This past weekend I went to race my final enduro of the Arizona spring series and it was cancelled due to a freak snowstorm. Such a bummer since I had really been working up to it. But the time off let me reflect on a few things. Things like where I was, how I got here and where I was going. I don’t mean the BIG question of how did I get here because I think my parents answered that a long time ago. But instead I mean the smaller question of, how did I get right HERE, and where do I go now? Simple, it all has to do with goals and what we want in life.

Because of my job I have the opportunity to meet some interesting people. Over the years I’ve gotten to meet celebrities, politicians and of course pro athletes. One of the athletes that I got to meet and talk to was Mark Cavendish. For those of you non-cycling types, Mark Cavendish is one of the fastest sprinters in the world. This is his resume of current major wins, impressive for a 27 year old.

Grand Tours

Tour de France  - Points classification (2011), 20 stage wins (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)

Giro d’Italia - 7 stages, 2 TTT (2008, 2009, 2011)

Vuelta a España - Points classification (2010), 3 stages, 1 TTT (2010)

Single-Day Races and Classics

UCI World Road Race Champion(2011)

UCI Madison World Champion(2005, 2008)

Milan – San Remo (2009)

Grote Scheldeprijs (2007, 2008, 2011)

Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne (2012)

So one year before the Tour of California I sat with Mark in a hotel lobby. What do you say to such a person? Nice weather, you’re fast? Do you like……cheese? Awkwaaaard. During the couple moments of awkward silence I noticed Mark’s watch. I really like watches and Mark was wearing a beautiful stainless Rolex Daytona. With confidence in my knowledge of watches I leaned over and said, “nice Daytona.” Dale Carnegie would have been proud. Mark said, “Oh, you like watches?” I told him I did, then about a couple of my favorites and that someday when I feel I’ve “made it” I’m going to get a stainless with white face Rolex Explorer II. This watch wouldn’t be for show or anyone to think I was of a certain ilk. To me it is something special, a reward for a job well done, something to make me feel good for all the hard work.

After Mark told me about some of the other watches he had, he asked me, “How do you know when it will be the right time to get it?” I told him that I wasn’t exactly sure but that I thought I would know when the time was right. He leaned in towards me, looked me in the eye and said sincerely, “You just have to set some goals.” He told me about watches he had won at races and that he rewarded himself for certain wins with a watch he wanted. He has a large collection. Here I was sitting with, arguably, the fastest bike racer in the world, Tour de France stage winner, future World Champion and he is explaining to me about setting goals and rewarding myself. Priceless.

Before the Tour of California that year I had been looking at a book by landscape photographer David Muench. He shoots a lot in the southwest and has amazing images. In this book he talked about how he got on this theme of shooting through things. He’d find an archway in Moab and shoot through it to frame what was on the other side. He had a beautiful photo of a full moon that he shot through a canyon wall. So with that inspiring me I set the goal of trying to get a shot like that during the race. What were the chances right? But you gotta set goals.

With my goal in the back of my mind, far back, I saw it as we came around a corner and up a rise. It was a hole eroded out of some rock set off in a field. I just about leapt off the back of the motorcycle to get to it. My driver, Leon, kept us calm and brought me over to the side of the road so I could get through the barbed wire and to the rocks. Just before the race got there I got into position and ready to shoot. I didn’t get a watch but I did make a nice photo out of it. What were the chances? 

Of course I already knew what Mark said about setting goals. But better than any self help book you could download or buy from Amazon, Mark and his watch helped reinforce the idea of setting goals. Motorcycle racing, photos, it’s all the same, just little goals along the way to feeling like I’ve “made it.”

I didn’t do anything special for Easter but I did think about what the idea of resurrection means to me. It means a new beginning. Starting over. Another chance at things. No matter what your ideas of religion are I think we can agree that the idea, the concept, the man, my brotha JC is all about each of us getting another chance. Sermon complete.

I’ve not had a very nice past couple of years. My sister-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and has had a brutal battle with it. During the spring of 2010 my father-in-law passed away. I completed a beautiful house which I was the general contractor on and did much of the work and then, for various reasons, handed the keys back to the bank on January 1^st, 2011, happy new year right! During that same time my wife explained that we were different people and I was no longer her kind of people. In February of 2011 my grandmother whom I loved very much passed away. I’ve lost friends and family in the divorce which is always tough and finally in February of 2012 I had to put my dog, Kona, down because of stomach cancer. It’s been several years of loss, heartbreak and depression. So now what? Resurrection.

I started an interesting project last year where I would take a photo of myself to document the state I was in. People can tell you that you look good, you look tired, you lost weight or whatever and you may or may not believe them, but the photos don’t lie. When I take a photo I can see into someone. During a race I can tell what someone is made of just by what I see in their eyes. I can tell you if they will do well or if they will crack. But, like most people, I’ve never liked photos of myself so this was a difficult project for me. What it did though is let me see into myself and I could reflect, heal and move on. Try it sometime and see what you can see in yourself. I highly recommend it.

The photos, the races and the people I’ve met have all brought me back to life. Resurrection isn’t always easy. Sometimes you fight to come back, it’s a bloody miracle you do and then you’ve still got people giving you a hard time. Just ask Jesus. But the fact is, is that we have a choice. We have a choice to make things what we want of them. Bad times, sure. Sadness, sure. But do we need to stay that way? Hell no!

I’ve learned that every day can be a resurrection if we let it, a new beginning. Hey that sounds good, why not? Sometimes it can be hard but I say go take a photo. I take photos of my dog Mack because he makes me smile, he can be goofy or super cute. Sometimes I take photos of a beautiful view while I’m out on a motorcycle ride so that I can remember it later.  Sometimes its just something cool that I see. Things that I can reflect on later and bring about happiness.

I’ve not written this to whine and moan, for pity or to get flowers in the mail, although chocolate bunnies might be nice. Everyone has things of some sort or another they have to deal with. Nothing special here folks, move along. Go take a photo.

For those interested, send me a photo of yourself and I’ll make a photo wall of all of us! I don’t need a caption or anything. Just send a photo of you, happy, sad or whatever and let people make of it what they will. It’s therapeutic and fun.  Jonathan@epicimages.us and in the subject line just put “ME”.

I had an interesting conversation with a woman while I was out shooting the Redlands Bicycle Classic a week or so ago. She started talking to me about the photo of the child who was being stalked by the vulture and asked me if I had seen it. I’m a photographer, of course I’d seen it! What nerve. She went on about how the photographer who took it, Kevin Carter, had been dogged by media about why he took the shot and hadn’t helped the child. Odd conversation while sitting in a gutter shooting a time trial. But I’ve been thinking about that photo ever since.

This past week the world also lost a drag racing legend named Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins. Grumpy was a racer and engine builder. His demeanor and engines were legendary. He’s one of those guys that helped define the sport of drag racing from the muscle car era on. My father raced back in the hay day and many times I’ve heard him speak of Grumpy. Getting to see him race and the hi-light of all was just getting to shake his hand. History, man, history. I wasn’t there of course but the photos speak to me. I can feel the excitement and the ground rumble beneath my feet just by seeing a car with smoke billowing out of the wheel wells as the Christmas tree lights turn green….all in a photo. 

I’m a photographer. I record history. My job is to make people feel like they were at an event, show the beauty, the speed, the crowds, the heartbreak and all the little details that make you remember. Sometimes this comes easily and sometimes it can be a burden. Of course it’s not the burden that Kevin Carter had to carry after he took the photo of the child and vulture, but still a burden. I took this photo of George Hincapie at the 2011 USPRO Championships that I held onto for a while. He missed winning the stars and stripes jersey by a tire width. He was crushed. I was crushed. After the race big George was surrounded by family and I pushed and nudged my way through the crowd to get to him. When I got there it was a sad scene but I kept shooting. My favorite photo from those moments really spoke to me and I was proud of it but I kept it mostly to myself. I like George and he’s a bit of a hero to me so I didn’t want to show him in a vulnerable scene. Several months later ROAD magazine called to get a photo for a big spread and asked for my favorite photo of the season. I chose the shot of George and his family.

Sometimes history isn’t always what we want it to be. I had hoped George would win that day but he didn’t. When I got that photo published I realized that I had done the job that I set out to do, and while it was a little out of my comfort zone for shooting, it was all a part of history on that day. In the end I actually had George contact me and he told me how much he liked the shot and that he wanted a print of it for the memory. Go figure.

The photograph of the child with the vulture caused outrage in some and extreme sadness in others. Sadly, Kevin Carter couldn’t live with the burden of that photo and committed suicide only  3 months after taking it. It’s sad that Carter couldn’t be around to see the change in humanitarian efforts that his powerful image helped to bring about. He pulled emotions out of people whom before had barely payed attention…..all in a photo.

I may never produce such a strong image. I surely hope I never have that type of burden to live with. But as a photographer I will continue to record history and do my best to make people feel something, anything, with my images.

History, we all contribute.

But underneath all of that, beyond the bruised facade, is much to do with the history of what has gone on in American cycling over the past 7 years. I got my helmet at the end of the winter in 2005 so that I could start the season with it. A sexy Italian model made by MOMO, which I had shipped from London after seeing photographers at the Tour de France wear it. You see the helmet is a critical part of the cycling photographers gear bag. It cant be a full face helmet. It can be too thick in the front. It must be as light as possible. The camera and flash need to fit up to it just right so that you can still see through the back of the camera. Critical for some of us. When I first brought my helmet out to the races the moto crews were in aw. Everyone came to check it out. The unique buckle, the carbon fiber trimmed eye shield and the exotic look were all a huge hit.

Since then we’ve covered thousands of miles of racing together. Four Tour de Georgia’s, six Tour of California’s, three Tour of Missouri’s, five Tour of the Gila’s, four Tour of Utah’s, four Cascade Classics, seven USPRO road races, many team training camps and the list goes on and on. If only my helmet could talk.

But it does talk, it speaks to me. When I look at it I hear it reminding me of a race years back when we spent the day shivering together in the rain. It tells me stories of pushing hard to get ahead of the race on a critical climb, getting the shot and then white knuckling it down to the finish. Screaming into the finish just in front of a hard charging field, handing my helmet over to my driver and spinning around to click off a couple frames of the sprint. All in a days work for my trusty helmet who just got to see another rider write a page in the history books and maybe make a magazine cover.

We’ve seen riders come and go. Some gracefully age and some fall from grace. National champs, world and Tour de France winners have been made right before our eyes. We’ve seen hopes dashed by crashes and miscalculations too, it’s a brutal game.

Now before a race I spend a little extra time wiping down my helmet. I wipe the scars on the outside, the splashes of sweat on the inside of the visor and bits of bug from a previous race on the outside. I try to polish up the history within and view it as a crystal ball that might show me where the next great shot could be, maybe another cover.

Helmets do age and they must be replaced from time to time. But I think my old friend will stay with me for another season. We’ll see another career launched, another champion made. If were unlucky we may even cash in on one of the many close calls we’ve had and rely on it for what it was meant to do. For now though, it gets a clean and polish along with time to reflect before the next big race. If only my helmet could talk.

I’ve also been reading the blog of long time pro racer Steve Tilford. The guy is inspiring in many ways. When it comes to bike racing, and probably life as well, he’s been there and done that. What I really like is that he doesn’t pull any punches. He speaks his mind and the big lesson for me is that he’s well respected because of it. Maybe not everyone likes him, I really couldn’t say, but he is respected.

So with my new voice and expression of opinions I have to discuss the disappointing and frustrating trend of so-called “pro” photographers posting galleries of images on Facebook and other avenues of social media. Not an image or two, but full galleries. Let me back up a bit for those who may not know me. I am a photographer. It’s taken years for me to feel comfortable calling myself that but there it is. My specialty is professional cycling. I’ve been shooting full time since 2001. I’ve been to 5 Tours de France, shot the spring classics, World Championships, been to every major US pro race and National Championship since I started, have had too many magazine covers to count and still get goose bumps when I come ripping into a finish on the back of a motorcycle. Cycling has created a “family” for me for which I will ever be grateful.

I give this resume’ with the utmost of humility because I am still learning. I learn from fellow photographers. I learn from my mistakes and I learn from those I take photos of. It’s a never ending process that I thoroughly enjoy. However, at the end of the day, it is what puts food on my table…….or doesn’t.

This brings me back to the idea of posting galleries for free on social media sites. As a photographer it is no doubt important to show off your work…agreed. That is why I have a portfolio. I even agree that it is a good idea to post a couple shots from an event that I may be at that show something really cool or maybe an exciting moment. But if I post more than that I feel it is disrespectful to my fellow photographers who are also trying to make a living and clients that are paying me to be at that event. I’m not a business major but if I am going to post a bunch of shots for free then why should anyone pay me? Brilliant!

I do feel that I have a “cycling family” and it is important to me. I enjoy the happiness that riders, families and fans get out of my photos. If I had a trust fund or was wealthy I would be happy to shoot and offer it all up for free. But simple math, hunger and bills tell me that I can’t do that. Travel is expensive. When I am walking around with my cameras or on a moto I’m carrying roughly $25K worth of equipment, travel to get there, business insurance, computers, software etc. Maybe I am being cynical but so far I have not found how free images pay for these things.

Never the less I will press on. I’ll press on because I love to shoot. I’ll continue to work on getting better at what I do and learning from my mistakes. My clients are important to me and I will do everything I can to do my best for them; I’ll respect them by not giving up for free what they have paid me for. And I’ll continue to be respectful to fellow photographers who are respectful to me.

They say, “change is good.” With my new voice it feels good already. I look forward to the season ahead and lots of greats photos. I look forward to more change.

I really want to keep up on writing my blog this year too. Once the season hits it really gets difficult but this year I am calling myself out and making a concerted effort to update regularly. I like to write anyway so its not like I’m forcing myself to do something I don’t like. And with the iPad and phone apps I really have no good excuse to not throw something up. I’m just saying this now so that I can reread this a couple months from now when I start making excuses. Blah, blah, blah….deaf ears.

I’m liking the new site though! It should be a lot easier for people to navigate and also show off my work much better. I’ve got so many thousands of photos that I tend to let things get a bit cluttered which is not at all good. My archive will be enjoying some back end updates soon too and they will be a big help. I think this will be the year where it all comes together, finally.

So from Mack and I, here’s to a new year and a new website. May everyone’s dreams for the season come true.

Cheers to you and yours,
Jono

To order a print simply click the ‘add to cart’ button and you will be given all of the options. Personally I like the lustre finish. You can also now get a metallic print which looks really cool. The metallic printing gives the photo a sort of shimmery look. Not all photos will take full advantage of the like but some like this one would look really cool.

You can always go to my galleries page to browse and see what has been recently posted. I’m always adding something and with my new site you can just get into a gallery and click the slide show button to sit back and enjoy.

2010 Redlands - Images by Jonathan Devich

Been out of the blog loop for a little bit but I am not going to let it go too long. The past few weeks have been really busy starting with the San Dimas Stage Race and then the Redlands Bicycle Classic. In between those two events I did some team and life style photo shoots. Back at home I have been busy with things like getting equipment serviced and working out some travel logistics. I like to try to plan things out the best I can so that when the time comes I just do it and don’t have to think about things.

It’s also been wildflower season here and I’ve gotten out for some photos. I even did my first photo tour! I’ve had the idea for some time of taking people out to shoot but never really dedicated the time to it. But out of the blue I had a gentleman call that wanted to go out and get some photos. We spent about 2 1/2 hours out in the desert at different locations looking for good shots. He seemed to have a great time and I did too. You just can’t beat Arizona in the spring time.

This past week, Tuesday (in the US) March 9th, my father-in-law passed away in Newcastle, Australia.

I wouldn’t normally write about such personal things but sometimes the best way for me to wrap my head around things is to be creative, whether it be through photos or some other medium. And since my my site and blog is photo related I think I can somehow relate all of this and it will make sense.

Since we live in the United States and my wife’s family lives in her birthplace, Australia, I savor the trips back there. I’ve been there many times now and each trip back we have spent a good amount of time with her parents. During those trips I’ve always looked forward to time with family and I have gotten to know her her father, Anton. This is some of his story as I have learned it and how we came to know each other.

Anton has been married for 61 years to Helena. Anton and Helena had three children; the oldest, Yvonne, middle daughter Linda and the youngest, Paula. Anton was born to Dutch parents working in Indonesia and was sent back to Holland to live with relatives when he was a child. During WWII he served for the Dutch merchant marines. He sailed several times through the harbors of New York and when in port enjoyed the big band music he could find in downtown NY City. Seeing old photos of Anton always reminded me of movie stars in 30’s and 40’s. He had all the looks and flare of Cary Grant and I bet he was quite the hit with the lady’s when he pulled into port and hit the dance floor with his fancy dress and Dutch accent.

At the time, the Dutch merchant marines used to sail to Cuba and pick up supplies. They had a rule that said if your ship got blown up and you survived you could go home. Knowing that his ship was dodging floating mines in the harbors and German U-boats, Anton slept with his flotation device tied tight around him but never used it. After hearing of a sister ship being blown to bits, Anton received a letter saying that his family had been killed in the war. Thinking that he was the only one left and all was surely lost, Anton jumped ship when they hit the dock in New York and started a life there. Eventually Anton learned that the news he had received was false and he made is way back to the merchant marines and finally to Holland to reunite with his family. Once back and settled he met Helena.

Late in the 50’s Australia was offering incentives and recruiting hard for citizens. Helena and Anton decided this was just the adventure they wanted. They packed up their two daughters and headed for a new land on the other side of the world. During this time Anton had become interested in photography and film.

I’m sure that Anton must have felt a bit uneasy traveling so far on a cruise ship after his merchant marine service but he loved the sea and he did it anyway, not only did he do it but he documented the journey. Throughout the trip he shot 16mm film and its amazing. Their journey took them through exotic lands and he thought to capture it all on film as they went. Footage shows the ship passing through the Suez Canal with camels walking along the banks. He showed the kids playing on the deck of the ship and waves rising and falling through the portals in his state room. Early on they traveled through the Gulf of Naples and visited Pompeii where Anton got footage of the family at lunch and walking through the Italian markets. It was a fabulous journey. The film is a bit faded and cracked now but this only adds to the authenticity.

During a trip in 2006 I brought Anton a film splicer so that he could repair some of the old reels. With hands shaking and weak eyes he did it, he pulled out his projector and patched together the memories. After a couple hours of delicate work, Anton had put together several reels and the family gathered round to relive the historic immigration from Holland to Australia. Anton not only showed film from the cruise ship but also post war Holland. It was like watching a Hollywood film yet this was real. He captured intimate moments like ducklings on a pond and the children at play in the park. He knew about F-stops and lighting and changed lenses to get close ups or wide angle scenics. That was where Anton and I met.

I didn’t know Anton as well as I would have liked but we found common ground in photography. He wasn’t much into all these new digital things but he knew the process of making a photo and appreciated a good shot. Whenever we got together I was sure to show him some things I had recently worked on, maybe brought him a couple magazines I was in at the time, and he was always anxious to see everything. Anton was a quite person but through seeing each others work we got to meet in the middle and form a relationship.

Through his films on that night back in 2006 I saw just as much adventure as I could have read in any book. The power of film brought us to far away lands, through time and back again. It was amazing to see what the family had done and how Anton had captured it so beautifully. I think everyone in the room laugh or cried through there own personal parts of it as the old reels flickered along.

We never know where a photo will lead us. It could lead us backwards, to a place we don’t want to go. It could take us forward, give us a good kick in the back side and make us charge ahead. The power of a photo can never be underestimated. If were lucky its much bigger than a double page spread or another cover of a magazine. I can’t deny liking those things but if were lucky we can get more out of it. If were lucky, it brings people together.

Anton is gone now but the memories won’t fade. They live on in family and friends, in photos and film. If I could have said anything to him at the end it would have been to just say thanks. Thanks for letting me be a part of the family. Thanks for showing me your work and appreciating mine. Thanks for taking the time to work with that old film splicer and piece reels together, I know it was hard for you to do. Thank you, you brought us together.