Introducing John Rourke

Professional Lifestyle, Extreme Sports and Travel Photographer

Director of John Rourke Creative Ltd & Adrenal Media

John Rourke has been a professional freelance creative for over 25 years, specialising in film production, photography and design.

With a degrees in Engineering, also Graphic Design and Advertising, John has a unique perspective that surpasses others. While at University, illustration quickly became the bias, this led to a heavy slant into photography. John then achieved a sponsorship from the National Lottery Fund to study Photography at Leicester.

Shooting landscape, wildlife, portraits, fashion, and street life with a provocative and unconventional touch, his understanding of the extraordinary and unflinching fixation for the extreme has led him to specialise in extreme sports, documentaries, and photojournalism.

As the director of photography and founder of Adrenal Media, the Official Photographic Sports Agency for world renowned endurance races such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, the famous 24hrs of Le Mans and the European Le Mans Series. He also runs a small versatile team of photographers and creative image-makers that travel the world shooting extreme subjects; from fast cars, fast people, powerboats to kite surfing.

Constantly told this new fresh style and approach wouldn't work, and clients wouldn't buy the images by other established photographers and media, only fuelled his determination, so John continued to push the 'Adrenal' Style. Adrenal Media was born and became pioneers in the artistic and abstract documentary imagery that is popular in motorsport publications today. John continues to push the artistic boundaries and challenge perceptions with each event and strives to keep move forward with new ideas and technologies.

In addition to his multiple media companies, John runs one-to-one and limited group workshops and talks on Photography, Workflow, Editing, and Extreme Sports.

For John, art and photography is a complete way of life. He grew up watching his mother draw and paint, so it was always in his DNA to be an artist.

If he is not shooting, you'll find him drawing or just simply making something. Constantly outdoors, Road tripping, Kayaking, Climbing, Swimming, Camping, or just shooting street photography, John can’t bring himself to leave the house without at least one camera, a sketchbook and a pocket full of pens! or more frequently these days with an iPad Pro, pencil and a GFX.

John finds intimacy in the details, intensity in wide-open space, and beauty in the everyday. With his “the next shot must be better than the last” discipline, he is constantly searching for inspiration, influences and new experiences.

Whatever the brief it’s Johns mission to capture the arty, atmospheric, gritty, texture, as slices of action, or frozen, yet living moments of time.

 “I want people to 'witness' the images I make, as if each image is alive, to taste, feel, and smell the moment…I want them to be totally immersed and wrapped up in the images, to feel the passion and energy, like they just experienced that living moment for themselves…”
John Rourke

His client list includes Newsquest, BBC, Channel 4, Dispatches, FIA WEC (World Endurance Championship), ELMS (European Le Mans Series), ACO (Le Mans 24HR), Le Mans Cup, Michelin, Dunlop, SRO, GT1, GT3, Blancpain, F3, FIA WTCC, Auto GP, Superstars Series, Spirit of Le Mans, The Art Group, Paper Rose, JB Motor Sport, Black Falcon, JWA, Ekris Motorsport, Icon7, QuicksilverWSR, AllRace, Racer, GENROQ, Racing On, Nissan, Experience Sailing, Caterpillar, Haribo, Generation AMR, GT4Cup.com, AutoHebdo, Elsevier Science, Reebok, Butterworth-Heineman and many more...

Fujifilm X Photographer since 2015

John's Fujifilm affair began back in 2012 when he borrowed Jeff Carter's original X100 to test and immediately realised it’s potential. Then came the XPro1 bundled with the 18mm f2 and the 35mm f1.4 it was love at first sight!

Next the XT1 arrived.. after a few months of shooting on the XT1 Fujifilm contacted John and asked if he would be interested in becoming a Fujifilm X Photographer.

Shooting on a mix of Fujifilm and Canon up to Le Mans 2015 a choice had to made, so based on image quality and the quality of the EVF, John decided to leave the Canons and took two XT1’s and the XPro1 to the Le Mans 24hr race week. He shot it all on the 18mm f2, 35 f1.4mm, 90mm f2, 50-140mm f2.8 and the 10-24 f4. And fell in love even more… a year later, and John began shooting on the XT2 and Pro2.

And now the newest addition to the arsenal is the GFX50s system

For the last 2 years, John is proud to have been involved and instrumental in various Fujifilm projects from the testing and development at various stages of the XT2, XPro2, 35mm, 50-140mm, 16mm, 100-400mm, 90mm, 16-55mm. Including product launches and professional appearances in Japan, Paris, Le Mans and UK. 

‘The new GFX system is insanely awesome! A crazy depth of field that's going to be the new standard for the 'Pro look'  I am committed to investing in the Fujifilm series, and I can’t wait to see how it develops in the future. Combining the GFX system with the X-T2 and/or a XPRO2 and you have an amazingly versatile combination with which only your imagination becomes your limitation.

There is nothing I can’t shoot on the Fujifilm system!'

John's Kit Bag today:

Fujifilm GFX50S

Fujinon 63mm f2.8
Fujinon 32-64mm f4

Fujinon 110mm f2

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Fujifilm X-T2
Fujifilm X-Pro2
Fujifilm X100T

Fujifilm X-T1 Infrared

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Fujinon 18mm f2
Fujinon 35mm f1.4

Fujinon 56mm f1.2

Fujinon 90mm f2

Fujinon 10-24mm f4

Fujinon 16-55mm f2.8

Fujinon 50-140mm f2.8

Fujinon 100-400mm

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Flash EF-X500

Personal Blog:  

https://www.travelshooteditrepeat.com

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Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AdrenalMedia   
https://twitter.com/TheFujiPro

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Instagram:    

https://www.instagram.com/AdrenalMedia   
https://www.instagram.com/TheFujiPro

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Facebook:

Extreme:       https://www.facebook.com/AdrenalMedia/

General:       https://www.facebook.com/JohnRourkeCreative/

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Web:

Extreme:  http://www.AdrenalMedia.com

General:   http://www.JohnRourke.co.uk

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Films: https://vimeo.com/adrenalmedia

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Professional Links:

John is also a professional ambassador with the following companies…

Please find out here for more:

http://www.adrenalmedia.com/Family
Smugmug - Image Library Hosting & Website

Formatt Hitech - Photographic Filters

Peak Design - Photographic Equipment

Lens Distortions - Light Layers

Peli UK - Waterproof cases

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FUJIFILM X-TREME

Fujifilm X-Treme is a project run for Fujifilm by official X-Photographers Jeff Carter of MacLean Photographic and John Rourke of Adrenal Media.  

Having already proven that Fujifilm cameras can work as well as any other camera system in the world of motorsport within the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, these two sport and commercial photographers will be taking the Fujifilm X-Series and GFX cameras and lenses to the extreme in different sporting environments.

If you are using a Fujifilm camera to capture action images in extreme conditions we invite you to come and join us in the Fujifilm X-Treme FACEBOOK GROUP