Out of the loop

It’s been a while since I’ve shot any Derby, in fact recently I’ve probably spent more time stuffing my face with strawberries than shooting Derby. In many ways it has been good. I’ve spent a lot less time travelling, my bank balance is looking healthier and I’ve reclaimed my weekends. Days I can pursue other creative outlets rather than sat at a computer processing images.

Being out of the loop has given me a fresh perspective on the sport. When you are closer you feel that most things revolve around Derby. I would say that 99% of the communications I receive regarding Derby come via social media and most of that is through individuals rather than from teams and most of the traffic that I find interesting comes from the US. The UK, from my perspective has stagnated, the main competition many teams are involved with have forced teams in to a routine and stifled creativity, the messages are no longer compelling. It may be due to the political climate. While I check social media I tend to not engage with many conversations, rants, issues and ‘fake news’, well news at least out of context, has made it very easy for me to disengage. Social media once empowering people, has, as it matured, created a barrier.

This weekend will see my first Derby shoot in a couple of months. Two months seems to be a long time in the world nowadays, so it’ll be interesting to see what I’ll find. Perhaps I will find all as I left it, perhaps things have moved on but it was interesting to see how quickly Derby receded in to the background. If my experience is common, I can see the difficulty in building and maintaining a community let alone an audience for the sport. For me, as the sport has emerged from its rapid growth, it’s entering a difficult phase of how to consolidate what it has achieved and then move forward.

Or maybe from a distance, that’s the perspective one gets. Who knows?

www.roller-derby-on-film.co.uk