Six Peeps

July 12, 2008

NYC Bike Messengers

One of the reasons I was psyched to be in NYC was the opportunity to get some photos for my personal project, the photo-documentary I’m working on, Bike Messengers.

I finally had a chance to edit some shots from NY. Thanks again to Squid (check out his WEB SITE) and Kennedy for their help. I never got to meet Squid, I just talked to him on the phone and emailed him. I will be coming back to NY if not just to get some shots of him! And I just ran in to Kennedy at City Bike near Time Square who was super helpful, too.

Now for some photos. I got lucky, as there was a race among the messengers on July 4. They have these races often. It’s a race of more than just speed - there are about 15-20 checkpoints that the messengers must find, before they can head to the finish. At each checkpoint, there’s a person waiting who signs their paper, and off they go again. I was shooting the hot dog comp in the AM so I missed the start, but I made it to the finish.

We’ll start with some bike detail shots

In NYC, you might need more than just a cable lock to protect from thievery!

Sometimes you might see a bike with all these cards in the spokes. They get these from the races they enter. It’s sort of a pride thing, sort of a camaraderie thing. A conversation piece.

Here’s how you lock your bike in NYC.

Let me tell you about the bikes these guys ride. Most of the time they ride fixies, which are often old road or pista (track) frames. They often don’t have brakes. Their gear is fixed (you can’t coast; as long as the rear wheel is moving, your crank is moving). So they stop by adding resistance to their pedal stroke, or they can skid or hop to a stop. A huge part of this project for me is getting great detail shots of the bikes, because they often are an extension of their personal style. I personally own a Gios Pista that’s been decked out with a Campagnolo crank, Mavic Ellipse wheels, cowhorns, and a nice Fi’zi:k saddle. It’s clean, quiet, smooth, simple and fast!

The crumpled up paper that has been signed at each check point.

Everyone knows I love a good puddle shot!

in NYC, maps might be a good thing.

Stretching after the race. The race lasts 1-2 hours! The guy in the front is the winner.

How about some portraits. This is a great American subculture, consisting of a melting pot of old, young, guys, girls, and every race imaginable.

After the race, everyone went to the Rockstar Bar, which is kind of away from the mainstram NYC clubs. It was seedy, gaudy, and totally awesome!

Sorry my commentary was weak on this post, I have 14 hours of wedding to photograph tomorrow, so I am anxious to go to bed!

Have a great weekend!!

July 12, 2008 |