From Studio to Speedway

The years you spend at college are intense, packed with study, internships or practicums, social groups and activities, and relationships galore. Threaded through it all is an overall goal to be prepared for your next stage of life, the 40+ years of your career that starts after commencement. 

Taylor University emphasizes becoming a lifelong learner and critical thinker, with the ability to flex and adapt to a changing world and new opportunities that may come your way. Hailey Hamilton ’22 found that her degree in Photography, along with her sense of adventure, helped equip her to take professional-quality photos at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Getting Started

Hamilton grew up near Indianapolis in Brownsburg, and she became a believer in high school. When she was considering colleges, she knew she wanted to go somewhere that would help grow her newfound faith. She met a Taylor recruiter at a high school college fair and signed up to attend a 24@Taylor visit, where she stayed overnight in a residence hall with someone who had gone to her high school. With that experience, she was hooked. 

“I love the size of Taylor,” Hamilton said. “There is just a genuine care for others at Taylor that you can feel the moment you come on campus. You don’t get that same feeling in other places.”

She started out as a Theatre Arts major with a minor in Photography. During her sophomore year, she realized her interests were shifting and switched to Photography as a major. 

Every Photography major is required to do at least one practicum, with many Art majors completing multiple practicums. Hamilton completed hers at Gull Lake Ministries, a family camp and conference center in Michigan. Part of her role included taking photos of renovated housing accommodation, including 3D scans for remote tours. 

At Taylor, Hamilton worked as a photographer for the yearbook, called The Ilium. She also made ample use of the Art Department’s photo studio in the Metcalf Visual Arts Center. 

“The way the studio is equipped is phenomenal,” Hamilton said. “It’s small, but the whole lighting mechanism is convenient and easy to use. The professors do a really good job of keeping it up to date and buying new camera equipment. It was so great to have access to that awesome space, and knowing the university cares about it.”

Photographer at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

When Hamilton was a senior, she heard about a contract photographer position at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Because her father, Davey Hamilton, had been a car racer in the 1990s and was still connected to the racing circuit as a broadcaster, she was excited to take on the challenge, although also nervous. 

“I had never taken a picture of a car before,” she laughed. 

Fortunately, she found mentors to guide her along the way. Her first experience was at a more relaxed race before the Indy 500, shadowing another photographer. Every race day, she would start out in the support office area, where a whiteboard would list  the various tasks and locations needed for photos. She also would attend practice sessions because it was important to get as many pictures of cars on the track as possible. 

With so many moving parts, and up to 30 cars in a race, Hamilton was one of a large team of photographers. 

“Whenever cars are out there, we’re out there,” she said. “I also loved spending time on the Pit Line, walking up and down and seeing what was interesting.” 

Because Hamilton had experience from working for The Ilium taking candid and group images, her manager often assigned her to take pictures of spectators and attendees enjoying themselves at the race.

After her work at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended, Hamilton took on a role with her father’s hospitality company that allowed her to continue taking pictures at races at other places on the circuit, including Nashville, Portland, Toronto, and Monterey Bay. 

At one race, Taylor Professor of Art and Department Co-Chair Jamie Miles caught up with Hamilton and saw her in action. 

“It says a lot about her versatility and sense of adventure, that she was willing to dive in with the big dogs at the motor speedway, the greatest spectacle in racing, and the faith that she stuck it out says a lot about her versatility and sense of adventure,” Miles said. “She was holding her own with CNN, the Indy star, and ESPN photographers.”

Miles said that in class, he stresses that students gain a strong comprehension of the camera, lighting, and entire process of making images. Students are taught all the technical skills they would need for any photography job they may have. 

“The liberal arts breadth that we so intentionally build into everything we do gave her the breadth to think about possible work that she hadn’t specifically trained for. It also removed her fear of trying. She was willing to take that pivot, and to go try this thing,” he said. 

Hamilton is now based in Idaho, where her family now lives. She’s working toward building a career in studio photography, but isn’t ruling out a return to the racetrack. 

“I loved the work I did for the Indy 500, and I do have the opportunity to come back next year if I want to,” she said. “I got to be experimental with it, and I do think my photography has grown a lot from the experience.” 

Study Photography at Taylor

Taylor now offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, as well as BFAs in Studio Art 2D, Studio Art 3D, Design, and Illustration. With a BFA, you take more art classes instead of a foreign language, giving you an even stronger foundation in art. Visitors are welcome anytime to see art exhibits in Metcalf, and meet professors and current students. Register today for your campus visit!

Photos courtesy of Hailey Hamilton and Jamie Miles