Interview: Motorsport Photographer Jamie Bufton

MPB EDU is all about supporting student visual storytellers on their creative journey. So, we lent a Canon DSLR setup to 16-year-old motorsport photographer Jamie Bufton. Alongside studying for an A-Level in photography, Jamie also works as a part-time photographer at the Shelsley Walsh motorsport venue in Worcestershire. Read more to learn about his background, his ambitions of becoming a professional photographer and how he thinks affordable kit will help make his dreams possible. Over to you, Jamie.

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MPB: Can you tell us about yourself and your journey in photography?

JB: I’m 16 years old and mostly a motorsport and automotive photographer, but I enjoy all types of photography. I started studying photography at GCSE level in high school. When we went into the first lockdown, I had to do my photography from home. This made me more creative and I started experimenting with still life and different ways of taking photos. This soon led to shooting landscape photography in my daily exercise. These photos were what really kicked off my passion. 

Being a car nerd, and living not too far away from the legendary Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in Worcestershire, I decided I had to test my photography skills. The place was crowded with photographers. While at the event, I heard about the photography competition going on, so when I got home I entered my two best photos. To my surprise, I won with my entry of a slow-panning shot of a Porsche 911. My photo was featured on the front cover of the Shelsley Walsh newsletter and I was given a yearly membership to the Midlands Automobile Club. This was one of the best things that had ever happened in my career. I make it a mission to attend every event I can. 

I soon realized I had a talent for motorsport photography. People even started buying my photos.  My favorite part about it is seeing people’s faces when you show them a photo of their car that they like. I am now studying A-Level photography and hope that this will help me to become a better photographer so I can get a qualification in my passion.

MPB: How has your photography style adapted over time?

JB: If you were to scroll through my Instagram, I think you would be amazed to see the different styles that I have gone through. I am always learning, and wonder if my editing is right and I constantly change it again and again. My style of composition has massively changed as I have progressed. I have worked a lot on storytelling. My recent photos have a dynamic depth of field and show the story of the event. To capture these moments,  I like to stay in the paddock of racing tracks. The most atmosphere is captured there, plus I can meet new people. I like focusing on people a lot of the time, even though I classify myself as an automotive photographer. I find that the person tells the story of the car better, so it’d be criminal to miss them out.

MPB: What advice would you have for any students looking to turn their passion for photography into a full-time career?

JB: My advice for anyone trying to push their passion into a full-time job is to not stop asking. That is what I did to help jumpstart my career. I got in contact with as many companies, organizers and race tracks as I could. If I contacted a hundred people and only one responded, then I would consider that a win as it is one more job than I had before. Some more advice is to offer your skills for free. This is something invaluable as it will build your reputation quicker in the field you want to pursue. Once you’ve done this for a couple of events and it’s got you in, then you should start charging for your work. I first started charging small amounts per photo, then moved up to a larger amount eventually getting paid for a whole day’s shoot.

MPB: Could you tell us about your shooting process? How have you learned to shoot so far?

JB:I will run you through my usual day at Shelsley Walsh. Once I get to the race, I first go to the paddock and ask if they would like photos for the day. If they say yes, then I give them a business card with my details on it. I then take both my cameras out of my bag, usually, I put a 50mm on the one camera—as this is my favorite focal length for crop sensor cameras—the second camera will either have something wider on it or something like a 55–200mm for picking people out in the paddock. I wear my bag throughout the day as I like to change lenses a lot. 

The morning is spent in the paddock, usually because I like to catch the sunrise light. I walk around finding interesting compositions. Once done there, I’ll head up the track in the afternoon doing all sorts of shots. Once I get enough photos up the hill, I’ll head down and shoot more in the paddock. 

Editing is the hardest part of motorsport photography. On a good day, I will come home with more than 2,000 photos. This takes hours to cull through, and then there is the editing. To help me, I use self-made presets for each race track, depending on the lighting. I quickly go through to find the effect for each image, but these are only the start. In the beginning, I will spend up to five minutes on a photo, after applying a preset, to make sure it is perfect before I move on to the next. Once I’ve finished editing, I’ll usually have about 200–300 edited photos that I like. I then save them to my phone and post them on Instagram and Facebook.

MPB: What is your current kit setup? What is your dream kit that you hope to trade up to or purchase one day?

JB: My current equipment is from MPB: a Canon EOS 60D, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS and 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. I love using this camera. This is a beginner camera, but the value for money in this is incredible. The main feature I like about this camera is the flip screen. This screen is perfect for automotive photography as I can quickly get the angle I want. It is also great for the classic puddle reflection shot. I used this camera on a recent shoot. I was invited to go and take photos there and was impressed with the ability to get angles I never imagined getting with my Nikon.

My usual personal equipment is a Nikon D300, 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED, 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR and 50mm f/1.8G, plus a selection of SD cards and CF cards. I also have one large backpack, which also fits my lunch, a small messenger bag and a sling bag. I love my Nikon D300, it’s a brilliant camera, I bought it from MPB at such a good price. I also bought the pairing battery grip. I have five batteries, which is completely overboard as I found the camera will last about 1,500 shots on one battery. My 55-200mm is my only telephoto so it is used a lot! I find it sharp at about 150mm but anything more than that and it becomes unsharp. My 50mm f/1.8 was the best thing I’ve bought, it’s so sharp! The creamy smooth background is great for pulling the focus onto the car, person or animal.

My dream camera is a Canon R3 with a really decent set of Canon RF glass. I like this camera because it is a pro-level camera and has vehicle tracking built-in. I think this would be a game-changer for my photography. Also, the RF lenses from Canon are so sharp! So my dream setup would be the Canon R3 with a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS and 35mm f/1.8 IS STM Macro, and either a 50mm f/1.2 L or a 85mm.

MPB: What’s an important factor when buying gear?

JB: As I am a full-time college student, I think one of the most important factors in buying gear is value for money. My only job is photography, and because I’m a student I am not able to get out as much as I would like, so money can be an issue for buying photography gear. That’s why I haven’t got as many lenses as I’d love. I use my gear a lot, and I don’t want it to be so expensive that I’m scared to take it out in the rain either. I only buy used camera gear from MPB.

MPB: What is your goal with photography in the future? How does having the right equipment help you achieve that? 

JB: My aim for my future in photography. My main goal is to work with a racing team, car or motorsport company as a photographer. That’s why having the right equipment is vital. For my motorsport photography career, I will always need the right gear for the job, whether that be lenses, cameras, filters or even something as simple as a bag. I will always need it.

MPB: Now that you are trading back your kit to MPB, what are you excited about your next upgrade?

JB: I’m very excited to trade up to a Fujifilm X-T2, this has been one of my favorite cameras. I love the design of the body. However, I’m not sure how the dials are going to work for motorsport photography. But it’s something I’ll approach when we get to it! Even though I’ve loved using the 60D, this Fujifilm will be a major step up as it is mirrorless and has a very unique color replication that gives a really aesthetically pleasing photo. Using Fujifilm will also be different as I have never used a mirrorless camera. I’ve always been told that mirrorless cameras weren’t good enough yet to invest in one. So being able to try one, I will be able to make up my own mind! Stay tuned for my review of my trade-in and upgrade.

MPB: What projects are you currently working on?

JB: I have something exciting in the works! It involves working with the Morgan Motor Company. I get to visit the factory and tell a story of a car being built through 24 images. I’m very excited about this project as it will be a big step up in photography for me as I’ll be working with an international company. Also, soon I am visiting Silverstone Raceway for the first time. This will be with a racing team called Ken Clarke Motorsport, these guys are super nice and race awesome cars! I am really excited about this.

Thanks, Jamie. You can see more of Jamie Bufton’s work on Instagram. For more camera gear guides, tips and techniques and interviews, visit the MPB Content Hub.