Back at Laguna - SCCA SFR Weekend

Another weekend, another trip to the legendary WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This time, it was for the SCCA San Francisco Region event—and yeah, I was just here the weekend before for the CSRG Corkscrew Classic (more on that in the next post). But honestly, I never get tired of this track. Laguna feels like home at this point. One day I hope to send it through the Corkscrew myself—but for now, I’m behind the lens, soaking it all in.

For this event, my main focus was motion shots—trying to get those clean pans that make a car look fast as hell while everything else blurs past it. I’ve been chasing that look for a while now, but it still gives me trouble. Keeping the subject sharp while letting the background streak just right... not easy. I stayed on autofocus this time, but I’m starting to consider going manual and just “snipe and pray.” It gets frustrating sometimes—like, I feel like I should have this down by now. But I’m learning to be patient with myself. I try the tricks. I mess with shutter speeds. And like every motorsport photographer says, you’ll shoot hundreds of photos and only keep a handful. I get it. But still—I'm chasing consistency. I want to be able to land clean shots of every car on track. Because here’s the thing: I want my galleries to be so complete that every driver and their mom could hop on my site and find a dope shot of their car. Right now, I’m still only catching about half the pack.

One thing I realized is I need to plan better. I usually only go out for Saturdays, so I really need to study the schedule beforehand. Figure out what groups are running when, and where I want to be on track to catch them. I’ve been trying to hit each group at multiple spots throughout the day—but Laguna is big. Like... mini hike big. I’m seriously considering bringing a scooter or something electric next time to cover more ground.

There’s always the temptation to shoot the Corkscrew—because let’s be real, it’s iconic—but there’s so much more track to explore. Every turn has its own personality, and every corner gives a different vibe for photos. I want to take advantage of all of it, but it’s tough to move fast with just your two feet.

And as always, the cars did not disappoint.

GT cars, Miatas, Porsches, open-wheel formula machines—it was everything you want at a race weekend. I had a blast just walking the paddock, snapping general shots and soaking up the vibe. I didn’t focus on specific builds too much this time, especially for stills. But when it came to video, I was more intentional—targeting a few cars and moments I knew I wanted to capture. Sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down. I want to capture everything... but I also want to experience it. There’s this push and pull between being in the moment and doing my job as a "media guy". That balance is something I’m still figuring out.

At the end of the day, Laguna never disappoints. Every time I come here, I leave inspired—even when I leave tired, dusty, and with a full SD card and sore feet. This event reminded me why I love doing what I do, and also where I want to keep getting better.

Photos are up and videos are still in the works. Until then—back to editing, back to learning, and back to planning the next weekend out.

SCCA SFR 2025 - LAGUNA SECA