Frame in Focus: Corey Lowenstein

First, thanks for agreeing to share some of the backstory on your work Corey.  Your first place Sports Picture Story focuses on Christmas Joye Abbott and her quest to become the first woman pit crew member in NASCAR.  Tell us a little about how you came upon this story.

I first approached Christmas to do a story on her downtown Raleigh CrossFit facility last October. Within the first few minutes of talking to her she mentioned to me that she was moving to Charlotte the following week, but that her business partner would continue to run the gym. When I pressed her for more information on her move, I quickly realized that the story I hadn’t even started was going to be shelved. She told me that she was going to begin training as a NASCAR pit crew member and I knew that I had to follow her on that journey.

What were your first impressions of Christmas and how did you approach telling her story?

She was open from the beginning to have me tell her story. As a story teller, that goes a long way. Her manager, Ted, was also really accommodating, forthcoming and easy to work with. It was a dream combination. I’ll admit that since she’s gotten picked up by Michael Waltrip Racing a few weeks ago, it’s been harder to reach both of them – but they always return my calls and emails. I had anticipated a media storm once news broke in our paper about her and that certainly has proven to be true. So far I have no reason to worry, but I’m hoping that my access doesn’t start getting smaller as bigger media outlets, advertisers and corporations start to surround her.  With the growing interest in her story, I’m hoping that our established relationship of trust and early story-telling allows me to continue to documenting her without limitations or boundaries.

 What were some of the challenges you faced working on this story?  

Other than the possibility of having less access, the biggest challenge to this piece was the 2.5 hour drive between Raleigh and Charlotte. Unfortunately I couldn’t just pop in and out on the story on a regular basis. However, this kept me focused and I had to made each visit count visually.

I was really struck by the image of Christmas surrounded by other male pit crew members (see here).  Can you tell us a little bit about this image?   

The image of her surrounded by the other men at her first race is one of my favorite images from that shoot. I liked the fact that she wasn’t the largest subject in the photo, but still remained the central focus. It says that she’s just one of the guy, so to speak, while at the race. When she’s on the job, she’s focused and serious. She’s not looking for attention. She’s working.

 When the story ran in your paper did you get much reaction from readers?  What was the reaction?  

We’ve run three stories on Christmas so far, and each time there are a wide variety online comments both in our paper and our sister paper The Charlotte Observer. Truthfully, I didn’t read many of the comments. I heard that some people criticized her for being overly tattooed or being a publicity stunt. Others supported her for her efforts. I try to stay focused on telling the story. I’ve never been a big fan of online comments.  If the increased interest from other media outlets, advertisers and Michael Waltrip Racing is any indication of the level of interest and enthusiasm for what she’s doing, then I say she’s peaked a great deal of interest.

 Do you hope to continue working with Christmas in the future?  What’s next for you?

My relationship with Christmas, her manager and her family is on-going. I plan on attending several races this season with her. My focus of the story is still on how she’s developing and working her way up through the ranks of NASCAR, as well as all of the external factors that are attaching themselves to her life: media, sponsors, fans, etc. Whether she’s in this for the long-haul or short term, I’m (visually) along for the ride to see where she goes and how she does it. What I can say after spending time with her is that she’s an incredibly fit, focused and kind person. She’s determined to make a difference in the sport. Although it’s still early in her NASCAR story, she’s already made some changes by becoming the first full-time female crew member to be picked up by a major racing team for a NASCAR Sprint Cup operation.

About Corey Lowenstein:

Corey Lowenstein has been a staff photographer with The News & Observer since 1996. Previously she worked as a freelance photographer in Italy and was on contract with The Hartford Courant.

She is drawn to the quiet, overlooked moments in everyday life and is a well-rounded journalist that covers everything from sports to spot news, from politics to features. In addition to photography, Corey has taken on the role as a photo editor at the paper.

She graduated from Syracuse University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communications and lives in Raleigh with her husband and twin boys.

March 31, 2013 | Categories: Frame in Focus, North Carolina, Photos, POY | Tags: christmas joye abbott, corey lowenstein, nascar, news and observer, sports | Comments Off