Tyler Freeman Smith "The Great Race" in depth

The series of images i have chosen by this photographer are titled "Day at the great race" it documents an iconic race in australia known as the Bathurst 1000, however the images show none of the actual race itself and instead show the spectators and there reactions to the day. The images are both in landscape and portrait formats, some of the portraits of people are shot in landscape and landscapes in portrait format to capture the full atmosphere of what is going on in the frame. The images are shot in Black and White this is stereotypical of documentary photography to create atmosphere however in my opinion this only works well in some images to create a bleak or cold appearance but fails other images where the colour of items such as supporter flags and the surrounding area. All the images focus mainly on people surrounding the race as opposed to the action happening on the track, however from the appearance of the supporters it is clear to tell what is happening, for example the picture of a man sat wrapped in a blanket staring blankly at the track shows that there is no action happening an that this was taken early in the morning before the race had even begun. In contrast the image of the supporters pointing at the track with jovial smiles and proudly holding their flag in the air shows that the team they are supporting have just overtaken a rival or even winning. The final image i have chosen shows numerous people walking along the race track holding a giant banner this clearly shows that the team they are supporting has won the race. This approach to the images gives the viewer an open mind to recreate the events from the race in the minds eye making it somehow more exiting and personal. The images are sequenced throughout the day from early morning with spectators arriving at the track to a group of fans walking what appears to be a victory lap. The first  images in the sequence shows a very powerful scence of expectation and augments to a finale of success. The information on what these images were produced for seems to be vague but i believe they were taken for a magazine article reflecting on the fierce rivalry between Ford and Holden fans in this iconic traditional race. The photographer reflects on this through the series and shows that no matter who wins everybody is proud of the winner.