Photo: Thailand 2016

The Joy of Two wheels

No fuel No Insurance Free Parking

The last bike I owned was Periwinkle blue, its white seat was adorned with flower-power stickers, plastic powder blue tassels hung from the handles and old trading cards were clothes-pinned to the spokes to make clicking noises as I peddled. That was in the sixties; my pre-teen years.

I was a free spirit and riding a bike was exciting and wildly liberating. My daily bike rides was when I felt solitude, an intimate connection with nature and an awareness of what was happening around me; I have always been an independent and curious type. I enjoyed riding down long steep hills catching the wind, my hair whipping around my face and the fresh breeze cooling my skin. (That was before head protection gear became popular).  The rides made my young soul feel full of joy and peacefulness; I was confident, aware, excited and oh so happy. I would stop after my long rides, lift my face to the skies, close my eyes and just ‘breathe it all in”. 

It is fifty-plus years later; I am feeling that same kind of joy, excitement and awareness as I engage in a new journey of ‘street photography’ It is like riding down a long steep hill catching the wind and feeling wildly liberated. I am learning to once again be keenly aware of my surroundings, of chance encounters and random incidents.

According to the philosopher/psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi— to be in the ‘zone’ or a state of ‘flow’ is the secret to ‘happiness’. “To be a ‘happy’ is to be 100% focused in whatever you are passionate about— to grow, develop, evolve, and to be fully-creative.”

Street photography puts me in a “zone” — I lose all sense of time as I become fully-engaged. It is like when riding a bike, soaring through the streets fully absorbed – it is the speed and its physical energy that sharpens the wild spirit. When all the elements of street-photography come together – action, composition and lighting – it connects to my photographic vision and my creative spirit comes alive!

Street Photography is such a ‘sweet’ ride and so addicting – it feels great and wildly liberating!

Now it is time to get pumped up. go out to do some Street Photography and enjoy the ride!

. . . photography - the art of capturing life, culture, and humanity