The first time Alex Farinelli stepped out on the track as a photographer, he freely admits “my legs were shaking.” No stranger to MotoGP races as a spectator, this first professional event at the Misano Adriatico race in 2011 was the culmination of a lifetime’s dream to shoot his icons in action.

“I had already seen the races many times live,” Alex explains, “and I’d followed MotoGP on TV since I was a child, but being there, among my heroes, breathing the same air as them, experiencing the same smell of the fuel and burning rubber, and the hearing the same scream of the bikes hurtling past just a few centimetres away… was something incredible. In those situations,” he continues, “you can feel the adrenaline rising in your veins. This feeling – the butterflies in my stomach, my heart beating like crazy – that’s what I try to communicate through my images. It’s all about the passion and the emotion of being there, so close to the action.”

But the path to shooting MotoGP had not been easy. In fact, like those competing on the track, Alex had to work hard for his opportunities. “For many years,” he explains, “I worked together with other photographers on various competitions in my region, shooting sports like cycling, gymnastics, running, swimming. I was not yet a fully professional photographer, and working mainly as an analyst and programmer. At that time, I asked everyone I knew if they could get me into a MotoGP event. Finally, the accreditation came at Misano Adriatico. I was lucky,” he laughs, “but I was also very stubborn and I never gave up.”

It’s obvious how strongly Alex feels about documenting the sport he loves, but how does he go about it? What techniques does he use to bring emotion into his shots? “Every race is a special situation to me, and the riders are all doing their very best,” he explains, “so I try to do something special, too. That’s how I look to get a ‘wow’ effect into a picture, and it’s doing that which keeps me motivated. It’s like oxygen to my lungs.”

Like so many sports professionals, Alex relies on his Alpha 1 and Alpha 9 II to record these moments. “My Sony cameras have been a fundamental tool for the evolution of my work,” he explains, “and they help me cover the full gamut of situations. For instance, the precision and speed of the autofocus at any aperture lets me be more creative in my work. I use the Large Area and subject tracking AF modes, and I know I can rely on them totally. That means I can be more creative, using the monitor to shoot from different perspectives, like ground level or much higher than me.”

“At the track,” he continues, “you have to observe the bikes and the riders to understand their movements and lines. That’s when you can capture the moments that matter. Knowledge of the course and the riders is really helpful, because each element comes together and adds to the effect. In that way, the track and the landscape represent key elements in my compositions as well as the riders. It all builds the emotional intensity.”

In this shot from Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, those skills came into play. “It’s turn three,” he explains, “and this is a famous corner, because it’s very fast. You can see how the rider is pushing his bike into the bend and getting so close to the track as he does it. This photo was taken by resting the camera on the ground, and looking through the monitor, which connects to him, because we’re on the same level.”

In another shot from Barcelona, Alex used the shape of the track to expertly frame the action. “This is the very last corner,” he says, “and I like the curb pattern which adds a feeling of speed to the photo. Here I’m using a slower shutter speed of 1/40sec, to get some motion blur into the frame. I always use a ND filter so I can do this, and have the maximum aperture possible, too.”

Shooting a race day also means working with the teams and riders away from the track itself, and Alex has some great examples of the emotion on show there, too. “When I’m shooting inside the garage, the focus has to be on the eyes, and the facial expressions. Here we can find special situations while the driver talks to his crew, or makes some superstitious gesture. It’s all part of the experience, and as highly charged as the action shots.”

“In the garage,” he continues, “the tool I use the most is the Eye Focus. Shooting with lenses like the FE 24mm f/1.4 GM wide open, I know it’ll always lock onto the subject, so no situation is missed. Considering that I have no chance to repeat a shot, I have to avoid any mistakes, everything must be perfect, and that’s what these cameras give me.

In this image from Portimao Circuit in Portogallo, Fabio Quartararo, the reigning world champion shows his delight at winning the race. “He turned to me and cheered,” Alex explains, “and that was an amazing, unrepeatable moment of emotion. I am one of the photographers of the Yamaha team and having excellent relationships with the riders is a great help in situations like this. If the riders trust you they’re more relaxed and confident, and come looking for the best photos.”

“It might seem obvious,” Alex concludes, “but in photography, everyone has to study and work to find their own way. In motorsport you need experience to know the tracks and anticipate what can happen. But you also need to find your style and not just try to be the same as everyone else. My style is all about showing what I feel, and these emotions come and go in split seconds. Without the speed and precision of my Sony gear, that would be a lot more difficult.”