From the Field: Meet Photo Pace - Gene Torno
From the Field: Meet Photo Pace - Gene Torno
In his own words:
Just to state the obvious: Cycling and Photography. But also Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Bikepacking, Mountaineering, and just generally being outside.
I’ve been riding since I was a kid like everyone else, but I definitely got more into cycling about 9 years ago. I was also into photography around the same time. However, I was shooting mainly model portraits and head shots and it never occurred to me to combine the two. It wasn’t until I met Kyle Thornhill when these two things collided.
Describe yourself as a photographer - What is your aesthetic? What are you looking for in a good photograph?
While most of the crew have their individual aesthetic fairly dialed in, I’m still trying to figure mine out. I only started legitimately shooting from the bike with a camera last year. I do know that my mood dictates a lot of it, especially during post production.
How did you come into being involved with Photo Pace?
I think just like everyone else in the group, our common tie-in is Kyle. The two of us started riding together and go on these adventures, and he would always be shooting. And then one by one, he would introduced me to each member of Photo Pace. Eventually, we all became fast friends sharing our love for both photography and cycling.
What is your favorite part of storytelling?
My favorite part would have to be putting together something that a person could instantly relate to. I would hope that this person develops a connection with it, either through pure wonderment or awe, or unfettered nostalgia, like recounting their own misadventures exploring new dirt.
How have you felt photography has fit into your life on the bike? Have you benefited from photography in anyway?
I think cycling and photography mesh incredibly well together. I was never initially the outdoorsy type, but the second I started cycling, I garnered a newfound appreciation for it. I became hungry for new sights and to travel on roads and trails that I’ve never been on before. This goes the same for life off the bike.
My love for the outdoors fed into this need for exploration and definitely ignited a passion for the other outside hobbies that I now currently enjoy. One of my favorite quotes is by Edward Abbey and it goes: “A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.” Additionally, it feels only natural to see incredible views and to want to capture all of it with a camera, and to share it with others. However, ironically, it’s because of photography, that I’ve learned to put down the camera sometimes and just enjoy the view.
What does Photo Pace represent for you?
For me honestly, it’s just a bunch of friends that have come together to do things that we all collectively love. But it’s evolved far beyond that initial concept. We have a Photo Pace group chat where we talk shop, strategize, and plan and organize things, but the majority of the time it’s just us joking around, talking about non-cycling/photography things, and basically hanging out, digitally. There isn’t an hour or a day that it isn’t active. Kyle, Corona, Patrick, Zack, Chris, RJ, and Shawn have become some of my closest friends.
In a perfect world, where do you hope to see Photo Pace at its pinnacle?
Honestly, that’s hard for me to say. We definitely have short and long term goals but I would think that the pinnacle for our collective is an ever changing target for us to reach and that we would be constantly aiming for it.
In his own words:
Just to state the obvious: Cycling and Photography. But also Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Bikepacking, Mountaineering, and just generally being outside.
I’ve been riding since I was a kid like everyone else, but I definitely got more into cycling about 9 years ago. I was also into photography around the same time. However, I was shooting mainly model portraits and head shots and it never occurred to me to combine the two. It wasn’t until I met Kyle Thornhill when these two things collided.
Describe yourself as a photographer - What is your aesthetic? What are you looking for in a good photograph?
While most of the crew have their individual aesthetic fairly dialed in, I’m still trying to figure mine out. I only started legitimately shooting from the bike with a camera last year. I do know that my mood dictates a lot of it, especially during post production.
How did you come into being involved with Photo Pace?
I think just like everyone else in the group, our common tie-in is Kyle. The two of us started riding together and go on these adventures, and he would always be shooting. And then one by one, he would introduced me to each member of Photo Pace. Eventually, we all became fast friends sharing our love for both photography and cycling.
What is your favorite part of storytelling?
My favorite part would have to be putting together something that a person could instantly relate to. I would hope that this person develops a connection with it, either through pure wonderment or awe, or unfettered nostalgia, like recounting their own misadventures exploring new dirt.
How have you felt photography has fit into your life on the bike? Have you benefited from photography in anyway?
I think cycling and photography mesh incredibly well together. I was never initially the outdoorsy type, but the second I started cycling, I garnered a newfound appreciation for it. I became hungry for new sights and to travel on roads and trails that I’ve never been on before. This goes the same for life off the bike.
My love for the outdoors fed into this need for exploration and definitely ignited a passion for the other outside hobbies that I now currently enjoy. One of my favorite quotes is by Edward Abbey and it goes: “A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles.” Additionally, it feels only natural to see incredible views and to want to capture all of it with a camera, and to share it with others. However, ironically, it’s because of photography, that I’ve learned to put down the camera sometimes and just enjoy the view.
What does Photo Pace represent for you?
For me honestly, it’s just a bunch of friends that have come together to do things that we all collectively love. But it’s evolved far beyond that initial concept. We have a Photo Pace group chat where we talk shop, strategize, and plan and organize things, but the majority of the time it’s just us joking around, talking about non-cycling/photography things, and basically hanging out, digitally. There isn’t an hour or a day that it isn’t active. Kyle, Corona, Patrick, Zack, Chris, RJ, and Shawn have become some of my closest friends.
In a perfect world, where do you hope to see Photo Pace at its pinnacle?
Honestly, that’s hard for me to say. We definitely have short and long term goals but I would think that the pinnacle for our collective is an ever changing target for us to reach and that we would be constantly aiming for it.