Macchina is a project about speed and the passion for cars and racing. It’s the culmination of many years being involved with motorsports, and features venues ranging from Formula 1 to Le Mans, and everything from desert road trips in the US to "banger racing" in an English market town.
The images were taken all over the world, and the shots were governed by various racing events and with a theme of the history surrounding racing cars.
During my career, I’ve been embedded with some of motorsport’s legendary teams including Ferrari, McLaren, Stewart and Williams, and gained unprecedented access to leading personalities.
However, my focus is never merely on personalities but how people prepare for their gladiatorial moments ahead.
In the process, I’ve met people whose raw passion for automobile and motor racing is second to none: people who travel the world in search of the perfect drive, be it in a straight line, around a dirt oval or on a modern Grand Prix circuit.
I’ve met some who give everything they have just to race at the weekend, working hard and then even harder on their car, just to go that little bit quicker. The stories behind their love of racing resonate with me. I admire people who never waver from their goals and share their passion and commitment.
Macchina chronicles the freedom, excitement, teamwork and poetic essence at the heart of this unique sport. These are the atmospheric images that take you behind the scenes into every aspect of the world of motorsports, from the grassroots energy of banger racing to the spectacular verve and passion of Grand Prix.
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As such, Macchina is a social commentary as well as a unique photographic journey.
When I was growing up, I had a book called At Speed, by Jesse Alexander, which was published back in 1971. It was a big coffee table book, and I loved the large-format images, but also that it was about the people who drive them, not just the cars. I found At Speed to be a huge inspiration when it came to assembling the years of images I had amassed for the exhibition, and my own book. I had no particular plan, but the story behind Macchina sort of unfolded in front of me.
I have used Nikon cameras over the past 40 years, starting with a Nikon F3 film camera and later moving onto the Nikon F4 and F5. When digital came along, I initially used the D3, D3S and D3X, and with mirrorless started on a Z 7 and Z 9.
The F1 chapter was shot in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the images were shot primarily on the Nikon F3, while the Goodwood chapter was around 2018 to 2019. Everything else was shot in 2022 to 2023, on the Nikon Z 9.
I enjoy the freedom I have as a documentary explorer. Putting everything together required a great deal of planning and research, but everyone involved in the project was very helpful.
Macchina
Macchina, a large-format book of Jon Nicholson’s photographs, has a limited-edition run of 1000 copies and is available from www.fyshe.com
