Timeless Wheels
Bicycles are everywhere in my town, and I’m not surprised. They’re practical, they save money, and they double as exercise, what more can you ask for? There’s a wide variety of designs rolling around the streets, yet the older styles still pull me in. When I photograph them, they bring a gentle nostalgia, as if each scratch and dent remembers a small story from the road.
Today’s set focuses on details, the dull gleam of a bell, the knurled grip with its worn lettering, a quilted saddle that’s softened by time, and a brake lever polished by countless fingers. I shot them in black and white because that’s where bicycles, especially the grungy ones, become the most honest. Dirt and rust don’t hide, they add character. Texture steps forward. The chrome turns to soft highlights, the rubber becomes a patterned field of mid-tones, and the aluminum edges catch just enough light to carve out their shape.
These are small things, but they say a lot. You can almost imagine the morning commutes, quick grocery runs, and late-night rides home. I love how monochrome removes the distraction of color and lets the lines, forms, and stories do the talking. It also makes me more deliberate, looking for the angle where the grip pattern reads clearly, or where the saddle’s diamond stitching sits against a blurred background.
Old bicycles may not be flashy, yet they carry a quiet drama that feels right in black and white. For me, that mix of utility and memory is what keeps the camera coming back to them. Thanks for viewing this little study in texture and time, have a great day ahead, everyone.
”To see in color is a delight for the eye, but to see in black and white is delight for the soul.”
