My First Big Photo Project and Exhibition
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My First Big Photo Project and Exhibition *
This project kicked off back in 2010. At the time, I was heavily into fixed-gear cycling, running a big Sunday cycling meetup group, and sponsored by a very “cool” streetwear store in Sydney. I’d met a guy from Brisbane, and he suggested we take on a ride from Melbourne to Sydney — 2,000 km (1,200 miles) — on our brakeless, fixed-gear bikes, film the whole thing, and make a cycling documentary for the IBFF (International Bicycle Film Festival). I said, “sure!”
We organized a group of eight guys — four from Sydney and four from Brisbane — plus two filmer/photographers, Josh and AJ, who manned the support vehicle. We planned the route, the rest days, and raised funds through friends and family, work colleagues, brand sponsorships, and even bake sales. It was an incredible project and experience — I learned so much from everyone who helped us pull it together.
Of course, I brought a few cameras: my Nikon FM2 (which I still have), a Nikon L35 AF point-and-shoot (which I don’t), a really old AGFA medium format camera (still in my possession), and a bunch of different film stocks, thinking I was just shooting for personal records. I ended up having to cut my journey short due to tendonitis in both Achilles tendons (which I still have), with both kneecaps taped to relieve pressure — I was a mess! But that left me more time to document the second half of the ride from Sydney onwards, which ended up being the bulk of my photographs.
Fast forward to the end of the journey, and we decided to put on a photography exhibition featuring mine and Josh’s photos. A friend of ours, Wing, who was handling all the design work, also exhibited his typography. We secured a space through Deus Ex Machina — they were closing one of their shops, and we sublet it as part of a sponsorship deal. In just a few days, we transformed the bike shop into an art gallery. I also secured wine, vodka, and beer sponsors — we had so much booze that we were drinking White Russians for weeks after the exhibition.
The exhibition was massive — people were spilling out onto the street. Seeing the responses from everyone we had worked so hard for was overwhelming. Josh and I almost sold out of our framed pieces, and then sold additional prints on top of that. It was an unforgettable experience and became a foundational moment that eventually led into what would become kind of — gallery.
