Events

What is a Cycling Photographer?

The other day someone asked me “What is a cycling photographer? Does that mean you just shoot cycling?”

Well…No. I had to think about that a bit. Just what is a cycling photographer? I like cycling. I shoot cycling. I shoot while cycling. I cycle to inspire me to shoot photographs. I photograph cycling experiences and events. I photograph bike races. I photograph bike rides. I photograph cyclists. I capture cycling moments, both in victory and in defeat. I photograph cycling in hopes of inspiring others to get out there and experience the world by bicycle. I’d like to think the definition of a cycling photographer is all of those things.

The road to Wonder Lake, Alaska – That’s Denali in the background – 1995 or 1996

That image above was taken by someone at a campground on the road to Wonder Lake, in Denali National Park on my bike tour from Alaska to Utah. My friend and tour mate John made it the Eugene, OR while I travelled all the way to Moab, UT to meet some friends and do a Canyon Lands bike and 4×4 tour. It was on this trip that I married carrying a camera with me while cycling.

To help define and answer the original question, I want to share a number of images that I have shared on Facebook over the years. I have thousands of images from around the globe like these in my catalog. These are low res, un edited from how I shared them originally so I apologize that they are not a uniform set. I think they will help add some definition and support what I am trying to say. For me, seeing this stuff together cemented the definition of a cycling photographer. I love cycling. I love photography. I love anything that puts those two things together. There are 50 or so of them so I hope you enjoy the slide show and then head outside to ride your bike or book a trip to plan your next tour or ride.

Click on any image below to go toea Lightbox Slide Show Mode!

The power of the bicycle

This is a quick photo story of last week’s mini Minnesota Ramble. But the ramble is truly secondary to the deeper meaning of this post. This post is about the power of the bicycle. What you can do with it as well as the power it has bringing people and communities together.

Over the course of the last 10+ years, the bicycle has really been the central focus of my life, career and inspiration for photography, writing and sharing. It has brought so many great people into my life. People from all over the world. Many of those folks reading this I have the great pleasure to call you friends.

In my perfect bicycle world, we would all get together every year to ride bikes and find inspiration together but that dream is a bit impractical. I do, however, typically get a group of folks together around the common idea of riding and exploring….And hopefully finding inspiration and rejuvination.

I’ll also admit the initial intent of riding and exploring has turned into gear, whisky, coffee, beer, photography, laughter, game nights, late nights, fires, suffering, new friends, new places, joy and so on and so on. But bikes are the connector and the thing that most often brings us all together.

Whenever I get around to posting images from these trips I always have guilt. Guilt that not everyone could come. Guilt that I can’t invite everyone. But I want you all to know reading this, I truly and sincerely hope that I get to ride with you one day. We’ll find a time and a place.

So with that, I have some images to share. The first set is focused on the people and bikes as the subject and the second set is focused on the places, things and points of inspiration. I hope you enjoy and thank you all for coming here and sticking with me so long.

As always, click any image to go to slideshow mode. Note that all these images are simple phone edits and not from my usual workflow. I just have not had time to process through lightroom and didn’t want to delay. Enjoy!

And now onto the places, things and points of inspiration.

So with that, I am closing out 2017 with this blog post. I am going to come back to 2018 with a commitment to ride more, shoot more, write more and share more.

Sincerely, I am thankful for all the great people that the bicycle has brought into my life.

Enjoy the holidays.

2016 Minnesota State CX

Needing some creative shutter therapy, I managed to get out to the 2016 Minnesota State CX race yesterday. While it is a two day event with many more races today, I got out yesterday and shot the SS, the 45 Men, 1-2-3 Women and the 1-2 Men. Wow. What a day.

Just like clockwork, MN winter came upon us the day prior to the event making me even more excited to photograph the race. I love shooting cyclocross. It’s like a dance performance with beauty, grace, suffering, joy, and occasionally a fall or two!

I am not going to write a lot of words. I just want to share some pics. I have two sets of images here. I am going to do a really quick selection of my favorite 10 shots of the day followed by a much larger selection. I wanted to share the much larger collection as many of these pics are of people I work with, friends and brands I support.

For the camera nerds here, I shot these with the new Fuji XT2 and 16-55 and 40-150 zoom lenses. It was a very capable kit with only a few little weird quirks. Not bad really for a first outing to shoot an event like this with this set up.

So….Here are my favorite 10 – Click on any image to move to slideshow mode.

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And if you want to see more, here is another set. Again, click on any image to move to slideshow mode.

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All in all an incredible day out see see friends, shoot images and support my local bike community. It’s a day I really needed. Congrats racers! See you next year!

The Ozark Ramble

Just got back from Arkansas where I met some friends near Bentonville & Fayettville, Arkansas. It was one of those trips for me that had I listened to reason and done the right thing according to society, I would have stayed home. But I did it. I needed it. Sometimes you just gotta do crazy things like get in a car, drive for 10+ hours each way to ride bikes, sit around the campfire and see where it goes. This weekend was simply exceptional and helped refuel my creative soul for who knows how long. Thankful is what comes to mind.

We rode a couple different networks including the new “BACK 40” trails and the infamous “Slaughterpen” near Bentonville. When we were not riding we were eating great food, sipping incredible coffee, nerding out on gear or simply laughing our asses off around the campfire. Again. Just. What. I. Needed!

Here are a few pics. As you can see, a wide variety of activities and places. As always, click on any image to enlarge and get to slide show mode.

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Thank you all. Thanks to my family for supporting me in my stupid but occasionally great ideas. Until next time my friends.

Oh and for those curious I rode a Salsa Bucksaw and that is the best damn mountain bike I have ever ridden. Braaappp!

FARGO ADVENTURE RIDE & REUNION

I’ve been hating Facebook more and more these days, but today it redeemed itself. My friend Guitar Ted posted this image.

It’s an image I took many years ago on one of my official, unofficial Fargo Adventure Rides. I later printed an extremely small run of mini prints and shared them with just a few folks, the source for this image above.

In the FB comments, instigator MG mentioned we should do this again. I proposed a rough date and idea and off it went. It looks like Friday, October 28th (my Birthday) I will be pulling together another Fargo adventure ride. Here is a end of ride picture from the last one I held. Look at all those Gen 1 Salsa Fargo bikes! So good!

So….Save the date. I’ll fill more details in and create an event page here on my blog, but on Friday, October 28th I will be leading a little Fargo Adventure Ride out of Northfield, MN. I don’t have the route planned, but all my previous Adventure rides have been between 60-75 miles. I would suspect this to be the same. While the pace won’t be fast, I think pretty much everyone that’s been on them has found some type of challenge with my route and come home a bit knackered. This will be no death march. It will be fun and focused on a route that is multi surface. I will try to hit pavement, gravel, dirt, grass, mud, river or stream and who knows what else?

While the title of the ride is the Fargo Adventure Ride, any and all bikes are welcome as long as they are multi surface capable. Ask anyone whom has ever been on one of my routes, a road bike will not cut it. It is an unofficial event. In fact, it isn’t an event. It is a bike ride in the country. No entry fee. Travel at own risk. No drop. Not officially sanctioned by anyone. Zip. Nadda. Nothing. You are doing this on your own will and at your own risk.

For those that wish to camp, I’d suggest Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. I think it is open into October although some of the nicer amenities close mid October. LInk here:

For my friends considering coming, do it. Just know though that I am not able to do a whole weekend event and guided tour of Minneapolis. Please stay, but you will have find another tour guide. We are nice people up here so I don’t think that will be a problem.

Did I mention this ride is going to take place on October 28th, 2016? Save the date!

One last request. Please leave me a comment if you are interested and/or committed to coming. That will help me build a communication strategy and gathering page.

OK….I am going to bed. I have to go start exploring these roads in the AM to put something special together.

Update here: Also no camping. Parks are closed.

ImagineGnat

Adventurer. Trail Seeker. Street Walker. Photographer.