Stuntshow HELLsinki

Shooting motorsport is my professional life, my passion, and what I do best. Normally, you’ll find me trackside at circuits around the world, focused on race cars and high-speed endurance action.Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to the Nordis Ice Hall here in Helsinki—not for a usual IFK hockey game, but for an extreme event: Stuntshow HELLsinki by Sebastian Westberg. It was the first time a show on this scale had ever been brought to Helsinki, bringing together over 20 international riders and performers from Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, France, and the UK.

Swapping open-air race tracks for a loud indoor arena was a massive change of pace. Riders were launching over 10 meters into the air right under the Nordis roof. The lineup had everything: top FMX riders, Estonian and international talent on BMX and scooters, Niko Säkkinen and William Mattsson on stunt bikes, Tandem FMX pioneers switching riders mid-air, and Sweden’s Eddie Bergqvist throwing down backflips on a snowmobile. Add in a massive pyrotechnics and fire show, and there was something happening every single second.

From a photography standpoint, the lighting in the hall was extremely difficult to work with. One second it was pitch dark, the next it was harsh, and the stage lights and fire bursts were constantly throwing heavy, shifting color casts across the riders and the smoke.Because of that, I tried taking my shots and edits in a slightly different direction. Instead of fighting the weird color shifts for a standard, clean motorsport look, I wanted to make the images fit the raw scene and culture of stunt riders. Yeah, it was great, and I'm really happy with the results.