on the outside of the corners. This isn’t Road America or Laguna where there are barriers to hide behind and I certainly wasn’t comfortable being exposed. So, keeping the need for those 3/4 shots in mind, I rode the TTR around looking for something workable.
Fortunately I was able to find some great inside shots where there was some decent elevation. These shots would make excellent media fodder with incredible access to the riders face and nose of the motorcycle. It was honestly pretty exhilarating laying down on the inside of the track with Jake, JD and Tomy passing within inches of me. The more of these types of shots I got, the more comfortable I became with their talent and more importantly with my ability to get what I needed. As the day wore on and confidence all around the team increased, it was quickly becoming obvious that the time to get that 3/4 shot was now.
Having spent the day walking every inch of that track, I knew the exact corner I wanted. It was a perfectly flat corner with a constant radius. This allows the rider to just put the bike in a perfect line and rail all the way through it. The hitch in this plan is that it would require me to stand on the track’s access road just outside the painted curbing. Communicating the plan to everyone was the most critical part of this shoot as I couldn’t have a rider come into the corner and be spooked by seeing my ugly mug standing there. To remedy this, I not only let the riders know the exact location I would be standing in, I spent enough time in the area so that each rider got to see me five laps in a row before I began shooting. It may seem excessive but I believe that safety is paramount and I had no room for errors.
Just as the riders took to the track, a storm front was moving in behind me. It was beginning to cause a change in the coloration in the atmosphere. By the time I started shooting, the sky had changed from a vibrant blue to a muted golden wheat color. At first I believed that my white balance was off, and not being super awesome with a camera yet, that was a very real possibility. However, as the laps clicked by the colors just kept popping. The blue and white curbing mixed with the green grass just made for pure joy. The key was seeing the sky contrasted with how the sun was bouncing off the bikes and riders. As you can see, these conditions conspired to create a uniquely stunning image that makes the background appear as if it was painted.
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Andre Laubscher