When Joanne Burnett first walked into the Ferrari garage during a Formula One test session in Spain, she did so with an entry-level film camera and no formal photographic training. What she captured that day was technically imperfect but it hinted at the instinct that would one day make her one of the most distinctive visual storytellers in motorsport.
Joanne's journey to that moment was anything but straightforward.
Born in Birmingham in 1957, she left school at 15 and briefly studied drama before entering the workforce. With no qualifications and a reputation for questioning how things were done, she cycled through thirteen retail and hotel jobs in seven years. “I could always see a better way,” she often says a trait that, while troublesome for employers, foreshadowed her entrepreneurial path.
From a Sewing Machine to Two Factories
In 1981, newly married and running out of job opportunities, Joanne inherited her late mother’s sewing machine and began making scented sachets from her dining room table despite not knowing how to sew. Her first customer was The Body Shop in Birmingham.
What began as necessity evolved into Country Fragrances, a thriving business producing potpourri and fragranced products with Joanne’s natural gift for composition. At its height, the company manufactured two tonnes of product a day by hand, supplied Britain’s largest retailers, and exported to more than twenty countries. Joanne even served as a non-executive director for a PLC creating her designs.
After fifteen years, she sold the business to her staff to protect its ethos. At 39, she found herself successful but searching.
A New Obsession: Moorcroft Pottery
What followed was an unexpected chapter in antiques. Initially selling excess stock at car boot sales, Joanne stumbled upon two small vases that sparked her fascination with Moorcroft pottery. She immersed herself fully, eventually becoming one of the largest Moorcroft dealers in the world. Her expertise became so respected that even Antiques Roadshow specialists turned to her for guidance.
But by 48, Joanne found she had reached the peak of that world with nowhere left to climb.
Then Formula One appeared.
The Birth of a Photographer
A client’s invitation to a private Ferrari test changed everything. Joanne’s early photographs were raw but full of emotion. After donating racing memorabilia to the online motorsport site Pitpass, she jokingly sent its editor two of the only images from the Ferrari test that were in focus. His response was unexpected:
“Next time you go, would you like media accreditation?”
Despite not knowing how to use a computer or a digital camera, Joanne accepted. She bought both, taught herself from scratch, and returned to Spain as accredited media.
Redefining the Motorsport Image
While most photographers focused on the cars, Joanne turned her lens on the people. She photographed the quiet choreography of the paddock mechanics’ hands, scorched gloves, toolboxes, marshals’ boots, the intimate moments unseen by spectators.
Her images, often published in batches of up to 100 per day, gained a devoted following. Teams granted her unusual access, recognising that she humanised their work. Her photographs gave the crew often away from home for weeks a chance to show loved ones, “That’s me.”
A Single Photo That Changed Formula One
In 2008, Joanne captured one of the most consequential images in modern motorsport: Spanish spectators racially abusing Lewis Hamilton. She was the only photographer who saw them.
The images circulated globally, appeared on television networks and front pages, and were raised in the House of Commons by David Cameron. They prompted Formula One to review fan access and behaviour, effectively ending overt racist incidents at circuits.
One photographer, entirely self-taught, had documented the moment that forced a sport to confront itself.
A New Lens on the Natural World
Joanne continued to cover F1 testing, MotoGP, British Superbikes, A1GP and touring cars until 2012. When testing was reduced, she chose not to pursue full-season racing photography. Instead, her camera followed her into nature.
Travelling widely, she turned her focus to wildlife from birds to elusive mammals capturing them with the same observational sensitivity that defined her motorsport work. These images remained private for years.
Until now.
Takker Gallery Exclusive
Takker Gallery proudly announces that it has secured the exclusive rights to exhibit and publish Joanne's previously unseen Formula One and wildlife photography, marking the first time her archive will be accessible to the public.
“Joanne has one of the most extraordinary visual archives we have ever encountered,” said Damien McGrane, Director of Takker Gallery. “Her work captures human emotion, technical brilliance and natural beauty with equal sensitivity. We are honoured to bring her photographs, many of which have never been displayed before, to an international audience.”
