{"id":95302,"date":"2024-08-07T18:18:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T18:18:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/passion-driven-photography-krista-zivcic-finds-her-space-in-the-sport\/"},"modified":"2024-08-07T18:18:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T18:18:22","slug":"passion-driven-photography-krista-zivcic-finds-her-space-in-the-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/passion-driven-photography-krista-zivcic-finds-her-space-in-the-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion-Driven Photography: Krista Zivcic Finds Her Space in the Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Krista Zivcic has quickly made space for herself within the sport of drag racing, and it doesn\u2019t take much to find her photographs that are uniquely different. Open up social media or even pick up an issue of Drag Illustrated<\/em>, and Zivcic\u2019s work speaks volumes without having to write a single word.<\/p>\n

[Editor\u2019s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #189, the Women of Power Issue, in July\/August of 2024.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Zivcic has taken a passion-driven approach to entering and thriving in the motorsports photography industry and the relentless pursuit of personal and professional growth. What started as a passion project soon became a full-time pursuit, especially after she was laid off from her healthcare job due to budget cuts.<\/p>\n

The Ohio native will tell you that her career path wasn\u2019t conventional, given her background in healthcare. From getting an invite from React 104\u2019s founder Corey Michalek to take photographs at Summit Motorsports Park\u2019s Night Under Fire to then getting swept up in a learning whirlwind with the fellow entrepreneur to working with a social media marketing company and eventually starting her own business, KZ Photography, Zivcic\u2019s tale has been a \u201cCinderella story,\u201d as she calls it.<\/p>\n

Just a few years into her photography career, Zivcic\u2019s photo of Funny Car driver Ron Capps, taken at the 2023 NHRA U.S. Nationals, was selected for the cover of the 2023 Drag Illustrated<\/em> Photo Annual issue. Zivcic was shooting Capps\u2019 Don \u201cThe Snake\u201d Prudhomme tribute Funny Car, and while capturing this special moment, she was also recording memories of her own.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat was super cool and really, honestly, one of my proudest moments so far,\u201d shares Zivcic of her published cover photo.<\/p>\n

The Capps photo evokes deep emotions, making the viewer feel the intensity of the moment captured. Much can be said about Zivcic\u2019s images \u2013 they resonate with the viewer on a personal level, capturing raw, genuine emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cars going down the track are the coolest thing in the world, right? But the emotions and the aspirations behind why that car is going down the track is what drives me the most,\u201d explains Zivcic.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have their own lives and stories and their reasons for doing things, and I like to tap into that and really let the story come out through the photos,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s not the same 30 pictures of the car taking off on the starting line. I want to hear why you\u2019re here; why is it that you\u2019re doing what you do? What is the driving force behind it? And why is it so important to you today?\u201d<\/p>\n

She is now full-time at KZ Photography, shooting clients who compete in the NHRA, helping React104 with various projects for the PDRA, and working on expanding her already established client list, which includes JCM Racing, Alex Laughlin, Buddy Hull, and Cody Krohn to name a few, while inspiring others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the sport, but I really love the people in it, and that\u2019s what is most important to me, is getting to tell these people\u2019s stories and document cool moments for them. I like to involve the fans and the kids. I try to be a positive influence that way and tell kids they can see the drivers walking around and say hi. Or I like to give them a little bracelet \u2013 it\u2019s like a little memento of a good time they\u2019re having with their family,\u201d says Zivcic, who can also be spotted for her collection of friendship bracelets she\u2019s sporting at any point during the weekend.<\/p>\n

Zivcic also has a message for women looking to break into the space.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t take no for an answer,\u201d she states. \u201cThis is a very male-dominated industry, and there are a lot of politics to navigate and a lot of hoops to jump through, but if you focus on the work, making connections with people, building relationships, the rest will shake itself out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the most important thing is treating people well and how you would want to be treated, and a lot of times, people will go out of their way to help you if you need it,\u201d she continues. \u201cEspecially for women because there have been times you walk into a media center and maybe you\u2019re not the most welcomed. It really wasn\u2019t designed for women in the beginning \u2013 it\u2019s always been a male thing, and they all have their traditions and customs. But it\u2019s learning how to take up space and not be afraid to advocate for yourself and go after what you want without worrying about who\u2019s saying what or who has an opinion on how you\u2019re doing something or any of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Zivcic navigates another year of busy schedules, she strives to continue to hone her skills and feels honored when fellow photographers ask her for shooting or editing advice. What\u2019s more, she would love to branch out into other motorsports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there is space for everyone in this sport and in all aspects of photography that there\u2019s no reason to gatekeep things or make people feel like they can\u2019t get there because you want to get there first,\u201d she says. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to step on other people to elevate yourself. I think if everyone treats each other with kindness and encourages each other, it\u2019s not only good for the media side, but it\u2019s good for the sport as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lastly, Zivcic credits her success to the support of her parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank my parents for their unwavering, relentless support and encouraging me to chase something that really is not the norm, not a normal nine-to-five, not a normal income,\u201d she says, \u201cand just going to bat for me again and again because honestly, without them, I would not have a chance to do this. They are my army and they take care of everything while I\u2019m not home, and I love them very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This story was originally published on August 7, 2024. <\/p>\n

The post Passion-Driven Photography: Krista Zivcic Finds Her Space in the Sport<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Krista Zivcic has quickly made space for herself within the sport of drag racing, and it doesn\u2019t take much to find her photographs that are uniquely different. Open up social media or even pick up an issue of Drag Illustrated, and Zivcic\u2019s work speaks volumes without having to write a single word. [Editor\u2019s Note: This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95302\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}