Walking through Gastown I noticed a store that didn't look like a store. What are they selling? Maybe there's some salon chairs hidden in the back? Perhaps a rack of clothes to sell inside the wardrobe? A weird one table restaurant? A super small bookstore? I seriously couldn't figure out what kind of business it was. Even more art-gallery/show-home-like was the all-white super awesome track bike hidden in the far left corner, behind the table and chairs. Was it ride-able? If so, has anyone ridden it? It's wrong to build a real bike and then only use it as a show piece isn't it? It's like building a supercar and then just putting it on display. Or cooking an awesome meal, take a picture of it for a magazine and then throw away the dish!! I want to ride that bike!! If only I can find a clean, dry, white sidewalk to ride on. I wouldn't want to dirty those nice white tires........
*Don't forget to follow me on Twitter: @bigheadtaco
Took this picture from a vehicle (as the passenger). The title is self-explanatory. 'Nuff said.
As mentioned on my previous post concerning bikes and accessories, I think the handlebars have become the "it" modification for hipster cyclists. The handlebar colour is the equivalent to a flashy pair of gloves, or scarf, or even a cool hat. I'm not a fan of pink, although I've recently bought a pink tie and I'm starting to like it. But pink handlebar tape? Where do they sell pink tape? Next to the pink tires and pink chain?
It was hard to miss this orange recumbent tricycle parked outside the Acme Cafe in Gastown. It rides so low in traffic, I guess it needs to be loud to be seen, which explains the need for the flag as well. These type of recumbent human-powered vehicles are actually very fast, as they tend to hold most of the world speed/distance records. The fastest recumbent bicycle was clocked at 132.5km/hr (82.33 mph). That's faster than many cars!! Notice the little note on the hood of the bike? It basically says please don't touch but come inside the cafe and talk to the owner and he'll answer any questions you have. I couldn't tell who owned it though. No obvious looking recumbent cyclist in the house. Maybe I should have looked for matching coloured shoes or gloves or something!
*Remember you can find me on Twitter @bigheadtaco
Ok, this wasn't really a fashion shoot, but those are Gucci's, we were in the mall, and I did use my iPhone to take this image. My point is how powerful a tool the iPhone can be when it comes to its ability to take decent pictures and post them online in a matter of minutes. My wife bought a new pair of shades and I wanted to take a snapshot for her to see how she looked in them (because we all know that an image is different than looking into a mirror). I quickly found a white wall with decent lighting and took this shot. You can tell we're at the mall by looking at the reflection in her shades (I'm the blob on the far right). Of course I could have brought my huge D-SLR and my 85mm F1.4 lens, but how much attention would that have drawn to me and my wife? And what are the chances of me carrying that thing everywhere I go? This was convenient, quick and discrete. Thank you Mr Steve Jobs.
I love it when businesses get creative with their storefront advertising. Aren't we all bored with sandwich boards? Functional, yes, but somewhat boring. Most auto-body shops have a minimalist view towards storefront advertising; but I saw a tin man in front of A1 Unity Auto near the Granville Street Bridge and thought that was very clever. It put a smile on my face. I hope he gets oiled once in a while as it rains a lot in Vancouver, but I'm happy to report that he still has his heart!! Thank you Mr.Oz!
I saw this great condition (considering it's over 30 years old) 2nd generation Toyota Celica this morning while I was out and about in my neighbourhood. It reminds of my childhood, as I remember seeing these babies rolling around new on the street. My grade 1 teacher Ms. Kitagawa had a white one, and I remember how cool it looked compared to the other ugly, utilitarian vehicles in the staff parking lot. Everyone else had 4 doors, and station wagons with wood paneling, but not Ms. K. She had a two door sports car!! All those memories came rushing into my head as I took this shot. I colour isolated this image and sepia toned the rest to give it a 70's feel. The pinstripes down the side look factory (notice the c-shapes just behind the front fender?), so this car must have been garaged stored for years!! Nice........
As I was walking along today I noticed the most amazingly coloured beetle crossing my path. The back half looked like it was made of copper, while the front half was purple iridescent. My buddy tried stepping on it for no apparent reason (what is he, 12?!?!?) but I quickly blocked his chance by taking out my iPhone and started stalking the little bug. It was hard to get the shot because it moved quickly and randomly, and the iPhone ain't great for that, but I think I got a reasonably sharp image. Zoom in and check it out. I must have looked insane to drivers passing by, as this incident took place just off a busy road. I safely helped it along into the grass while keeping my insect killing buddy far away........if anyone knows the name of this little guy, let me know by leaving a comment. Any amateur entomologists (aka Bug Scientist)?
Not much to say except this is my favourite tree and it exists right next to my home. And of course my favourite and only wife! This is my 200th blog post. Thanks for visiting. Big changes planned for my blog soon. Stay tuned.....
I love accessories in fashion: shoes, belts, gloves, bags. It's all in the small details that makes the over-all look and feel of an outfit. The same applies to bike accessories. People focus so much on wheels and tires and pedals and seats, that they often overlook something as simple as handlebar wraps. Look at this really cool brown Brooks handlebar wrap. I think it makes the entire bike!
I also noticed this odd shaped handlebar on this bike. It looks pretty cool, and it gives a more upright riding position, better for looking up at traffic. The grips are pretty nice too, notice the stitching on the ends. I don't think you'll win too many races with cars or other cyclists with this style of handbar, but you will look good riding it.
I first noticed the bike and asked the guy who was standing 4-5 feet away from it if it was his or not. He said yes and I asked if I could take a picture of it. He nonchalantly said to go ahead, but I could tell he was pretty proud of his ride and happy I noticed it. Then I asked if he wouldn't mind if I took a picture of both him and his bike, and again he complied, a little more hesitant this time. I was in a hurry, as the rest of my party continued to walk ahead of me, so I took the shot quickly, with little time to compose. I decided to put the focus on the bike by grey scaling the entire image except the bike. The reason? The rest of the image was too loud: his pants were a camo-red and yellow, shoes bright blue, busy-coloured brick wall, and I accidently composed a big, bright red $6 sticker behind his head!
Taken with iPhone, Hipstamatic, John S lens, Blanko Film, edited on my computer using Photoscape.
