Past
I've tried to think back to my very first memory of speedway - but the truth is, I can't pinpoint it. It's always just been there.
Even after moving away from home as a teenager, then returning, I found myself pulled back to the track - only now, everything feels different.
I'm seeing it through a lens, chasing moments instead of watching them - looking for the ones that tell the story of the night.
Growing up, speedway was just a part of life - something my family never thought twice about. It was always there. Nights at the track, time in the shed, long travels with the team all over the country, dirt in the air, running amuck with all the other kids, celebrating the highs and lows of racing - it was just what we did.
I grew up right in the middle of it - in the pits, on the road, surrounded by it almost every weekend. Speedway wasn't just something we did... it was a way of life.
Now, as much as I love a standard meeting, I'm a real fiend for teams racing - as I'm sure many are. In fact, some of my fondest memories of speedway are being with the other kids cheering on our dads in the Stratford Stormers, season after season. Being a track kid is something you can't explain until you've lived it, and for that I am privileged. Oh, the stories i could tell... and if I could relive those days, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Present
What started as simply being part of the environment I grew up in slowly shifted into wanting to capture it. At first, it wasn't anything serious, just the curiosity of wanting to document what I'd always been around. I hadn't been behind a camera long - in fact, as of right now (April 2026), it's only just been over a year since picking it up.
After capturing a few meetings in the pits of our ministocks and stockcar, I put a post up wanting to connect with drivers respectfully and capture more behind the scenes action. This was noticed by Cookies Photography (Stratford's head photographer) and The Racers Edge. They liked what I was doing, and I was welcomed to try shooting on the infield. I was hooked as soon as the first flag dropped.
Now I've got eight infield meetings under my belt, and my images feature in the track's programs and occasional news articles.
Shooting from the infield completely changed how I see speedway. It's one thing being a part of it growing up, but it's another being in the middle of it with a camera in your hands - trying to anticipate moments as they happen, not just react to them. Every race night feels faster, louder and more intense when you're focused on capturing it.
In a short space of time, i've learned a lot - not just about photography, but timing, awareness and respect for the sport. Theres no second chance to get the shot and that's what makes it so addictive. Every meeting teaches you something new and every night you leave with a better understanding than the one before.
What i enjoy most though, is still the same thing i loved as a kid - teams racing nights and the feeling of being surrounded by it all, the action, the people, atmosphere. Only now, I get to experience it in a completely different way and share it through my work.
Future
Looking ahead, I'm just at the beginning of this journey. I want to keep growing, keep learning and keep pushing myself to capture speedway in a way that does it justice - not just the racing, but everything that makes the sport what it is.
And now, i get to see it all through a new lens again - and this time through my daughter's eyes. She's nearly two and already completely taken by track life. Her dad is in his first season of Adult Ministocks and she's all about it. I hope her passion continues to grow and I aim to nurture her as much as I can. I'd love to see her in a Quarter Midget one day - open wheelers have my heart but we'll see what influence her dad and grandad have... maybe she'll be the next generations favorite team's racer.
For now, as we close out the 25/26 season, I'm looking to expand my knowledge and focus on the other side of my photography - portraits, family sessions and the occasional business and events - continuing to build my business from the ground up brick by brick.
Come the new season, you'll see me around the track again, camera in hand, ready to capture the moments that tell the story of speedway and I sure am looking forward to it.
