Olyvia Joan on the Art of Capturing a Race Weekend

Joan grew up around both cameras and motorcycles. Her father raced in the 1990s, competing in WERA road racing, while both of her parents followed MotoGP closely. Racing was frequently on the television, family friends shared the interest, and trips to AMA Superbike events formed part of her childhood.

At the time, however, her brother was the family member most visibly drawn to motorcycles. Joan’s own interest centred more broadly on creativity. “My dad had all sorts of cameras, and he always filmed us when we were younger,” she says. “I think that probably started my fascination at a young age. I’ve always just been into creating, whatever the medium is. My original background was drawing, and I still draw here and there and paint.”

As she grew older, that interest developed into a desire to document the world around her. Joan remembers bringing a camera to school and becoming increasingly interested in capturing everyday moments. She later studied film and filmmaking at Watkins College of Art in Nashville, Tennessee, where her work included behind-the-scenes and on-set photography.

Her initial ambitions were rooted in directing and writing. More than simply learning how to construct a visually appealing image, she was interested in the elements that make an audience feel invested in a story. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Joan moved back to Cincinnati to be closer to her family. One morning, she sat down to watch a MotoGP race with her parents. Although the championship had been present throughout her childhood, something shifted in the way she understood it.

“At the time, I was really focusing on how to be the best storyteller I could be, because that was my focus in college,” she explains. “I was looking for the elements of a good story, and I found that in MotoGP. As much as it had been in my life my whole life, I really started to understand it and became super interested and invested in it around 2020 or 2021.”

From there, Joan began attending more motorcycle events with her family, including local flat track racing in Cincinnati and events in Indianapolis. Through the close-knit American Flat Track community, she found herself photographing riders who needed images and becoming increasingly absorbed by the process. “I just kind of fell into starting to take photos of people on bikes,” she says. “That escalated into wanting to chase MotoGP around, and that’s where I am now.”

The transition feels natural when looking through her work. Joan does not approach photography purely as a means of recording who won a race, stood on a podium or produced the fastest lap. She is interested in images that hold a narrative, even when that narrative is not

immediately obvious. Her instinct is to move through the paddock quietly and allow moments to unfold without imposing herself on them.“I always like to say that I like being a fly on the wall,” she says. “There is so much going on, and if I’m unseen, it feels more natural. I like to be invisible in that moment and just capture what I’m looking at.”

For Joan, the meaning of a photograph can also change retrospectively. An image that initially feels visually interesting may acquire greater significance as a season develops. A moment of exhaustion, reflection or quiet concentration can carry more weight once the viewer understands what has followed it. “That’s what is really cool about photography,” she explains. “You can go over the same image quite a few times and, depending on how you decide to grade it, how you frame it and the composition, you can really change the narrative of a photo with just a few clicks.”

Behind the final photographs is a process that requires patience, flexibility and a substantial amount of preparation. Before photographing at Le Mans, Joan walked the circuit to understand the layout and identify potential shooting locations. Across a race weekend, she keeps the championship narrative in mind, ensuring she captures the riders at the front of the standings while remaining attentive to the stories specific to the event itself. At the French Grand Prix, this naturally included the home riders and the atmosphere created by one of MotoGP’s most passionate crowds.

She also aims to photograph as much of the grid as possible. “I like to go into the weekend saying that I would like to have at least one photo of every rider,” she says. “If there is a nice moment happening with any of them, I’m going to try to get it. If I happen to see something, or someone is talking to someone, anything like that, I’ll try to capture it.”

The unpredictability of motorsport inevitably complicates those plans. Weather forecasts can change, sessions can be cancelled and the pace of a weekend leaves limited time to adjust camera settings or reconsider a location. At Le Mans, Joan had anticipated rain on Sunday and planned potential images around the additional visual element. When the rain did not arrive, she had to adapt her approach and refocus on capturing the podium celebrations.

The demands can also vary significantly depending on the publication or organisation. Working under a same-day delivery schedule at COTA required a far quicker turnaround, while her work for SLICKS has allowed more time to consider which photographs will translate most effectively into print. “I think I spend a lot more time in the post-production process because I’m really picky,” she says. “With SLICKS, I can really go through everything and think about which images will look best in the spread.”

That relationship with the magazine arrived at an important point in Joan’s career. After an earlier opportunity to create social media content for MotoGP did not progress as expected, her confidence had taken a hit. Discovering SLICKS through Instagram encouraged her to submit a selection of images from Mugello, photographed during a mentorship through Click Diversity with Graham Holt. “When that opportunity came around, I thought, ‘I’ll try it. I’ll just see what happens,’” she recalls. “When I heard back, I was shocked. It gave me a needed bit of confidence to continue chasing this, because you get in your own head a lot of the time with your own stuff.”

Seeing the photographs printed offered a form of reassurance that is particularly meaningful within a creative industry. For Joan, it made the work feel more tangible. “As an artist, you are your own biggest critic,” she says. “When someone else takes you seriously, it really helps with your own self-criticism. There are so many amazing and talented artists in this industry, so anyone working in it who takes a minute to look at an image of mine gives me a little confidence boost.”

The resulting images remain shaped by Joan’s genuine affection for the sport. While she works to capture the wider narrative of each weekend, she admits that a degree of personal attachment is difficult to avoid entirely. Quartararo holds particular significance because of the connection he created between Joan and her father, a devoted Yamaha supporter.

“I think I can’t help being a fan sometimes,” she says. “I really bonded with my dad over the Yamaha story and Fabio’s story. I want the balance and I want whatever the narrative is that weekend, but if I can get a cool picture of Fabio for my dad, I’m going to.”

It is perhaps this balance that gives Joan’s photography its warmth. Her images are technically considered without becoming detached. They preserve the colour, speed and visual intensity of motorcycle racing while remaining grounded in the personal stories unfolding within it.

As Joan continues to develop her place in the industry, she is honest about both the financial and emotional risks involved in pursuing creative work. Motorsport photography demands travel, persistence and the confidence to keep making connections in an intensely competitive environment. She remains reluctant to present herself as someone with every answer, but the advice she offers is grounded in her own experience.

“Don’t be afraid to take risks,” she says. “The thing that stopped me for the longest time was the risk. Not everyone has the privilege or the opportunity, but if it comes around, take it.”

“You meet the greatest people, and you never know what opportunity is going to come to you,” she says. “You just have to keep going.”

All of the incredible photography featured throughout this article was captured by Olyvia herself. Be sure to follow her work on Instagram at @Kithlea &b@Kithlean.

You can also find Olyvia’s photography in SLICKS Magazine and across the publication’s social media channels. SLICKS is an independent automotive and motorsport magazine created to revitalise physical media and celebrate the stories, people and culture surrounding the sport.

Instagram: @slicks.mag

Website: https://www.slicksmag.com