Cycling Enthusiast Shares Love of Bikes through Scenic Landscapes Around the World

Through dreamy compositions, amateur photographer and cycling enthusiast Rob van Driel pays homage to the charming places a bicycle will take you. His work highlights sun-soaked landscapes where brightly-colored homes, lilac fields, and a vast seaside are just some of the locales you'll see on two wheels. Devoid of people, they offer an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the perfect fodder for those experiencing wanderlust.

Photography is a relatively new obsession for van Driel. As a fan of classic bicycles (models from the 1930s to 1980s), he first discovered Flickr for its community of other like-minded cycle lovers. It's then that he picked up a camera and started taking pictures of these bikes against beautiful backdrops. He's become so involved with photography that he tours with equipment in tow, meeting other classic bike owners from around the world–some of whom he met through Flickr.

Bikes are more than just a means of transportation for van Driel. They've had a large impact on his photography, and they've inspired him to learn about the technical aspects of the field, including light, angle, and composition. “After riding through beautiful landscapes and places shooting photos,” he told the Flickr blog, “at the end of the day I look at them as graphic images rather than recorded memories.”

Rob van Driel: Flickr
via [Flickr Blog]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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