Feature

Shutter Speed: 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix

Shutter Speed returns for 2022 with the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, offering racing under the floodlights for some of the most atmospheric images of the Formula One campaign.

This week, Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team Senior Content Creator Jimmy Horne is our man on the ground, capturing the story of our season trackside at every Grand Prix, highlighting our journey as We Climb Together.

His work perfectly encapsulates #IAMCREATIVITY as he puts his own unique take on every moment of the weekend, from Lance Stroll and Nico Hülkenberg climbing into the AMR22 to the teamwork in the garage helping our drivers do their thing on track.

Jimmy explains the subtle details that define each shot.

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 24-70mm lens F2.8GM

"I took this image on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the Grand Prix. The weather had been pretty grey up until this point, so I wanted to capture the atmosphere of the dusk.

"I got low so that I could provide more context to the image in the foreground. I wanted to get some of the red and white of the track to complement the red-and-white lights of the tower.

"It's an image that really captures the vibes of a night race like Bahrain."

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 35mm lens F1.4GM

"The image was taken when Nico climbed into the AMR22 for the very first time, so it was an important moment to capture.

"This photo is all about manual focus. When you have the automatic focus, you find that the camera tends to focus on the helmet and I instead wanted to capture Nico's eyes.

"To achieve the overall effect, I wanted to make sure I could capture the depth of field around Nico's head, which helps bring the picture to life."

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 35mm lens F1.4GM

"This image was all about timing – I wanted to capture the last moments of sunlight to create a real flare effect, so the key was taking the shot from a lower position.

"Shooting from just inside the garage, low down, and using the mechanic in front of me, meant I could create a really nice field of depth in a quieter moment during the race weekend."

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 24-70mm lens F2.8GM

"This shot is very different from the Nico close-up. Here, I wasn't trying to make Lance's eyes the focal point because I was looking to the use the reflections to make Lance's helmet the star.

"The new generation of F1 cars really lend themselves to cool reflection effects, so with the lighting in the garage, you can create really striking shots.

"While the Nico shot needed a manual focus, here I was able to use the automatic focus to help capture the shot.

"I moved the camera inside the cockpit right before Lance was due to go out on track."

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 24-70mm lens F2.8GM

"This is a shot that's really helped by the routine of the weekend – it's a situation that you know will happen at various points of the weekend, so you can prepare for the image.

"The red lights at the rear of the AMR22 are really striking, especially as I was able to catch the reflections of the pitlane in the foreground too.

"It was also important to capture the mechanic on the right too to help with the foreground context."

Shot on a Sony A7R4 with a 24-70mm lens F3.5GM

"While the other images use various lighting effects like reflections, this one is all about not having any spotlighting at all.

"This was taken at the end of a day when there was very little natural light, which actually highlights the top of Nico's helmet, particularly the Aston Martin branding.

"So much of the Bahrain Grand Prix is about floodlighting or light effects, so it's cool to capture a shot that's very different to the more usual images."

Thanks to Jimmy Horne for sharing his passion and creative talents: #IAMCREATIVITY.

Discover more of Jimmy's photography on his Instagram: @ajimmyslife