The All Weather Bike Commuter

John Brooking lives in Westbrook and works in South Portland, Maine, there is rarely a day that he does not ride his bicycle to work or use it to take care of life's errands. No matter what the weather John is out there, sun, rain or blowing snow and wind.  What ever the weather, he will tackle the day on two wheels and using his body as the engine. John is also an outspoken advocate and educator for better bicycling in our society.  John is also the founder of the Portland Bicycle Commuting Meetup Group, found here.  I have been wanting to photograph John for over a year now and lucky for both of us a window of free time in our scheduling had opened up.  As an added bonus a late season snowstorm had rolled into town and provided us with an ideal background to photograph in.  I love blue skies but I much prefer challenging weather conditions to create a dramatic portrait.  I choose the Libby Hill section of Portland because of it's urban gritty feeling and also because John was going to pass through it on his morning commute to work, keeping a genuine feel to the back story of the photo.

Bicycle Coalition of Maine

I recently did a pro bono assignment for the Bicycle Coalition of Maine to create a portrait series of their staff members.  The photos would be used in their newsletter, website and marketing pieces to allow their large member base to learn about the faces working behind the scenes. The Bicycle Coalition of Maine works hard to advocate for cycling in the State of Maine through many avenues including large organized group rides, educational programs and working with the Maine DOT and local communities on creating bicycle infrastructure that helps to integrate cyclists and motorists. I have been a member of the coalition for a number of years now, I am a Certified League Cycling Instructor (LCI) and teach bicycle safety to children and adults as my schedule allows. The Bicycle Coalition approached me about taking some photos for them, they did not have a specific idea in mind.  I worked with Brian Allenby, the communications director, and suggested a series of professional environmental portraits.  The idea was well received and we got to work right away on creating the portraits.  As part of my personal work series I focus on cyclists as often as I can and thought this project would be a nice addition to the cycling work already in my portfolio.  I am always looking for new cyclists to photograph, mountain bikers, road cyclists, cyclocross racers, commuters or even delivery people,  if you are interested in being a part, please contact me here.

Chris Dornbox, Dornbox Bikes

In early March I connected with Chris from Dornbox Bikes, a custom bike builder located in Cumberland, Maine.  Chris specializes in building custom steel bike frames for mountain, road and cross type bikes.  His bikes are beautiful and his work and attention to detail are impeccable.  Continuing on my personal journey to expand my cycling portfolio of local talent, Chris was a great addition.  I am sure Chris and I will collaborate on other projects again in the near future.  Check out Chris at Dornbox Bikes. 

Maine Boat Builders Show 2013

Tomorrow is the start of the Maine Boat Builders show at Portland Yacht Services in Portland, Maine.  This is always a sure sign that Spring is on the way. Some of the finest custom boat builders in Maine and the Northeast will gather for the next three days to speak and share some of the finest hand built boats anywhere.  I will have my highlight photos to share after the weekend.  Stay tuned.

Biddeford Pool

Yesterday after wrapping up an assignment for the University of New England on their Biddeford Campus I decided to take a short drive over to Biddeford Pool.  We had received several inches of fresh snow the evening before and knew I would be able to find untracked snow in this mostly summer community.  Biddeford Pool is gorgeous location with many fine old and new homes located right on or near the water.  As I was leaving the area this house caught my eye and I turned my car around to see if I could get a good shot of this house without trespassing.  There was something very gentle about the house and how it sat on the land that attracted me to want to photograph it.  With very soft light coming from the overcast skies and a blanket of fresh snow in the foreground I got exactly what I was hoping to capture.