Every picture tells a story |

Every picture tells a story

One of the things that I enjoy about modern technology is the photographic capabilities of the iPhone in the back pocket of my cycling jersey. Taking photos whilst out on the bike adds a different dimension to each spin.

Whilst the abundance of phones and camera phones has the effect of disassociating spectators from the real passion and experience of watching a bike race, it has the opposite effect when used on the bike itself.

Professional and semi professional photographers give their time and efforts to provide us all with exceptional quality images of every level of bike race, and I think that we are very lucky in Ireland with the abundance of excellent photos from every corner of the country each weekend.

However I have noticed myself, that when concentrating on tyring to get a good shot of a bike race as a pure spectator that I am experiencing less of the entire event itself. There are times when it’s best to put away the camera and the phone and to soak up the entire atmosphere of a bike race. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Tour de France. Watching on TV you now see more cameraphone shells than passionate expressive faces. As a compromise I now sometimes just click away with the camera in one hand paying little attention to what I am photographing and focus more on all that is going on around. Then that evening I scan through the pics and occasionally find a few good ones.

Out on the road however, I really do find that the camera phone adds to the entire experience. When out alone I am paying more attention all around, always on the lookout for something unique or something special. It has made me much more aware of my surroundings.

These are just a few of the photos that I have taken whilst out riding my bike. Each one as I look at it reminds me of a place and a time and each has it’s very own story to tell.