Cute Girls Doubling on a Bicycle in Osaka

It's written all over their faces, no? The pure pleasure of doubling on a bicycle. The wind against your face, the rush of adrenaline as you avoid pedestrians and other cyclists as you try not to fall off the back!! I happened to see them approaching from far off so I discreetly took this picture just as they passed by.... not that they would notice little old me and my tiny Canon p&s camera!!

This is very common in Japan, as you can tell by this other doubling act caught by a National Geographic photographer.  In both images, the girls riding on the back are wearing heels, and neither are standing on some well structured, meant-for-doubling-stands or anything like that. What can I say? When it comes to two wheels and heels, Japanese girls have skills!! Thanks @cyncerest for the link!!

Doing the Splits in Hong Kong!

That's my wife on the far left walking with her uncle #4 in Hong Kong. The bay area of To Kwa Wan is a popular place for exercise, especially for early morning walks. I was trying to take a nice backwards portrait of my wife and her uncle and was waiting for this older gentleman to pass by, but he decided to stop.....and then stretch.....really stretch!! I thought to myself, if you're not going to leave my picture frame, I'm going to frame you into my picture!!

Refreshing Work at Budweiser

Another old picture. Taken in Hong Kong a few years back.....I know, it looks worse than it is. He was working really hard before I took this shot, and then when I finally decided to take the picture, he took his break.... but it does look a bit like he was sampling the product doesn't it? Leave him alone. He's worked hard. Doesn't he deserve a Bud?

Cool Guys Riding Folding Bikes

Another old, lost picture from previous blog entry........

I love Osaka because it's a bike city. My brother goes restaurant and bar hopping with his wife and friends on their bikes. It's a great way to get around town, and a fun way to burn off some of those extra calories! 

I took a picture of these guys because you just wouldn't see this in N.America (except maybe New York or San Fransisco). Cool guys, or at least trying to project a 'cool guy' image, riding folding bikes. I mean, those things are not cool, seriously. Efficient and compact, yes. But cool? What are those, 8" wheels? But look at the attitude... it's like they're on hogs or a nice cruiser......ha ha!! I like both of their shoes though......

Kimono and Dreadlocks?

I'm going to re-post some older pictures since some amazing shots were sort of lost in past postings, as I use to post up to 12 pictures in a single blog entry!!

This picture was taken at my youngest brother's wedding in Osaka a few years back.  Up to that point, between myself and my big brother (I have 3 brothers and a sister), we had taken all family wedding pictures. This was the first wedding we could enjoy without being completely stressed out.... but old habits die hard!! I still brought 3 cameras with me!!

This is Miho, my sister-in-law's cousin. She's a professional hip-hop dancer, but for the wedding, she decided to go ultra traditional with her kimono...or did she? Look at her dreadlock updo!!  I liked the contrast in styles, or perhaps it's more of a juxtaposition? The bright red colour of the kimono and the red in her hair-do actually worked really well; as well as the layering of the kimono and the similar layering of her dreadlocks. And perhaps because she's a dancer by profession, her personality and her composure allowed her to pull off this cool look.

Fast Food Faster: Express Self Ordering?

I walked into my new neighbourhood A&W and noticed they only had a single-cashier set-up and I thought that was odd for a fast food joint. Then I noticed the 'Self Order' kiosk. I didn't realize that minimum wage was too expense for these places to operate, thus replacing humans with robots!! Self check-out at grocery stores, self-pump at gas stations, and now self-ordering at fast food joints. What's next? 

My guess is that in the future movie theaters, airports, dry-cleaning, department stores and even restaurants (computerized self-seating and self ordering) will all be run by machines and computers. We can go all day without coming into contact with other humans in the future. Don't worry, we'll all have smart phones and tablet computers to keep us company instead. Doesn't that sound like fun?

How Do You Park Your Bike?

While waiting for my wife while she shopped, I thought I'd walk up and down Robson Street to see if there was anything interesting to shoot.  I noticed a locked up bike against a pole, but it was parked upside-down! What the? Just as I was about to take a picture of it, the owner appeared!  I asked him why he parked his bike that way? He said so his bike doesn't move around clumsily or fall over..... good idea!!  Who needs a kick-stand right? 

The only problem is scratching the leather seat and handlebar grips...... but hey, with a smile like that, does Kwan care about a few scuffs on his sweet fixie? Where's his bike from? Built by his buddy's over at Beats and Bikes. Music and bikes. Nice combo......

Cyclist's Mane Blowing in the Wind!

They say a lion's mane is an intimidation tool, used to show it's size and prowess over its competition. This rider's hair was unique among all others, as most cyclist remove as much hair as possible to reduce weight and wind-drag. 

However, Zackary Davis #27 finished 24th overall, the highest placed rider that I took pictures of that day. Perhaps he's on to something? Maybe the wind blowing through his hair makes him feel faster, thus motivating him to peddle harder? Perhaps it makes him feel lion-like as he chases down the riders in front of him? Whatever the reason, he looked pretty cool in a sea of shaved head riders....Ride On Zach-Attack!!

Bike Race Face: Part 2

 As mentioned on my earlier post, as I was shooting this race I became more aware and interested in the expressions of these riders versus the bikes themselves, even though I'm an avid bike rider. That's why I decided to crop the bikes out of the picture. In this shot, I liked the way the setting sun spotlighted Erik Mulder #67, but shadowed Baily McKnight, who actually placed 40 spots higher by the end of the race.  No posing here folks. These are real expressions. Ride On!!

Giro Di Burnaby 2012: Ride On!!

Bike races are great to watch. Unlike motorized races, cycling events make very little noise as they whip past, like a stealth animal hunting down a prey. All you can hear is the clicks of their gears changing, and the wind swooshing past their aerodynamic bodies. Even their crouched sitting position and their determined expressions reminds me of a predatory animal. Look at the beast-like tongue sticking out on Scott Zwizanski (rider #13)!!

Photographically, all the different colours and logos and stream-line clothing and equipment makes for a great picture. I noticed many photographers with big zoom lenses, but they weren't getting any successful shots.  I would recommend getting as close as possible and shoot with a prime (non-zooming) lens. I shot with my 35mm F1.4 and a cropped sensor Sony A700, and I just panned my images.  Many were asking me what I was doing panning so quickly, and how could I shoot with such a small lens, and why I wasn't using  a flash. I just smiled and showed them my pictures. I had a few conversations with other amateur photographers that evening.......

I could only stay for about 20 minutes so I didn't get too many pictures. Lots of fun though.... Ride On Burnaby!!