You may have noticed my blog disappearance this summer. The reason for this is simple: travel. Work took me near and far but I also travelled for myself and I wouldn’t be myself if I had not taken a camera along. One of the things I enjoy most about my job is that it gives me a great excuse to meet new people. One of the things I enjoy most about travel is meeting new people. So when my mate Oscar and I decided to cycle along the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as Route 1, I made sure to squeeze a white sheet into my already full panniers - it was going to serve as my background to the portraits I intended to take.
People react to a guy armed with a camera in his full cycling gear differently - some pretend not to hear me asking if they would mind having their photograph taken, some look very confused, others are intrigued, a good proportion of them seem flattered. Along the 400 miles we cycled I met people of all ages and races, young ones and old ones, tourists, immigrants and locals. I talked to excited surf-instructors, teenage posers, shotgun wielding park rangers, currant-loving homeless guys, fellow photographers and many more. Of course, not all agree to have their photo taken, but the ones who do are generally a friendly bunch, happy to share a minute of their day with a complete stranger.
Here is just a selection of the portraits I have taken of those strangers I encountered cycling from San Franciso to LA on Route One. Travel is not just sights and landmarks - it is the people who make the place you visit, the place it is. You can see more Portraits of California on my website.
Take a look at the whole project here: LINK
