Sunrise, silhouettes and champions: Vince Caligiuri’s lens on racing

Caligiuri’s journey began straight out of school in the photo library at The Age, a starting point that quietly set the foundation for a lifelong career. “Pretty much that was my first job ever,” he recalls, a role that soon evolved into a cadetship and, ultimately, a 30-year immersion in sport photography.

It was during his early assignments at the Spring Carnival that racing truly captured his imagination. “That’s when I really fell in love with the sport,” he says. Since then, his images have chronicled generations of champions, from Saintly to modern greats, each frame reflecting both instinct and patience.

What sets Caligiuri apart is his pursuit of the unexpected. Guided early by the philosophy to “try to find something different,” he continues to seek moments beyond the obvious—sunrise silhouettes, quiet trackwork rituals, and the interplay between horse, light and landscape. At Flemington, he finds a perfect canvas: “You’ve got the city skyline as a backdrop… that ticks all the boxes.”

Despite decades behind the camera, the pursuit remains unchanged. “Every day you’re going to get a different photograph,” he says. It’s this unpredictability—paired with a deep appreciation for the horse—that keeps him returning, camera in hand, before dawn.

In an era of immediacy, Caligiuri’s work endures as both documentation and art—an evolving archive of racing’s most timeless moments.