Sebastian Delmont (and bird!)
I finally got a chance to photograph Sebastian Delmont last week in Union Square. Sebastian loves biking, he loves the Internet, and he loves talking about biking on the Internet. He’s all over the #BikeNYC and hashtag on Twitter, he designed and produced some cool #BikeNYC stickers, and I’ve met him at a few #BikeNYC meet-ups. So I was pretty surprised when he told me last week that he’s only been riding regularly for about 2 years.
It began, sadly, when his old bike, which he rode occasionally, was stolen while locked up near Columbia. Sebastian bought a nice new bike and, having made the investment, decided to give bike commuting a shot. His commute took him from Harlem to the Flatiron, where he works at Street Easy. (I’ve actually photographed his boss, Michael Smith, and another coworker, Jordan for the series.) He loved the daily exercise and being liberated from the subway. Still, he figured he’d only continue riding until it got too cold and then go back to riding the subway. Autumn came, then winter, and every time the temperatures dropped, Sebastian realized that with some minor clothing/equipment adaptations he could keep on riding. Which is what he wanted to do. So in effect it never got too cold.
Now he prefers to get everywhere by bike, and is only occasionally deterred by logistical considerations (meeting his wife for dinner on a day she didn’t ride, or if it’s too cold for his small kids, who sit in a child seat and don’t get to pedal). Otherwise he’s out there riding and evangelizing for the bike. Even snow doesn’t necessarily keep him off the bike.
Sebastian also brought his coworker Zack Halbrecht to the shoot.
Zack Halbrecht
Encouraged by Sebastian, Zack started bike commuting around the same time. They both say that as they were getting more into bike commuting, there was a small competitive component spurring them on. Neither wanted to chicken out on a chilly or rainy day just to see the other roll into work on his bike. Zack commutes from Park Slope.
There are a couple more nice shots over on my Google +. Add me to your circles! All the cool kids are doing it.