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Weston Beach Race

This was my first visit to the iconic Weston Beach Race, and the camera came with me. Some might see spending my time off photographing an event as a bit of a busman’s holiday. I can understand that, but for me it was a chance to enjoy photography in a different setting and give myself a challenge.

I very rarely photograph action through my business. Following a rider across the beach or waiting for a bike to crest a dune asks something different of me. That change of pace is part of the appeal. It keeps me sharp and gives me room to practise skills that are useful whenever I pick up a camera.

Panning is a good example. The aim is to follow the rider smoothly, keeping enough detail in the bike and rider while allowing the background to blur. Get it right and the photograph conveys speed in a way that freezing every grain of sand cannot. It takes concentration, timing and practice. An event like this gives you plenty of reasons to keep trying.

There is also the work that happens before pressing the shutter: watching where the riders are going, choosing a position, checking the background and being ready for the moment. With action, there is very little time to make those decisions once something is already happening. You have to anticipate it.

Those habits carry straight back into my professional work. The subject may be different, but being prepared, noticing what is developing and responding quickly are valuable skills in any kind of photography. Photographing something outside my usual work is a useful reminder to keep practising them.

I also wanted to come away with a varied set: the speed across the beach, riders launching over the dunes, and the challenge of getting through the sand. There were quieter moments within the action too, including a marshal helping a rider. Those pictures help tell the story of the race alongside the jumps and flying sand.

It also made me laugh to spot a Deliveroo rider among the racers. As I do photography for Deliveroo, that was an unexpected connection with my usual work, and probably the closest the day came to being a busman’s holiday.

For a first visit, there was plenty to take in and plenty to learn. A busman’s holiday, perhaps, but also time spent enjoying photography for its own sake, trying things and coming home with a few more lessons for the next time the camera comes out.

Panning photograph of a rider on a red motorcycle against the blurred beach and sea.
Rider in pink racing kit crossing the beach, photographed with a blurred background.
A rider pulling a fallen motorcycle up the steep sand dune.
Two motorcycle riders cresting a sand dune beneath a blue sky.
A marshal helping a rider negotiate the sand at Weston Beach Race.
Motorcycle riders descending a steep dune with sand flying behind them.
A group of riders racing down the deeply rutted sand dunes.
Riders descending a dune led by a rider on motorcycle number 22.
Riders and a marshal with a yellow flag above a spray of sand.
Riders on green and red motorcycles descending a dune through flying sand.
A rider beside a fallen motorcycle on the sand slope.
A rider on a red motorcycle airborne above a sand dune.
A motorcycle racer jumping above the dunes at Weston Beach Race.
Panning photograph of a motorcycle racer crossing the sand with the sea blurred behind.
A rider speeding across the beach in a wide panning photograph.
A rider in red crossing the beach against a blurred sea and sand.
Riders racing towards the camera from a steep sand dune.
A rider in purple kit leading other competitors down the sand course.
Motorcycle racers navigating the rutted sand with seafront buildings behind.
A rider in yellow racing kit approaching across the sand.
A rider in turquoise Deliveroo kit racing among the other beach-race competitors.