Film Friday: A look back at the 'golden age' of biker messengers - as shot on a Rollei 35SE

People driving cars – often called ‘cars’, as in “Car hits cyclist on Makebelieve Avenue”, as if the weapon had its own agency to absolve the driver of culpability – account for thousands of deaths and tremendous non-fatal suffering every year.

Did these rogue messengers leave a similar trail of destruction?

Cyclists jumping red lights mainly put themselves at risk. (Here in Paris it’s even officially permitted.) There can be no comparison with the act of driving two tonnes of steel through a red light, typically at far greater speed and with far less attention. False equivalence.

Back in the 1990s the statistics were probably far worse despite a lack of mobile phones. (Nowadays you’re lucky if the person who drives into you ever saw you. For road users not protected by the heavy armour that passes for cars these days, this has become a serious problem.)

So how many deaths did these Toronto messengers indirectly cause by making drivers swerve? We need figures.

Knowing a bit about cycling, I’d be surprised if it was more than zero deaths, total, ever.

You just don’t like cyclists jumping red lights because it irks you that they get ahead while using a morally superior form of transport.

The danger caused to you by cyclists jumping red lights does not register above the far greater danger of every motorist around you … which you discount to zero in every decision you make.

I’m a driver too, but it’s time for a major rethink about car use in cities. Cars cause untold social damage, create a large portion of our total air pollution, and lay waste to vast tracts of land. They are a blight on the landscape and have become a dysfunctional horror in cities.

This is a thought-provoking read:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/opinion/sunday/ban-cars-manhattan-cities.html

As is this:

https://ranprieur.com/readings/illichcars.html

Is this a joke?

An artist’s tool for rendering nostalgia.

The photographer was doing his own processing, in whatever locations came to hand, so B&W would have been much easier.

Why do you shoot color? Real live (sic) doesn’t express color in Bayer layout.

Maybe the 40mm (or more) will come back post-socialdistancing

Maybe on wrong system? In fuji the 27mm is super popular, they just release version ii.

CEOs @ Uber, mjam, delivery hero ... :-)

writing comments, giving likes...

Same here, what are they doing now? It would be an interesting photo follow up to find out.

With their survival instincts, they can do whatever they want.

If you hate film, you'll find something nasty to say.

Why is it important to see the eyelashes in a photo like that? I like the photo and the scene it conveys. To much importance is given over to things like sharpness instead of what is actually captured in the image.

Pixel peeping 35mm film prints is a fool's errand. . . When the pics are viewed at a normal size and viewing distance they look fine to me. Photography isn't all about perfect sharpness; it's the emotional reaction to the subject that really matters.

If technical perfection was the primary reason for making photos, a slew of classic images made by now-famous photographers would have never seen the light of day.

Thanks Clickalot, I really needed that reminder how progress in digital sensors and AI has shifted the balance from the *content* of a photograph to the technical quality of the image. I am happy that I went back to film a few years ago.

Eh,
so the Velvia 50 was mush?
Or the Delta 100?
APX 25?
EKTAR...

@clickalot, your rebuttal showed you totally miss the point of photography. Maybe visit the Casio or beginners forum.

Sharpness is the least interesting property of most photographs.

@Clickalot

Ah, yes - another one of those who know what is "right" for everyone else. I'd advice taking a basic photography course or anything about art. There's a whole world out there, if you haven't noticed.

As it stands, you are just making a fool of yourself.

Nice ride, Samuel!!

Great bike!

Really enjoyed the bike, the pics, and the article. Sweet build! Bonus points for 8 speed cassette and friction downtube shifters on 9 speed Dura-Ace derailleurs. 9 speed Dura-Ace was the best group Shimano ever made. They should have stopped there, most of the new stuff is garbage by comparison.

Samuel... It's Toronto, Ontario Canada Not NYC

Mr Bolton: 1990s Shimano forever! The absolute zenith of bicycle function, by my reckoning.

RolliPoli: whoops! No idea how I messed that up. Thanks. I’ll add Toronto to the list of cities I want to ride.

Don' even get me started on 1x trend, the giant pie plate cassettes, the ludicrous derailleur pivot geometry needed for those, the chainring wear, the extreme cross-chaining.. Uggh.

I own a bicycle shop, I should be thrilled at the number of 1x11 and 12 speed derailleurs I sell due to the lowest three gears no longer working after the trail breathed too hard on that ridiculous short pivot/huge throw rear mechanism.

@ Mr. Bolton
Yep. I still have Shimano 8 and 9 speed XTR Rapid Rise derailleurs on my mountain bike and 20" wheel modded Birdy folding bike.
It's a real shame RR derailleurs went away.

Just ordered my wife a Pole Taival hardtail (steel is real 😃) from Finland.
It has the 12-speed rear cassette. I'm curious how well it works.

SunTour hoarding here!. Have 2X6 friction on some of my machines. Cameras and cycling go together. The diamond frame came along about the same time as small plate and then Eastman roll film cameras. I think at the turn of the last century there were actually camera/cycling clubs and of course, cameras sold as cyclists' cameras.
Good light and tailwinds to all.....

I wanted to sell the mint green Fuji X-A7 along with a mint green Sun Revolutions seven speed cruiser bike. They're exactly the same color.

@RolliPoli Yaay Suntour represent! Another company that had it all, then some bad plays allowed the big S to take over.

Don’t be so hard on yourself! Even lightheartedly. Just go out and take pictures of your own milieu. Photos like these are about access more than anything. You have unique access to your world right now.

@Samuel - I appreciate the encouragement, but the idea that these photos are mostly about access is minimizing the photographer's ability. You don't get shots like these just by being there. You have to recognize the beauty in a moment as it's happening. It's a gift, and I greatly admire it.

Covid has me feeling like all I've got access to, is the yard-size world of my cats ;-)

Jason, from the looks of your published gear list, your camera bag is downright minimalist compared to the vast majority of photographers on this forum. . .

Learning to see and capture the moment comes with lots of practice. A few people may have a "gift" but in my experience, talent is earned via hard work and being comfortable with learning from one's mistakes. Every successful talented photographer started out as a rank beginner.

And that's fine! I believe this is a question every person practicing photography as a hobby should ask! That's why I like old photographer's work and practicing manual focus and other analog-skills.

"You have to recognize the beauty in a moment as it's happening", yes, and your Rollei 35SE is to set manually for f/stop, shutter and estimated (!) distance!

@ Jason

Access IS extremely important.

I'd also say that the photographer using the TINY Rollei 35SE also made a HUGE difference in terms of comfort level and ease for his subjects.
That camera is so small and so unintimidating!

Today I'd use my X100

I think the magic of these photos is as Samuel said the access and I would add the time that passed by and nostalgia for those times. I am not sure if liked these photos so much if they were taken these days.

The best editorial, photojournalism and documentary photographers I have known create their own access. They are people persons who are intrinsically curious about the lives of other people. It can take a while to gain the trust of people living in different cultures (such as bike messengers LOL). Once you gain that trust and your subjects become accustomed to being photographed, they often forget that a photographer is living with them.

While some people are natural people persons, I think that it is also possible to acquire the trait over time. One of the biggest hurdles is getting over being self-conscious when photographing strangers. I know this from hard-earned personal experience. . . ;)

It's one of the great benefits of doing this kind of photography. You can grow as an individual while creating a career for yourself. It obviously isn't for everyone because it can be a hard road to travel. But if you have what it takes the rewards can be many and life-changing.