In Formula One, the most important moments can happen in a fraction of a second, making it near-impossible to capture. However, there is a man who mastered this art and fans love him for that. Mark Sutton not only witnessed many life-changing moments, he converted them into timeless pictures which led foundation for Sutton Images, the international agency which is synonymous with F1 photography. Thanks to a break in his tight schedule, he found time to answer Roksana Ćwik’s questions.
How did your journey in photography start?
My dad sparkled interest in me, by taking us to the races from when we were born. He would took photos of me with the cars and shortly after my brother Keith started taking photos with my dad’s camera. I went to the races to see him working, since I couldn’t get a pass myself until I was 18.
He then started to work with Ayrton Senna, when he raced in Formula Ford and F3 between 1981-1983. My journey took off when I was helping him to cover the race at Oulton Park and I was lucky to be at a right place, when he went into the corner side-by-side with Martin Brundle and the two crashed and landed on top of the other. Those pictures were used all over the world.
Do you remember your first Formula 1-related picture?
My first F1 race with a pass was the 1984 European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch. It was a huge event and I didn’t know much about F1 so I was amazed by how quick those cars were. I also covered the tests of Ayrton Senna in 1983, with Toleman & McLaren at Silverstone.
What era of F1 was best to photograph?
I think the 80/90's were the best, as the environment was more open and less secretive. The drivers were also more relaxed and didn’t care if we took photos of them at the pool or playing tennis. Without computers there were less team briefings and media work, unlike now. Today the drivers are busy from the moment they wake up.
How long does it take for you to deliver pictures after the race?
Everything has changed over the last 20 years, as we moved from film processing, printing and making duplicates, to all-digital media and amazing cameras of today. We transfer our photos wirelessly from cameras, pick the images and send them to our server, from where there are taken by staff at Sutton Images offices.
Do you pick and edit them yourself?
Yes, I pick all my images on my MacBook Pro in the Photo Mechanic app and move to Photoshop for adjustments and cropping, then I send them to the server. I send about 1200-1500 images per race, sometimes more.
How many people work now at Sutton Images and what is the recruitment process?
It's all changed since the film days when we had more production work in the office, now it's all split between the two staff editors at the Sutton Images offices, the customer services staff and the two photographers Keith & myself. Everyone else is working as a freelancer, which makes it easier to budget for races and the season.
Were you ever asked by a team to take pictures of certain technical solutions?
Yes, of course we have been asked and we do take technical images. I think it is part of our job to show people the technical side, the development of F1 and how things change every race. The fans are really interested in this side of the sport, so we post those images on-line after every race.
Being a photographer you have to deal with everything thrown at you...
It's a very tough sport to cover with 21 races around the world, but I think it's still amazing. I love the new races in new countries and this is what keeps me going. Being born into the sport, following it on TV, seeing all the changes and having a hero that was Emerson Fittipaldi in the 70's and then Senna in the 80's also played a big part in keeping me interested.
A few months ago Lewis Hamilton used your picture without permission. How was the matter resolved?
After the 2015 Monza race ended, I was leaving the track when he was doing burnouts in front of the fans on his MV Agusta. I took a few pictures on my phone and sent them to my office before I drove to the airport. Once at the airport, I went to Daily Mail site and saw the image but it was credited to Lewis.
I wrote about it on my profile and the next day I got a call from his management company. We chatted quickly and then met at Singapore where we put together an arrangement for him to use images with our credit @suttonimages, which we were both happy about.
In fact he used one of our images after his failure in Malaysia with him praying and this created the biggest reaction ever in F1 with 165,000 likes on Instagram.
These days, everyone have a camera, the social media is booming and the information flow is crazily fast. Do you find your job harder than a few decades ago and do you need to adjust to the new trends?
It’s a changing world and it’s our job to adapt and keep up. Sutton Images always managed to stay on top with our first website in 1996, then moving to digital and now our social media profiles where we are posting every day and updating during the races with imagery and information. This for sure is the future and we have many new ideas and future projects in the pipeline.
You make it obvious that you love travelling. But is there a point where you think there would be too many races in the calendar?
Yes, I don't mind travelling. It’s my job and many people tell me it’s the best one in the world but they don’t understand the pressures and the way the industry works. It’s a tough environment and some people get paid race-by-race, so more races is more cash I guess it's true!
More races in the US would be great as long as we keep the traditional and classic races always on the calendar. I think we should also pursue new countries like Argentina, Indonesia, Qatar or even bring back those amazing circuits like Turkey, India or Korea.
Was there a situation that made you think this job is dangerous?
I know this job is dangerous and I had a few lucky escapes but it doesn’t change how I think about life. Motorsports is dangerous, but now the FIA has made it very safe and not only for the drivers, but also the photographers, with dedicated zones, catch fencing and so on…
Are you a friend with the on-track security?
Yes, after spending 25 years covering F1 I have good relationships with most people who give me respect and know that this job is tough.
Do people often ask you for photography tips?
Many people ask me the same question of how to become a F1 photographer and the simple reply is that you need the passion and desire to make it happen and also learn a lot along the way. Every time I shoot, it’s a pleasure but I’m also still learning.
How is your relationship with Nikon developing?
We are now into our 4th year of partnership and it’s been an amazing relationship. We started with a D4, then switched to the upgraded D4s and now we’re using the D5 which we tested for Nikon Europe during last year’s launches and Barcelona tests. It’s an amazing camera, offering great flexibility and stunning image quality, which makes it the perfect tool for working in F1.
We will continue to test and work on new projects in F1 to really push the boundaries of technology. For example, in Abu Dhabi I was testing the new Nikon Mission 360 camera that should offer new boundaries with amazing quality 360 degree images.
Some people call you an “artist of Formula 1 photography”. How do you feel with it?
Yes, an artist has been mentioned many times. The profession of photographer has changed much since I started in 1985 in the good old days of black & white film. The progress into the digital era is amazing but also makes it harder to create unique and exclusive images. But still, you need the passion and interest to assist you in creating the art and that’s how the artist is born using shutter speeds and lighting. Knowledge of the environment, the tracks, teams and drivers also helps.
And how many years to come will we see Mark Sutton on track with a camera hanging from his neck?
I still love F1, so I carry on to 500 races and then see if I'm still motivated and enjoying the traveling as covering 21 events in different countries is a tough job. On top of that, I also did four more weekends for the Asian Audi R8 LMS Cup.
The Sutton Images archive is available on www.sutton-images.com. It is also the place where you can buy some of the F1’s most memorable pictures.
