Happy to share some new work with you all. At the end of March I shot this series of images featuring Mountain Equipment Co-op's new bikes and cycling apparel for spring and summer 2011. Now that the images have made it up on MEC.ca, I can finally show you some of my favourites from the shoot. The day was absolutely awesome - first hot day of the year, late March, the sun shone hard (a little too hard) and we all had a great time. We rode around Vancouver hitting some easy going places like Athlete's Village and Gastown and eventually ending up in Chinatown. A big thank you to the super pro models, some of whom rode clipless for the first time ever (fearless)! I believe the fall count was one-all by the time we wrapped. By the way, if you don't know what/who MEC is, just check out their website. They are a bit like REI from stateside, but the membership is structured a bit differently.

Here are me faves from the day as well as some screenshots from MEC's website. I think they sum up the vibe of MEC's bike line quite well. Comfort. Street. Urban. Commuter. Love your bike. Do everything with it. Everyday. Why wouldn't you? Let me know what you think!

More new work arriving shortly, so be sure to come back now, y'hear?

Kamil

Tags: athletes village, bike ads, bikes, chinatown, clients, commuting, cycling, gastown, lifestyle, MEC, mountain Equipment Co-op, new product line, REI, urban riding, vancouver, vancouver bike photographer.

Thanks to Adventure Kayak Magazine for using this photo (self portrait) of mine from Lake Superior in their Summer/Fall 2010 issue.

Thanks to Mountain Equipment Co-op for licensing this image from Algonquin Park, Ontario.

Thanks to Outside Magazine for using this image of Scott Winston from Lake Superior in their July 2010 issue.

Here is the image used by Outside Magazine.

Lots more summer to enjoy! Talk soon!

Kam

Tags: adventure kayak magazine, algonquin park, clients, lake superior, MEC, mountain Equipment Co-op, outside magazine, published, the kayak touring magazine.

Two reasons for this post: First, I'm now based out of Vancouver! It's been a long time coming and a super hectic and busy last few months, but I can't wait to get shooting out west! And second, to let you know about some of my recent clients for using my photos:

First off, thanks to Sea Kayaker Magazine for running an image of mine on their Summer 2010 issue on stands now. Published 6 times a year, this is the July/August issue. Great articles inside, so check them out!

Sea Kayaker Magazine, July/August 2010 issue, Cover photo by Kamil Bialous.

Black Diamond for using an image of mine from the Tombstone Mountains in the Yukon featuring their Oasis Tent. Found on the BD website Journal/Mountain page.

Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., Journal/Moutaqin website, background image by Kamil Bialous.

And here's the full image:

Camped on the Yukon Tundra. Black Diamond tent in use. Photo: Kamil Bialous.

Superior Outdoors Magazine, for running this image in their inside Gallery Section of their Summer 2010 issue:

Usrzula Lipsztajn paddling into Richardson Cove on the north shore of Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada. We dubbed this place, "The Bahamas" for its clear, warm water. Photo: Kamil Bialous.

And to Mountain Equipment Co-op for using this image, of whitewater paddler David Manning on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, for the online promotion of their 2010 SweetSpots video contest.

Paddler David Manning on the Kananaskis River in Alberta. Image use: Mountain Equipment Co-op, online promotion of 2010 Sweet Spots Video Contest. Photo: Kamil Bialous.

Thanks for reading.

Talk soon,

Kamil

Tags: bd, clients, equipment, kayaking, MEC, mountain, mountain Equipment Co-op, published, recent work, sea kayaker magazine, summer, superior outdoors magazine, sweet spots, tent, vancouver, yukon.

A few weeks ago, working with one of my favourite and loyal clients- MEC Toronto store, we set out to create a series of portraits that would be used to promote an upcoming event in Toronto called MEC Bikefest hosted by Mountain Equipment Co-op.

To view the entire series on my portfolio site, click here.

The event is held on Saturday July 3rd, 2010 in the Liberty Village area of Toronto and will feature a whole lotta cool things bikes and cycling. If you cycle, you should be going - period. Here are the event details on the MEC site.

MEC Bikefest Toronto portraits series. Photo by Kamil Bialous.

MEC Bikefest Toronto portraits series. Photo by Kamil Bialous.

MEC Bikefest Toronto portraits series. Photo by Kamil Bialous.

Our ideas were that the final images should be square cropped, to be able to collage well into a 3X3 tile. I wanted relatively tight framing on the cyclists faces, looking at the camera and engaging the viewer, as well as their bikes to be a part of their personality, so framing was a bit tricky to come up with different poses. A bit cheesy and quirky was also on the menu, which I believe I hit.  Thankfully, I worked with a bunch of super cool MEC staff who were very accommodating and excellent models, so thank you to them! Knowing most of them, I can tell you that even though they were "models" for this shoot all of them are great and committed cyclist and excellent people.

So - technically speaking -  I shot vertically for easier framing visualization of a square crop, keeping things super mobile with a single light so that we could walk around the streets of Toronto and look for the right set up. Conversion was simple, I wanted to keep colour, and a bit of edge without being over the top. I always liked the tones of ektachrome film, so I toned it with a bit of magenta and blue. I think it works for this project. Client super happy and me super happy. The idea was to get people to represent all sides of cycling in the city, from the hipster fixie (Thanks Adrian, sorry.) to the long distance commuter (Thanks Steve!) and everyone in between.

Just like the theme of MEC Bikefest, it's not about riding a particular type of bike, it's about cycling in general, and participating in a culture that accepts an alternative mode of transportation to motor vehicle as a viable way to get around the city. It's not about only MEC bikes either, it's about whatever your ride, and your reasons for it.

Enjoy, and keep it lubed. Always!

Love,

Kamil Bialous

Tags: bike, bikefest, cycling, cyclist, fest, MEC, mountain Equipment Co-op, photos, portrait, riding, series, toronto, urban.