A person holds a colorful disposable camera in the foreground, while in the background there are blurred Formula 1 pit crew members; on the right, a Red Bull F1 car is parked in the pit lane.

You can pick up a NASCAR disposable camera for less than $10, but that hasn’t stopped motorsports photographer Jamey Price from shooting a series of compelling images on them.

Proving that it’s the photographer and not the equipment, Price’s photos taken at Formula One races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, IMSA endurance racing events, Lamborghini events, and the Monterey Car week have been collated into a new book titled Racing Unfiltered.

“It’s been a really fun experiment with the most simple form of photography,” Price tells PetaPixel. “Quite a few people didn’t understand why I would waste my time shooting film on such a low-quality camera.”

“But my real work covering racing is extremely demanding and can be very stressful,” he continues. “I didn’t want another camera to have to think about settings and lens choice. I have more than enough to think about on a regular day at work. The NASCAR cameras have just been for fun. And something I don’t have to think about. I can shoot as much or as little as I want.”

A red vintage race car with the number 6 is parked on a grassy field surrounded by people and other classic cars at an outdoor car show under a cloudy sky.

A race car driver in a blue suit and yellow helmet strikes a celebratory pose on the track in front of empty stadium stands at a racetrack.

A race car driver in an orange suit and cap smiles while sitting on the front wheel of a race car, holding a yellow helmet. Several team members and a garage are visible in the background.Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris.

Price says he shot between 75 and 100 rolls of film, including Cinestill 800, Kodak 200, Fuji 400, and Porta 800. “But ultimately I chose to use Fuji 400 the most because it’s relatively cheap and the camera and lens on the camera is plastic, and so low quality that the film stock didn’t matter quite as much.”

The cheap camera drew curious glances, including from F1 favorite Daniel Ricciardo. “He had a big laugh when he saw the camera,” Price says. “He loves photography, and he is a big NASCAR fan. The camera I chose to show him was the Dale Earnhardt Sr. version and he has always been a big fan of the Intimidator so he loved it. He asked a few questions. Held it. Looked through the viewfinder and handed it back.”

A race car driver sits in a Formula 1 car in a garage, giving a thumbs up. Team members stand nearby, and a helmet rests on the car’s side. The background displays a blue wall with sponsor logos.Daniel Ricciardo

A Formula 1 team in green uniforms pushes their race car on a wet track with a large crowd in the stands behind a fence. The focus is on the crew and car during pre-race preparations.

A neon sign reading "Welcome to Las Vegas Formula 1" glows at dusk, with a classic star topper and the silhouette of buildings in the background.

A red and white Penske Porsche race car surrounded by crew and team members celebrates in victory lane at the Daytona 24 Hours event, with confetti on the ground and sponsor banners in the background.

“The cameras have definitely had some fun reactions,” Price says. “What’s been fun about it is that it’s disarming to people. Most racing fans don’t know how cutthroat the world of motorsport and Formula 1 is. In Formula 1, teams use photographers to spy on their competition.

“So the mechanics can be very wary of photographers being around in close proximity to their car because they know that quite a few photographers wandering around are spy photographers working for the other teams.

“But when I would walk up and pull out a little tiny plastic camera that looks like a NASCAR cup car, the mechanics would often laugh at it. Or ask questions about it. Even if I had my proper work cameras and lenses also on my shoulder, the NASCAR cameras would at least get a little laugh.”

A Formula 1 car with Valvoline and Aramco branding is surrounded by a pit crew in green uniforms on the grid before a race, with grandstands and spectators in the background on a sunny day.

Two men stand facing each other with arms crossed, surrounded by photographers and media at an outdoor event. A banner with "2024 Football Challenge" and "Yuki Tsunoda" is visible in the background.Carlos Sainz talking with soccer star Luis Suarez A smiling man wearing a press badge carries a large camera with a telephoto lens over his shoulder, standing outdoors in a sunlit, busy environment.Photographer Jamey Price

There are many NASCAR point-and-shoot cameras out there. Price has a Rusty Wallace’s Miller Light, Jeff Gordon’s iconic Dupont Rainbow Warrior, Dale Earnhardt Sr, a Texaco car, and a Dale Jarrett Quality Care Service car. All are from the 1998 season.

“The struggle with the cameras is that it’s all automatic exposure. And the shutter speed they all seem to have is fairly slow,” Price explains. “It definitely requires a steady hand. I’ve even been able to pan the cars going past me on track. I would guess the shutter speed is about 1/80 or so. Maybe a little slower. But there is nothing to change on my end as a photographer. No flash. Nothing. Literally the only thing I can change is where I stand, and what film stock is in it.”

Cover of the book “Racing Unfiltered” by Jamey Price, featuring a photo of a Formula 1 pit crew around a race car on the track, with bold black title text and vertical red and blue stripes.

Racing Unfiltered by Jamey Price is published by Trope. You can purchase it here.

Image credits: Photographs by Jamey Price