Bicycle Portrait: In Tandem with Tania & Mia
From left, Tania Lo and her Civia Loring with Mia Kohout and her Raleigh Superb Roadster. Together, these two ladies publish Momentum Magazine, that fantastic bicycle lifestyle magazine I happen to be photo editor and long-time contributor for. This image was shot in Vancouver for their In Tandem column in the M57 July/Aug 2012 edition. Soon to be available online here and out now on newsstands & retail outlets across North America. Exciting for us, this marks our first foray into Whole Foods outlets across Canada and the US! Great colleagues and amazing friends, taking their photo is always a pleasure. Here’s to many more!
Vancouver, 2012.
Velo-city Global 2012
Velo-city Global 2012 is happening in Vancouver this week and I am excited to be participating in/covering the event with my Momentum Magazine colleagues. Needless to say, it’s been a busy week so far and we’re only half-way through it. The ideas, discussion and energy coming out of the conference is incredible. It’s a great feeling to forge new alliances and learn from leaders, advocates and dedicated cyclists from around the world on transportation and cycling issues. You can follow the coverage on the European Cyclists’ Federation live website, daily blogs on MomentumMag or by searching #velocity2012 on twitter.
From Momentum:
Velo-city Global is the world’s premier international cycling planning conference. The four-day event offers delegates from around the world a chance to share best practices for creating and sustaining cycling-friendly cities where bicycles are valued as part of daily transport and recreation.
The Velo-city Global conference unites politicians, engineers, planners, architects, social marketers, academics, researchers, environmentalists, advocates, educators and industry representatives. Delegates join forces and foster international collaborations. The event also draws experts from related areas, such as health, economics and the environment.
Public Bike System Company (BIXI) are one of the sponsors and they brought along hundreds of bikes for delegates to get around Vancouver, giving us a taste of our own Bike Share program, coming in 2013. For a week this summer, BIXI’s are flooding the separated lanes and bike paths of the Lower Mainland – it’s quite the sight! I will be posting many more images from the conference shortly. Here’s a preview…the line up of BIXI’s at the Wall Centre Tuesday afternoon.
Vancouver, 2012.
Big WALD
The WALD 157 Giant Delivery basket on my Marin has helped convert this former Team mountain bike into a heavy hauler for the city. Paired with a rear rack, I can carry my mobile photo studio kit plus provisions as I pedal to photo shoots around town. Oh yeah, it’s also pretty good at carrying beer and happens to fit a collection of records perfectly. Though I consider this my “work bike”, it’s also a great weekend bike for garage sale-ing and a picnic in the park. Photographed for Momentum Magazine.
Vancouver Mini Maker Faire 2012
Vancouver experienced it’s second ‘Mini’ Maker Faire this past weekend and, as last time, it was a feast for the senses with absolutely incredible, creative work coming out of the garages & studios of this land and into one heckuva crazy fair down at the PNE. You want robots? Done. 3D printers that can print themselves? No prob. Flying machines, Velocars, self-balancing powerboards and four-person bicycles? Mmmhmmm, yes. Interactive artwork from mind-bending LED installations to Kinect hacks and Instagram universes. Easy. Well, likely not that easy, but the genius on display at Maker Faire was second to none and made it seem that way.
Check out the list of Makers and have a look at the assortment of projects being worked on in the lower mainland alone. If you have an inkling to take stuff apart and put it back together – backwards and in an improved state – this is the place for you. The Maker Faire Mission: “To unite, inspire, inform and entertain a growing community of highly imaginative & resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements and garages”. Vancouver Island Mini Maker Faire is coming up, but the big one goes down in New York this September. Something like a science fair / show-and-tell / Burner gathering for big kids and those making their own mark in the DIY ethos that prevails.
Vancouver, 2012.
Igunana, Got Your Back
An Green Iguana at rest amongst the ruins of the Uxmal archaeology site in Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. Uxmal is one of my top Mayan sites from the dozen or so I’ve visited in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras over the last few years. It’s peaceful, massive in scale and an excellent realization of Puuc architecture among the ancient Maya. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the Yucatán – home to the Mayan Riviera, a popular beach holiday spot for many people. I’ll post some more shots from my travels of the Puuc route shortly. In the meantime, enjoy the lizard – I quite like the similarities with the Bus Top image I posted a few days ago. What do you think – an interesting diptych in the making?
Uxmal, Yucatán, Mexico.
Savary Beach Parking
Summer solstice. Brings to my mind thoughts of remote beaches, bicycles, music and sunshine. While I await those days with longing, here’s a shot from last summer at Savary Island, BC. It’s a little slice of paradise amongst the Gulf Islands speckled throughout the Salish Sea. An east-west oriented sandbar with the best beaches in the area, hardly any vehicular traffic and lots of bikes to get around. It’s a three-boat float from Vancouver, but yes, I’ll be making the journey again this year.
Savary Island, British Columbia, 2011.
Surrealism in a Mobile State
I have been having a great time creating ‘surrealist’ images on my walk around camera – the iPhone 3Gs. While terribly in need of an upgrade, I’ve found I can still produce quality images with the right lens and film combo. That happens to be one thing I really like about shooting with the iPhone. Apps like Hipstamatic allow me to think creatively before taking the shot, as I would with my SLR, and I have come to rely on a couple film/lens combinations that I’ve been building my recent collections around.
One recent inspiration is the Dalí lens, a tribute to the famed Surrealist himself. It is random enough to be surprising, but I’ve learned a few tricks, helping me to tame this wild beast. Mirroring, asymmetrical layering, colour-swapping and enlarging can all be controlled by recognizing what it is you are shooting, and how you wish the image to turn out. Placing bold shapes front and centre, I can manipulate the camera to reflect what I feel is the strongest element in the frame and work the lens to capture what I believe it is capable of. It’s a strange workflow, but the delight in creating unique works right in camera is very rewarding.
Salvador Dalí worked with a number of fantastic photographers in his time; now I feel a little collaboration with the masterful artist each time I make a successful shot. As with any art pushing versions of reality, there are hits and misses. The misses are examined and built upon. The hits get posted straight up to the wild world of the internet via Instagram.
If you are on Instagram, take a moment to look me up. I’d love to follow your work, too. Here is a collection of recent images from my new mobile phone series: Wilderness Impressions – Mobile Edition. I hope you enjoy this alternate look at the wild places surrounding me here in the SW corner of BC.
British Columbia, 2012.
Bus Top
Available as a limited edition 20×30″ print. Abstract, colourful artwork for open spaces. Please drop me a line if you are interested in owning this or other limited edition, fine art prints from this site. I am updating my releases and will have a larger variety of limited pieces available very soon.
Barreal, Argentina, 2007.
Bike Festivals & Carrying By Bike
Finally the sun has returned to Vancouver! I was beginning to wonder when that was going to happen…
Just in time, too. Our annual cycling festival – Velopalooza – starts today and a quick look at the event guide shows a ride or meetup for just about everyone. First order of business is the Bike Rave this evening. I’m going to test out Bontrager’s new Funk Trunk and see how it holds up – seems purpose built for this kind of thing. Eight icy beverages in the cooler and a built-in sound system for your rear rack. Sounds like a party starter.
With the sunshine and impending high temperatures (one can dream), thoughts turn to picnics, lazy beach afternoons and getting out of town. Carrying stuff by bike is pretty easy and all you really need is a place to put your gear. Backpacks are fine, but why not let the bike do the carrying for you? I often use baskets and rear racks, though I did recently add a Cetma front rack to my Handsome Devil. Some, like my gal Sandra pictured here, enjoy the trailer for heavy hauling. This shot was taken while on a test ride last year and published in Momentum’s 2012 Goody Basket. The trailer is an aluminum build by Ox + Monkey, locally made in Roberts Creek on BC’s Sunshine Coast. And yes, that’s way more water than one would need for a day trip, but we had to check the weight capacity!
Vancouver, 2011.
Meeting Fires Creative 