The Temple of Speed

June 9, 2026

Our visit to the Italian Grand Prix, last September, seems a lifetime ago now - I can’t quite believe it’s taken me this long to finish editing my photos! While it was undoubtedly an exciting event to be part of, photographically speaking it was tricky. Compared to Goodwood, where you have good access as a visitors and there’s a clear view of the track action, Monza, or the Temple of Speed as it’s known, is surrounded by high catch fencing. We had fantastic seats in the grandstand by the start/finish straight, but even from there catching meaningful photos of the action was tricky.

A little cleaning in action on the podium, ready for the prizes on Saturday…

As well as the Grand Prix, our tickets allowed us to watch the various support races, so I made sure I caught some of the action during those.

The marshals had a handily places parasol to keep the sun off…. right up until the moment when it blew over and they then had to fold it up!

The winners of the F2 race

Sometimes it pays to get creative when looking for a viewpoint!

The many fans showed their support with flags, and tributes (some of them rather curious!) to their favourite drivers!

One of the highlights was a selection of older F1 cars on circuit, including Jackie Ickx driving his V12 Ferrari from 1968. These older cars were much louder than the modern F1 cars!

A scene from F1 qualifying on Saturday - nothing is sharp in this Ferrari, but there’s a definite sense of speed!

Our seats were right opposite the McLaren and Ferrari pits so naturally I captured some of the comings and goings there.

Before the race began the teams all gathered on track for a photoshoot, followed by a tour around the circuit on a low loader. Lewis Hamilton almost seemed to look straight at us from the truck!

Parachuting onto the circuit before the race.

Wheeling the Ferraris to the grid on Sunday afternoon.

A wave from Ferrari driver, Charles LeClerc.

A flypast from the Italian equivalent of the Red Arrows.

This photographer’s job description definitely required a head for heights…

The huge Ferrari flag was passed over our heads several times over the weekend - here Kevin’s helping give it a little more lift.

Max Verstappen in first place…

After the race the Tifosi began their long trek to the podium….

…and naturally they took their enormous flags with them!

The winners on the podium, above their adoring crowds, some of them perched perilously high on the catch fencing.

Lots of champagne!

Photos taken 6 & 7 September 2025

Slow motorsport

November 12, 2025

Way back in the summer we spent a hot, steamy day at Snetterton Motor Circuit which was hosting a day of historic motorsport. Kevin went along armed with his digital camera and a long lens to capture some action on track, but I was in the mood for a slower, more thoughtful approach. To achieve this I took my Uncle’s Rolleiflex along, with a pile of black and white film.

A twin lens reflex camera probably isn’t the obvious choice for a subject which moves quickly, but my aim was to capture some of the life around the paddocks. Here there wasn’t likely to be a lot of fast action, so I pottered along the garages, looking out for interesting scenes as the drivers and mechanics prepared their cars to go out on track.

Wandering along behind the garages which line the pitlane I found all sorts of interesting cars and the dramatic light in many of them was perfect for black and white photography.

There were plenty of people in the main paddock too, fettling their cars before going out on track.

This was one of my favourite photos from the day - very minimalist.

Up in the air…

Photos taken 28 June 2025

A cavalcade of tenacity

November 10, 2025

When I was a child my parents and I would often spend the first Sunday in November parked up by a country road in Sussex, watching the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run come through. I’ve long wanted to do this again, but work and life have always got in the way. This year I happened to be free that day, so I needed no further reason to make it happen.

Instead of travelling towards the coast I took a different approach, catching the cars as they came through central London. As luck would have it I was working in London the day before, so I took my camera along and stayed in town overnight so I could be up early and ready for their arrival.

Under cover of darkness I set off from my hotel in the Strand and walked to Westminster Bridge, hoping to see the first cars as they came by. The run starts from Hyde Park at 7am (sunrise at this time of year) so my arrival on the bridge at 7.07 coincided perfectly with their arrival. The oldest cars set off first, including Duncan Pittaway’s 1896 Salvesen steam car (above) which came puffing across Westminster Bridge.

Not all the vehicles had four wheels. The run includes a lot of penny farthing bicycles (which came through before I arrived as they have a head start) and this 1900 single cylinder Renaux tricycle. The upwards slope of the bridge caused a few problems, and the rider ground to a halt close to where I was standing. He soon got it running again and a passenger on a passing motorcycle gave him a push to help him get going.

Click on any photo to see it enlarged.

The weather at the start of the day was particularly inclement, with heavy, driving rain at times. I’d gone dressed for the conditions (even so, I still got very wet) but many of these pre-1905 cars lack luxuries we take for granted in modern cars such a windscreen, roof or heater. In such conditions you have to admire their tenacity, or perhaps what some may term madness!

The rain certainly didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. There were plenty of people lined up along the bridge, cheering the participants on, and judging by their smiles, many of the drivers and passengers were having an absolute ball too!

While sunshine might have been more enjoyable, the rain certainly made for some atmospheric photos, with shiny tarmac and clouds of spray emanating from the wheels and tyres.

Inevitably one of the most obvious characteristics of these early cars is their sedate turn of speed and this made for some interesting moments of wheel to wheel action, as one car passed another in slow motion. On one occasion I actually saw someone on a bicycle making an overtake for the lead!

I wasn’t the only photographer on Westminster Bridge that day, and we came in all shapes and sizes. Some people were armed with phone cameras, while others were professionals capturing photos for the press, equipped with two camera bodies so as to avoid changing lenses in the rain. I made do with one camera, but I did find a momentary lull between the downpours to switch lenses and catch an alternative perspective.

After an hour or so I wandered back across the bridge, towards Parliament Square. When I first arrived the roads were all but deserted, but as time wore on the traffic grew heavier, creating some interesting juxtapositions between the historic cars and their modern counterparts.

As I photographed the car above, with its jaunty yellow-hatted occupants, I noticed a car behind which was running into trouble. The couple inside hopped out and, with the help of some of the crowd, pushed it into the central reservation of the Victoria Embankment. There they made a few tweaks beneath the bonnet and were soon on their way again.

Not all of the vehicles were cars. The folks on this Dennis fire engine looked like they were having a great time, but I couldn’t help but feel their seats looked rather precariously positioned, with very little to keep them on board!

From my new vantage point, by the end of Victoria Embankment I was able to capture a different perspective as the rain eased and the traffic began to build. Here I was able to catch groups of cars as they queued for the traffic lights, mingled in with modern cars and scarlet London buses.

As the cars spent a little more time stationary here, I was also able to see more of the characters within them, and many were evidently enjoying themselves enormously.

Two hours after I arrived on a dark and damp Westminster Bridge it was all over. All the entrants had passed me and were now wending their way through suburban London, heading toward the coast at Brighton, where they were greeted by blue skies and sunshine.

Of the 384 cars which began the run, 340 of them made it to the finish line - an amazing result considering every single one is well over a century old. As for me, it was time to go and get some breakfast and dry out… and plan for where I might go to watch this amazing cavalcade of tenacity next year!

Photos taken 2nd November 2025

Goodwood nostalgia

June 28, 2025

While I love the cars at Goodwood, one of the things which makes the Revival so atmospheric is the way most of the visitors come wearing clothes appropriate to the period between 1948 and 1966, when the circuit was in active use. This creates a wonderful feeling of nostalgia and I love lurking in the paddocks, people watching.

There are always familiar faces to be spotted in the paddocks - in this case former rally driver and broadcaster Tony Jardine, looking very dapper.

The rain at last year’s Revival made added some variety and made for some interesting scenes.

For the 2024 Revival I made a change to the camera kit I used. Normally I’d take a selection of prime lenses, but this time I spent most of my time using my 35-100mm f2.8mm zoom lens. This gives the look of a 70-200mm lens on and was perfect for capturing candid shots of people without being too intrusive.

I’d love to know what these two chaps were discussing!

This was snapped during a downpour when everyone dived into the paddock shelters. It’s one of my favourite photos from the weekend - so timeless and atmospheric.

I had to dodge the rain and the puddles to capture these two mechanic with their “don’t get in our way” expressions!

Motorsport fans are getting younger and younger!

Looking to the skies during one of the early morning air displays.

The work never stops for the Duke of Richmond…

A very stylish young lady.

Photos taken 6-8 September 2024

Brooklands Mini Day

June 24, 2025

One of the first trips we made after I bought my little half frame Pentax 17 camera was the Brooklands Mini Day - a gathering for Minis, large and small, at the museum in Surrey. I decided to travel light, with a roll of Kodak Gold loaded into my camera and an open mind about what I might photograph.

A quartet of Rover Mini Cooper 35 special edition cars - ours is the second from the left.

Mini noses in silver and red…

The odd non-Mini shaped interloper was allowed in too!

Minis as far as the eye can see on the old Brooklands track, and a few modern Minis too.

Minis of all sizes were welcomed in - even ones made from crochet!

Minis everywhere - even beneath the wings of aircraft.

We also took a look around the bus museum on site but it was a little too dark for my chosen film for many successful photos.

And finally, a triptych, created from an old petrol pump I found a corner of the museum

Photos taken 23 March 2025

Rustival

February 24, 2025

At some of the classic car shows we attend there are restrictions on the types of car you can bring, or perhaps a decree about the age of the vehicle. At the end of September we went to a different sort of show, held at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, where anything and everything was welcome - Rustival.

Alongside the usual classics there were also more modern cars and the one thing they all had in common was they they were their owner’s pride and joy. I particularly liked this Citroen DS - a car which looks as modern today as it did when it was first launched in 1955.

I have no desire to own a big American classic like this, but I’m always drawn to their curvaceous lines and shining chrome!

My favourite photo of the day for its simplicity.

Photos taken 28 September 2024

Evening classics

February 22, 2025

Yet again I find myself with a backlog of photos to share here on my photoblog and I can’t quite believe that this particular set comes from way back at the beginning of October - better late than never! The regular classic car gathering in the village of Barrington happens on the first Friday evening of the month, so this one was the last of 2024 as after this the evenings become too short.

On this occasion I took just one lens with me - my 75mm prime - with the aim of finding scenes to photograph where I could shoot through objects in the foreground to create a sense of depth. Some of these worked better than others, but using just this longer lens made me look at the world in a slightly different way, which is always a good thing.

Photos taken 4 October 2024

Exceptionally unexceptional

September 12, 2024

Back in late July we made our annual visit to the Festival of the Unexceptional at Grimshtorpe Castle, in Lincolnshire. This unusual classic car show features the more mundane side of automotive history, showing off the ordinary cars we grew up with rather than expensive exotica.

The concours is open to cars of a particular vintage - this year only vehicles from 1969 to 1999 were eligible. However, my Dad’s 2002 Citroen Xsara is getting close to being eligible (the dates shift forward each year) and we’re hoping to enter it in a few years time. For this year we contented ourselves with taking it along to be part of the ‘classic and unexceptional’ parking area. There was a time when Xsaras were a common sight on British roads, but today they’re a rarity - so much so that it was the only one on display that day!

Another attraction of this year’s FOTU was a live recording of the Smith and Sniff podcast, with Jonny Smith and Richard Porter. We’re both enthusiastic listeners to the podcast, and I was lucky enough to catch the two of them for a photo, standing by the Vauxhall Eagle Quest limousine they’ve recently bought together.

Podcasting in progress…

We spent most of the day wandering among the cars, marvelling at wonderfully restored examples of mundane cars we knew in our youth and I simply snapped whatever caught my eye - as usual a fairly eclectic mix of subjects.

A trio of steering wheels…

Car noses and tails.

A sunny Hillman Avenger

Photos taken 27 July 2024

Summer evening colour

September 3, 2024

After a successful outing with the Rolleiflex around the gardens of Duxford in July I decided to take it for another spin a few days later, this time focusing on the classic cars on show at Barrington in Cambridgeshire.

With lots of evening sun the only logical path was to shoot with colour film, so I used up some of my stash of out of date Kodak Ektar - the perfect film stock for such colourful subjects in these conditions!

Nose to nose…

Even classic tractors are welcome at Barrington!

Photos taken 2 August 2024

Classics on the Common

September 1, 2024

Most classic car shows take place at weekends, but Classics on the Common in Harpenden is no average show. Firstly, it takes place on a Wednesday, but it’s also tremendously popular, attracting hundreds of cars. With so many potential subjects to aim my camera at I decided to give myself a mini project. I went armed with just a single prime lens (and 85mm equivalent focal length) and I focused on details and shooting through things to try and create a sense of depth.