I'm back
It's been too long, let's not let that happen again
September 28th, wow. That’s the date of my last post here on My Driving Passions. For that, I apologize.
I think it’s only fair to share what I’ve been up to in the 11 months or so since that last post, and what I’d like this newsletter to become going forward. Namely, an actual newsletter with content I hope people find entertaining and valuable.
Since September 2024, I have finished my Bachelor of Graphic Arts degree in Photography and begun a full-time freelance career. The degree program was a fantastic experience and taught me more about photography and people than I ever expected.
Having a degree is undoubtedly not a prerequisite for being a photographer, nor is it a guarantee that you will be better or more successful than someone who has learned along the way. However, I know there are so many techniques and experiences that, had I not been in a formal academic setting, I may never have encountered them in the wild, and they have unequivocally made me better.
2025 was the year I planned to work as many IMSA sportscar races as possible as a freelance photographer and writer. I worked five races in 2024 as a build-up, and things were working as I planned by the end of the year. I had met and become friends with several of the regular photographers, and was starting to feel like I belonged in the paddock.
What made the start of the year more fulfilling was my new “position” as the Motorsports Editor for the Porsche Club of America’s magazine, Porsche Panorama. I have written sporadic features for the magazine for several years and have enjoyed an excellent relationship with its editorial staff, so when they approached me about revamping their motorsport coverage, I was ecstatic.
I now write a monthly column covering the exploits of factory and customer Porsche racing teams and series in North America. While the highest profile series is the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, Porsche competes in so many other series that it is actually challenging to fit them all in the space I have.
Overall, the year has unfolded about as I expected. People in the paddock recognize me. My contacts and list of friends are expanding, and I am more comfortable working in and around the race track. I’ve had new clients come my way through referrals from other photographers, and those experiences have been tremendous.
One of the biggest lessons for working in motorsports, and for life frankly, is just to show up and be a “good dude.” No one wants to work with someone they don’t enjoy being around, and the high-stress, fast-paced environment of a race track amplifies that feeling, not to mention the fact that more people are trying to do this work than there are jobs to do.
By making friends and reaching out when I saw people needed help, I have had the opportunity to photograph several drivers and a few teams that I had no idea I would work with when the year began.
So what do I want this space to be? Well, initially, I thought this blog/newsletter would be a place for me to write “articles” that I had no other venue for. Thoughts I had based on events in the automotive or motorsport space, or reflections on my travel experiences.
But as I have subscribed to and read more newsletters on Substack (The Contender and A Continuous Lean are my favorites), I realized that the most value I receive from the excellent writers and people I follow here has not necessarily been from their reviews of things, but from their personal experiences with them.
I’m not saying this newsletter will be my journal, but I do plan to be more myself here versus me, the “writer.” Most of my writing will still deal with things automotive and travel-related because that’s what most of my life is right now. Stuff like style (I refuse to say fashion because for me, fashion is trendy, whereas style is timeless), watches, sports, books, TV shows, movies, etc, will have some coverage as well.
A newsletter with a post once a year is not worth much, so while I won’t commit to writing every week, I will be posting at least once a month, if not more. Things will naturally evolve, and I hope that whatever I have to say provides you with some value, even if it's just for a laugh.
See you soon.