Bikieman

Everyone starts somewhere. This is my start. 2012, a new biker at the age of 20. With a used Yamaha YBR 125. Smart!

I was already into photography but having the bike opened up a new world for me. I had a Panasonic Lumix FZ-8 at the time, so was working with what I had.

“Game changer”, I thought.

I’m pretty sure this is where the bug bit me. I did a few self-portraits on the bike (using limited equipment, no fancy tripod then!) and kept looking for scenic backdrops to showcase my new bike.

I was also getting into astro photography at the time, so tried to include the bike in that. Slowly, the bike was creeping into most shots that ordinarily would have just been a natural scene.

As time went on, especially after passing my big bike test (I kept the Yamaha for a few months after), I branched out into North Wales, pinning the throttle to keep up with A road traffic! It did well. The last picture above shows the longest trip I’d been on at the time, to Alwen Reservoir.

I just packed my North Face duffel bag and strapped it to the back (in a fashion), no dedicated bike luggage at this stage, and just set off for the day. I’ll never forget that. I knew this was for me.

This continued for a while, bought better motorcycle kit, better luggage solutions (Oxford roll bag pictured above) and everything felt right.

The time eventually came to move onto a bigger bike, but the Yamaha got me started and was an excellent companion on these photography trips. I was proud to own it.