The Found Bike Project began on May 16, 2016. I found an old-but-well-maintained bike on the North House Folk School campus and photographed it with a 35mm f/1.4 lens. After posting it on the Internet, those that saw it encouraged me to take more pictures of found bikes. The project was born. I estimated it would take me a year to reach 50 found bikes. I was wrong. I’m averaging about 14 bikes a year.
“Learn to ride a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live.”
— Mark Twain
To be part of the Found Bike Project, a bike must:
- Be found somewhere
- Have that classic bike look
- Feel wabi-sabi-ish
- Be shot with a 35mm f/1.4 or 105mm f/2.8 lens (with one exception)
- Shot at f/1.4 or f/2.8 depending on the lens
- Be in an interesting location for the background
- The light must be right
Here are the 28 bikes that represent the first two years of the project:
“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.”
— Ernest Hemingway
Because of the criteria, the project has proved harder than I thought it would be. But, it has also been fruitful. I’ve already made a calendar from the project and it made a holiday gift guide. I can’t wait to see what this project will bring in the future. Maybe a gallery opening?