Is cycling popular or something? China thinks so, Amsterdam does too. I am not talking about the guys that you see at the coffee shops on weekend mornings brandishing the best neon spandex onesies plastered with sponsors, I’m talking about guys and gals listening to The Antlers new album on their new earbuds, looking like they stepped out of an Urban Outfitters Catalogue. I am not sure what has changed in the past five years (maybe fixed gear bikes? maybe gas prices?), but it really seems that cycling as a form of transportation and socialization has made it’s way up the hip scales. SWRVE is a company that I worked with a few months ago which is bridging the gap between form and function for people that want to be comfortable on their bikes, but still show up somewhere looking good. I am not saying that you don’t look good in spandex because you do!
SWRVE was rebuilding their site and Jon Setzen, the creative director at Something Massive brought me in to help with the lifestyle imagery. We shot all over downtown LA, where SWRVE is based, and ended up on the roof of their studio for the last shot/BBQ. All of the models were actual cyclists and the guy with the handlebar mustache actually co-owns Golden Saddle Cyclery in Silverlake. Everyone was really excited about the shoot and the brand, so it made the shoot amazingly fun. I love lifestyle shoots because I get to run around all day and in this case I had to run even faster to keep up with the bikes!
The locations were great as well. We found a loading dock that you can see above that worked perfectly for a ride by shot. From the washed out color and the perfectly placed garage door to the yellow security pylons that added pops of color, I couldn’t ask for more. Downtown Los Angeles has a wealth of beautiful structures. Until recently, these were vastly overlooked because nobody was living in these areas. In the past ten years there has been a revitalization of downtown. When someone used to say that they lived downtown people would say, “really, I didn’t know anyone lived down there,” but now it is a very up-and-coming place to live, eat, and shop.
As I mentioned before, the last shots were taken on the roof while we had a BBQ. We got some great shots, had some great food, beer, and conversation with great company. The sun dropping behind the buildings made for a beautiful, warm yet urban backdrop that kind of said it all.
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Nice shots. I live at one of the buildings across the street from some of these photos. It is an exceptionally photogenic place for a certain mood. Thanks for coming by….and SWRVE is one of my favorites, too.