As I’m gearing up to head up to Vegas one more time, I realize this would be my 13th time shooting The Mint 400, the race that changed my life, my first professional race-coverage photo assignment back in 2013, the job that made me realize this is what I wanted to do for living and well, so far so good.

Average I have a collection of 10k images per edition so I thought It would be a good idea to put my favorite photographs together into this collection, for myself is a way to get inspiration (and to make sure I don’t shoot same stuff again) for the upcoming 2025 edition.

2012, the year everything started…

above: My first photos arriving to Sin City.

Freshly graduated from college and one year after I purchased my first DSLR camera, a 23 year old me suddenly gets an offer to shoot and cover The Mint 400 in Las Vegas, I remember the joy of getting my first photo-assigment, in Las Vegas nonetheless… I was ecstatic, probably by the excess of sugar at that time.

So I grab my Nikon D5000, my two kit lenses 18-55mm & 55-300mm and off we go, to write the history of The Mint 400 for the next decade…

*The stars aligned in my favor and I was ready to make it count.*

Being my first time, I didn’t know anyone, didn’t know where to go, my photography skills depended on auto modes and presets, shit, I barely spoke any english too.
But I was passionate, and desert racing is my natural habitat. I went on a hunt and returned with a collection of photos that I felt proud of.
A week later after publishing my “mint album” on my social account, I got an email from The Mint themselves asking to purchase the photos, this moment is when my relationship with MadMedia started. This is where I decided to stop looking for an engineer job and make photography my career of choice…
My innate sense as a photographer began to develop, pushing me to take it seriously. After shooting this event, I immersed myself in photography, reading and learning everything I could through tutorials, magazines, and blogs.

Next year, I was invited to shoot officially, being 2013 my first official Mint coverage. I remember how I needed to prove myself; I needed to know that last year wasn’t a fluke and that I could perform as one of the best in the medium.