Pack Week Story
Among your recent projects or adventures, which one is your favorite and why?One of the highlights of my 2021 has been my trip to Kenya, where I was covering the famous World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari rally Kenya 2021 edition. Until 2021 Africa was the only continent that I hadn't been to. So obviously it was a great excitement. I truly appreciated the time I spent there because it showed and taught me a lot. I fell in love with Kenya and Kenyans.
One very important lesson which I took with me from Kenya is: no matter how poor we are in material ways, we can still be kind towards each other as human beings. As one of the locals said to me: you need to make at least 2 wise decisions in your life: 1. the person who you marry to and 2. the job you do. Why, because the person who you marry to is the last one who you'll see when you go to sleep and the first one who you see when you'll wake up in the morning. The job: do the thing that you truly enjoy and love, because you have to do it for a very long time and there's no point in wasting your time!
What’s the story behind this project?
After 19 years the WRC went back to Africa. There was a long break due to a number of reasons. As I'm one of the FIA permanent photographers who follow the entire WRC season, it meant that I had the opportunity to go to Kenya and cover the event. After the event the WRC family received even better news: Safari rally Kenya will be in the calendar for the next 5 years!
What about that project motivated you?
The beauty of people, wildlife and nature. I just breathed and tried to take it all in. But at the end of the day the biggest motivation for me were the people. Their happiness, kindness and "Hakuna Matata" mentality is something I took with me and will share with people to let them know: it's the simple things in life that make the difference. It doesn't cost a thing to be kind towards each other.
When traveling, which f-stop bag or bags do you take, and which Camera Bag Insert or accessories do you take?
When travelling I normally take f-stop Ajna with me with the Large ICU. Until now it's the bag for me. It fits my two camera bodies, three lenses and some flash units and not to mention some other relevant accessories (batteries, cables etc).
It also fits nicely to aircraft's top hand luggage compartnet, which is vital when you're constantly on the road. There's even enough room in the bag to fit my 15'' MacBook Pro laptop.
Photographer BIO:
Timo has been interested in cars and rallying as long as he can remember. As a small boy, he used to go and watch every kind of motorsport event. Timo was born on the island of Saaremaa, the largest island in Estonia, which, among other things, is well known for hosting one of the greatest rallies in Estonia: the Saaremaa Rally. After witnessing the action up close, the passion for rallying took hold in him and has been strong ever since …
As years passed and he continued to follow rallying closely, he also began to enjoy photography, so the next step for him became very logical. Timo clearly remembers the first time he brought his camera to a rally stage and took his first photographs. Using an old film camera, he managed to capture some shots of Markko Märtin, who’s a local rally hero and a World Rally Championship legend. After seeing the images and realizing he could capture the moments and action that made rallying so special, he began to find his route in the world of motorsport photography.
For the last 6 years, Timo has been working as a freelance photographer. Timo, as a photographer, loves being able to experience the variety of light, emotions, different countries and nations, challenges by weather, different road surfaces, cars and action. While it´s a demanding profession, the exhilaration he gets from rally photography firsthand makes it all worthwhile.
Timo has had the opportunity to work for some of the very best in the sport. Some of his clients have been Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Volkswagen Motorsport, Hyundai Motorsport and Citroen Racing. Timo has a long lasting experience of working closely with different magazines and newspapers across the globe. He has also worked for some of the World Rally Championship drivers Ott Tänak, Jari-Matti Latvala, Hayden Paddon, Dani Sordo and etc.
Currently Timo is looking for new opportunities within the world of photography to broaden his skills and experience in the field.
Explore Timo's gear:
Here is a look at Timo's project and images of his gear:
What’s your go-to camera setup
As of 2021 I sold all my equipment. Until then I was a Nikon dslr system user for 10 years, but because of different reasons I needed to make a change. So I went hybrid, changed the brand and started from scratch. Today I have Canon R5 and R6, Sigma 35mm F1,4 and Canon's 85 mm F1,4 lenses. I also use Canon's R 70-200 F2,8 quite extensively. If I want to light things up I have a couple of godox AD 200 pro units to do that.
Which f-stop pack and camera bag insert combination is your favorite and why?
I love Ajna with Large or XLarge icu. It fits all and there's enough room to even add some clothes into the top compartment.
STORIES FEATURING TIMO ANIS
Shooting Action Photography with Timo Anis
Gear Corner Story || WRC Rallye Monte Carlo with f-stop Ambassador Timo Anis
Gear Corner Story: Dyota 20 the pack which came to stay with f-stop ambassador Timo Anis