I met Adam and Missy through the magic of Twitter (Adam: @feedmeshow. Missy: @listenmissy). They are both avid cyclists, dedicated bike commuters, and all around nice people. Adam volunteered for my #BikeNYC photo series a few weeks ago, but early March weather was not very cooperative. Well, it finally got warm and we set up a shoot on Saturday, only to have the temperature dip back into the upper 30s… We met on Valentino Pier deep in Red Hook, a really peaceful spot seemingly within spitting distance of Governors’ Island and the Statue of Liberty. The pier was deserted, which allowed us to get these portraits with natural light.
Adam and his bike
Missy with her fixed gear bike, custom made by Fast Boy Cycles - http://fastboycycles.com/
I then decided to go to the end of the pier, set up a couple of strobes and do some shots against the sunset. As I was setting up my lights, a couple of things happened. First, the pier was suddenly crowded with people who’d arrived to take in the sunset and shoot some pictures of their own. Funnily enough, one of these people turned out to be Clarence Eckerson of Streetfilms.org — someone with more than a passing interest in bike-related matters. The second thing that happened was that my flash triggers stopped working. So, as Adam bantered with our new friends, Missy held my light stand, and I tried to fix my flash, we lost what was left of the light. (Here’s a photo Adam took of me while this was happening.) I did manage to grab this shot of Adam and Clarence in dramatic contemplation of something dramatic.
Unfortunate, but these things happen (not anymore though, because I’m officially ditching my cheapo eBay triggers for Radiopoppers – this was the last straw!). Since it was now pretty much dark, not to mention freezing, we made a quick last stop at this highly reflective school bus lot that I noticed on my way to the pier.
A quick shot with direct flash for a different look (more Stop signs), and we were ready to warm up at the Bait and Tackle.
Much thanks to Adam and Missy for braving the cold with me for some pictures! Check my Facebook page for a few more pictures from this evening.
Do you #BikeNYC? I want to take your portrait!
Tweets that mention Adam and Missy » #BikeNYC -- Topsy.com - […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by noneck, Adam, Red Hook Defiance, topsy_top20k, topsy_top20k_en and others. topsy_top20k_en said: My #BikeNYC photos with @listenmissy and @feedmeshow are on the blog: http://gudphoto.com/bikenyc/?p=193 […]
Clarence Eckerson - That’s so damn sweet! Thanks. I’ll tweet this tomorrow fur sure!