Pushing his limits helped F1 photographer Darren Heath capture prized shot of Michael Schumacher
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- Photographer Darren Heath captured an intimate photo of Michael Schumacher in 1998, now poignant given Schumacher's 2013 brain injury.
- Heath's F1 photography style focuses on emotion and dynamism, using techniques like prisms and rejecting "easy options".
- Heath advises young photographers to develop a unique style and passion, driven by his own dream F1 career.
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SINGAPORE – Standing in the shadows and foliage, Formula One great Michael Schumacher was caught on camera looking in a contemplative mood.
This intimate moment of the famously private Schumacher was the result of a cat-and-mouse game between motor sports photographer Darren Heath and the Ferrari driver at the 1998 German Grand Prix over 45 minutes.
That day, Heath challenged himself to shoot from a difficult position at a forested area near three sharp bends at the Hockenheimring circuit during a practice session.
“In my mind, I didn’t want to take the easy option,” the 57-year-old Englishman told The Straits Times in an interview on Sept 30. “I went to a part of the circuit that most photographers wouldn’t. And when Schumacher’s car broke down, he had nowhere but to park right where I was.”
Heath, who is in town for a photography seminar by Canon Singapore and will also cover the Oct 3-5 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, feels this picture now takes on a different light – the seven-time world champion suffered a brain injury during a skiing incident in 2013 and has not been seen publicly since.
Over about 600 races and 36 years of shooting F1, the photographer has been pushing himself to be the very best, just like any F1 driver would.
“When I’m shooting on track, there’ll be a voice in my head saying: ‘Push the boundaries. Be creative. Don’t settle for the easy option’,” said Heath. And when he captures a good picture, he feels it profoundly. “It’s like I scored a goal in the World Cup.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris racing alongside Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the Las Vegas Strip during the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
PHOTO: DARREN HEATH
He also bagged an important discovery in 1997, when he noticed the rear brake disc of a McLaren glowing unusually as the car accelerated.
Curious, he took a photo of the cockpit and discovered a third pedal. That image eventually led the International Automobile Federation to ban the system.
Heath’s style is marked by vivid colours and deep black tones that bring out the visuals of F1 cars. He focuses on capturing the emotion, movement, dynamism and the sensory assault of F1, rather than the static shots of cars on corners.
Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari looking like a “rocket ship” speeding through the blackness of space, as it reflects the floodlights along the Marina Bay Street Circuit at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix.
PHOTO: DARREN HEATH
The veteran photographer calls the Singapore GP one of the best races.
“Covering the Singapore GP is like being in a temple of capitalism where everyone pushes everyone to be better,” said Heath, adding that the night race is “an attack on all the senses with the lights and the heat”.
Despite shooting for over three decades, Heath also finds inspiration outside motor sports – in fashion, architecture and the film work of cinematographer Roger Deakins. He currently works with clients such as the Williams F1 team and Louis Vuitton, an official F1 partner.
He now uses on-camera filters and prisms, paired with prime lenses, to bring out detail and colour.
“I constantly want to stay relevant and move with those times, and don’t want people to look and think these pictures are ancient.”
Darren Heath was holding a prism in front of his camera lens to achieve this look, in this picture shot at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.
PHOTO: DARREN HEATH
Still, the fundamentals remain. “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail,” he said. Before each race, he draws a freehand map of the track, plotting where he will go and when. He even darkens fences with a black marker to make them less obtrusive in photos.
In 2018, he captured sparks flying from a car’s titanium studs during the Chinese GP. He almost disregarded the shot due to metal railings in the background, but posted it anyway. People loved it.
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car emitting a shower of sparks as the Dutchman manoeuvres at high speed around Turn 1 of the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix’s Shanghai International Circuit.
PHOTO: DARREN HEATH
“I’ve learnt not to be obsessed with perfection,” he said. “It’s like falling in love. You often fall for the imperfections.”
Heath grew up attending races in Britain before he could even remember. At 12, he got a Kodak Instamatic camera and started photographing racing. After college, he knocked on the doors of F1 photographer John Townsend, who gave him some contacts.
In 1988, he got his first break as a black-and-white photo technician at a leading F1 photo agency and used his free time to cover 40 races that year to prove to his bosses that he was ready for action.
His career took off from there.
Heath often gives advice to young photographers, just as he was once mentored.
“Be aware of what others are doing, but don’t just copy. Less is more. Develop a style. Become proficient. Create a brand. When people see your work, they should know it’s yours without even seeing your name,” he said.
Besides shooting cars, Heath says it is important to capture other details that tell the story of races like these scratches on a concrete barrier that bear witness to Kimi Raikkonen’s high speed crash at the 2007 Italian Grand Prix.
PHOTO: DARREN HEATH
Looking back, Heath hopes his photos help people appreciate the essence of F1.
“I’m incredibly fortunate to be living my dream as a Formula One photographer. That drives me to be regarded by my peers as one of the best at what I do and to never drop below my own standards,” he said.
“I still feel the same passion I did as a teenager. Formula One represents the pinnacle of the sport I love. I never stop learning, never stop thinking I can do better, and I want to show the beauty and emotion of this sport through my photography.”
