aids/lifecycle

have camera & film, will pedal 545 miles to end hiv/aids

AIDS/LifeCycle is a yearly fundraiser for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Each June, cyclists and support staff from California, across the US, and around the world gather to make the 545-mile, seven-day journey from SF to LA by bicycle. Riders and Roadies raise upwards of $15M annually to support the work that the Foundation and the Center do in the fight against HIV/AIDS, while the connections made and conversations had en route down the coast help to fight stigma.

In 2019, my third consecutive year on the ride, I decided to strap a small bag to my bike and to bring along a camera and some film. My goal was to capture, in analog, a few of the places, moments, and people that make the AIDS/LifeCycle community — the Love Bubble, as it is more affectionately known — so special. I ultimately shot eight rolls of Fujifilm Fujicolor C200, one roll of Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400, and one roll of Kodak Portra 400 with my Nikon FE on a 50mm f/1.8 lens.

I will be the first to acknowledge that there are some poorly-exposed and out-of-focus frames among those I shot, as well as a few that show the effects of film that got too warm (on the third day, from King City to Paso Robles, high temperatures approached or exceeded 100°F). Fortunately, this collection of photographs was never intended to be perfect. Instead, my hope is that the images convey, in the perfectly imperfect way that only film can, the strength, resilience, compassion, fabulousness, and hope that fill up the Love Bubble.

Beyond that, these photographs may illuminate why so many of us come back to ride or roadie again year after year; they might even inspire you to join us! For more information or to donate, please click here.

A collection of 139 of the photographs from this project are available in a 108-page softcover book. 100% of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to AIDS/LifeCycle; please click below for purchase information.