A bicycle is a good vehicle to use if you enjoy taking photographs. A car can cover a lot of territory but stopping is sometimes a challenge. I often take photographs of the rising sun from the bridge between Burlington and Winooski. Those shots would have been almost impossible if I had been riding in a car instead of on my bike. I have also taken many photographs from the Colchester bike causeway, a place where you can’t drive a car! Walking is another good way to take photos but a bike gives me a wider range than walking. I have taken photos in much of northwestern Vermont.

I got my first cell phone so I could get help if I needed it on long bike rides. Luckily, I have never had to use it for a ride emergency. Soon I found myself taking photographs with my phone. Some people go out looking for photographs when they are riding, but for me the bike ride is primary and the photographs are secondary. Unless I see something spectacular I don’t stop to take a photo. I don’t like to interrupt the flow of the ride. Many of my ride photos are of places where I stop for a break. I have taken some nice shots of the Lamoille River under the Bridge on East Milton Road. I always stop there when I am on my way up towards Saint Albans by way of Georgia. Some people take photographs and videos while they are riding, but I don’t think that is safe.  

I took the first photograph that really pleased me on Marrs Hollow Road in Milton in 2019. I stopped for a break and took the photo. Since then I have gotten better phones with better cameras, but I still like the photo of the culvert.  

For most images my phone camera works well. It takes good closeup and medium range photographs but it does not do as well with things that are in the distance. Sometimes, from the top of Riverside Avenue in Burlington, the Green Mountains are illuminated by the afternoon sun and seem to be just a couple of miles away. It is especially spectacular when the mountains are covered with snow. I have tried to capture an image of the mountains but my phone camera is not up to the task. I recently read an article about cameras that can do significantly more than the ones in my phone. The one that came most highly recommended cost $1500. That would be quite an investment and I would have to think carefully about spending that much to get better photos. I think I would also need to learn more about the technical aspects of photography. 

In many areas of my life I am an amateur and that is the way I like it.  Although I enjoy writing, I don’t get paid for it. The same goes for leading Winooski Bike Gang rides and publishing photographs in The Winooski News. Being an amateur lets me enjoy an activity without the pressure of monetizing it.

When I look at a photograph I am reminded of the place and time when it was taken. There is a picture book by Leo Lionni called Fredrick. It is about a mouse who, in the dead of winter,  can bring back the memory of summer to his mouse friends. It helps them survive. When I look at a picture taken on a summer ride, I can recapture some of the feelings I experience on that day. The fact that it is in the past gives the image a special glow. This is helpful in the dark days of winter.

I take photographs all year round. In cold weather I wear gloves liners inside of heated mittens. I take off my mittens, grab my phone and take a few shots before my fingers get too cold. 

I take all the photos that accompany this bike blog. Sometimes I already have a photo that works, at other times I have to go looking for an appropriate image. While there is always an aesthetic aspect to a photograph, some photos are mostly for information. Photography, like writing is a flexible medium. These blogs are mostly informational but I hope there is an aesthetic element as well.

About the Author: Peter Burns is a long-time bike enthusiast, and one of the original year-round bike riders in the greater Burlington area. In addition to writing about walking and biking, Peter teaches a variety of bike workshops. He also works at a group home for people with psychiatric disabilities, teaches classes for the Vermont Humanities Council, teaches swimming at the Burlington YMCA, and is a regular host of Storytelling VT.  You can contact Peter at [email protected].