through the lens of Charlie Laird

Charlie Laird seen reflected in Jackie Stewart’s glasses in the Laguna Seca sun, October 1971. 
After only three years, as a photographer, he decided to go back to his job working for the US Government. Those who knew him say he knew how to “enjoy life to the full” in all its “aspects”, which sounds rather similar to the approach to life that many of the drivers had, that he photographed. He was a wine connoisseur, drove a Porsche 911 and was a passionate rider and importer of extremely high-end Italian racing bicycles, so he probably wasn’t your “average” Government employee, you might say. It was in 2021 that he lost his life while riding one of those exotic bikes at the age of 79. His pictures, unseen until now, passed to Velia Wortman. Velia, together with Thomas Lechner and, myself, Kevin Rice, we vowed that Charlie’s pictures would finally see the light of day…

There was an aspect to Charlie’s pictures that set them apart from most of the well known racing photographers. He seemed to be able to capture their “essence” or cast a light on the soul of the people he was photographing. It’s as if he extracted a “private” part of them and quietly impregnated the cellulose with their “DNA”, while everyone in the busy pit lane, were going about the business of “going racing”.