From the Field: Meet Photo Pace - Rj Agcamaran
From the Field: Meet Photo Pace - Rj Agcamaran
In his own words:
My full name is Richard James Agcamaran, but most of my family and friends know me as Rj. I’m currently 30 years old and I live in San Francisco, CA and have been riding bikes for about 12 years. My general interests in photography started when I was 16 years old and in love with skateboarding. My younger brother and I would spend hours skating. He was always better than I was so I ended up picking up an old camcorder and would record skateboarding videos with him and friends. Eventually, we both fell in love with cycling and the camera came along with us. Our old fixed-gear videos are probably still up somewhere on Youtube.
Describe yourself as a photographer - What is your aesthetic? What are you looking for in a good photograph?
My interests in photography stems from my interests in video-making, so naturally, I’ve always been drawn to film and 35mm photography. Often in my photographs I tend to put a lot of emphasis on the framing and background; and with subject shooting, I’m really drawn to candid, on-the-spot moments to capture. I don’t think I’ve perfected my style per se; however, I’m trying to constantly challenge myself to become a better photographer and sometimes that means shooting in a different style from what I’m used to. I think there are very few candid, on-the-spot, moments in a bike ride that tend to be those perfect moments for a photograph--it lasts for a split second, sometimes you capture it, sometimes you don’t. Challenging myself to capture those moments is what can make the difference between a good photograph and just a photograph.
How did you come into being involved with Photo Pace?
Photo Pace started off in 2019 as an extension of a never-ending Instagram DM among 8 friends who wouldn’t shut-up about bikes and cameras. How we all came to be friends in the first place is probably the more interesting story. Essentially, we sort of all met through instagram. This was 2015, and I was living near Los Angeles at the time. My best friend and I were in the process of moving to San Francisco and I had only known one or two of these guys through ‘likes’ and ‘comments.’ Eventually, I made it to SF and we each slowly started connecting our Instagrams into real-life meetups. At first, we all had two things in common--we rode bikes and we loved cameras--it didn’t really matter where we grew up, what color our skin was, how old we were, or what music we listened to. Our group is diverse, and as individuals, we were able to learn from one another. We all just loved cameras and bikes. Eventually, we started the DM as a way to share photos with each other and eventually we realized we slowly became each other's best-friends. Nearly a million DM messages with each other later, Photo Pace was born.
What is your favorite part of storytelling?
Subtlety. I think, sometimes there are very obvious parts in a story or photograph, but being able to capture the small, subtle things in moments really help to define the story. I also don’t think every photograph needs to tell a story, sometimes it’s a small moment--the kind that lasts a few seconds, that don’t require much of saying anything--those are usually the best stories.
How have you felt photography has fit into your life on the bike? Have you benefited from photography in any way?
For me, photography has long been something I’ve enjoyed--as a hobby, as a tool. It’s been with me since my teen years documenting skateboarding, and now it’s with me as an adult and documenting my life around cycling. It’s long been something I’ve enjoyed for myself, but lately, it’s also brought me a lot of amazing opportunities as a cyclist. Off the bike, in a way, cycling and photography brought me my best friends, it’s given me opportunities to explore other parts of the world, and it’s taught me a lot about myself as a person.
What does Photo Pace represent for you?
Cycling is such a fascinating sport because it appeals to people from all walks of life: doctors, educators, health workers, retail workers, construction workers, bankers, etc., yet, it's always been so frustrating for me to hear that there’s only one reason why you should be on a bike and it’s because you like to suffer, or go fast, or you’re an adrenaline junkie. Photo Pace allows me to change that narrative. It’s the simple idea, and may be representative in the name itself, that you’re allowed to slow things down, that a cyclist doesn’t have to own the fastest segment on Strava to be considered a cyclist. Hey, want to cruise around the neighborhood with you and your friends, with cameras on your back, and gummies in your pocket? Yes, you’re allowed to do that too, welcome to Photo Pace.
In a perfect world, where do you hope to see Photo Pace at its pinnacle?
Each member of Photo Pace has their own ambitions, but I think we all, even as individuals, want to see the culture of cycling become more inclusive--to help change the narrative on what it means to be a cyclist and I’d like for Photo Pace to have been instrumental in setting that trend forward. As a group, we
have all talked about developing our brand into something more than just photos on an Instagram page.
We essentially want to move towards working with other brands, in and around cycling, to develop and create content through each of our individual skills. At our pinnacle, I’d like for Photo Pace to have relationships with brands that believe in our vision, as well as, develop a community in and around Photo Pace that helps share ideas, discover talent, and helps to tell stories of individuals and collectives.
In his own words:
My full name is Richard James Agcamaran, but most of my family and friends know me as Rj. I’m currently 30 years old and I live in San Francisco, CA and have been riding bikes for about 12 years. My general interests in photography started when I was 16 years old and in love with skateboarding. My younger brother and I would spend hours skating. He was always better than I was so I ended up picking up an old camcorder and would record skateboarding videos with him and friends. Eventually, we both fell in love with cycling and the camera came along with us. Our old fixed-gear videos are probably still up somewhere on Youtube.
Describe yourself as a photographer - What is your aesthetic? What are you looking for in a good photograph?
My interests in photography stems from my interests in video-making, so naturally, I’ve always been drawn to film and 35mm photography. Often in my photographs I tend to put a lot of emphasis on the framing and background; and with subject shooting, I’m really drawn to candid, on-the-spot moments to capture. I don’t think I’ve perfected my style per se; however, I’m trying to constantly challenge myself to become a better photographer and sometimes that means shooting in a different style from what I’m used to. I think there are very few candid, on-the-spot, moments in a bike ride that tend to be those perfect moments for a photograph--it lasts for a split second, sometimes you capture it, sometimes you don’t. Challenging myself to capture those moments is what can make the difference between a good photograph and just a photograph.
How did you come into being involved with Photo Pace?
Photo Pace started off in 2019 as an extension of a never-ending Instagram DM among 8 friends who wouldn’t shut-up about bikes and cameras. How we all came to be friends in the first place is probably the more interesting story. Essentially, we sort of all met through instagram. This was 2015, and I was living near Los Angeles at the time. My best friend and I were in the process of moving to San Francisco and I had only known one or two of these guys through ‘likes’ and ‘comments.’ Eventually, I made it to SF and we each slowly started connecting our Instagrams into real-life meetups. At first, we all had two things in common--we rode bikes and we loved cameras--it didn’t really matter where we grew up, what color our skin was, how old we were, or what music we listened to. Our group is diverse, and as individuals, we were able to learn from one another. We all just loved cameras and bikes. Eventually, we started the DM as a way to share photos with each other and eventually we realized we slowly became each other's best-friends. Nearly a million DM messages with each other later, Photo Pace was born.
What is your favorite part of storytelling?
Subtlety. I think, sometimes there are very obvious parts in a story or photograph, but being able to capture the small, subtle things in moments really help to define the story. I also don’t think every photograph needs to tell a story, sometimes it’s a small moment--the kind that lasts a few seconds, that don’t require much of saying anything--those are usually the best stories.
How have you felt photography has fit into your life on the bike? Have you benefited from photography in any way?
For me, photography has long been something I’ve enjoyed--as a hobby, as a tool. It’s been with me since my teen years documenting skateboarding, and now it’s with me as an adult and documenting my life around cycling. It’s long been something I’ve enjoyed for myself, but lately, it’s also brought me a lot of amazing opportunities as a cyclist. Off the bike, in a way, cycling and photography brought me my best friends, it’s given me opportunities to explore other parts of the world, and it’s taught me a lot about myself as a person.
What does Photo Pace represent for you?
Cycling is such a fascinating sport because it appeals to people from all walks of life: doctors, educators, health workers, retail workers, construction workers, bankers, etc., yet, it's always been so frustrating for me to hear that there’s only one reason why you should be on a bike and it’s because you like to suffer, or go fast, or you’re an adrenaline junkie. Photo Pace allows me to change that narrative. It’s the simple idea, and may be representative in the name itself, that you’re allowed to slow things down, that a cyclist doesn’t have to own the fastest segment on Strava to be considered a cyclist. Hey, want to cruise around the neighborhood with you and your friends, with cameras on your back, and gummies in your pocket? Yes, you’re allowed to do that too, welcome to Photo Pace.
In a perfect world, where do you hope to see Photo Pace at its pinnacle?
Each member of Photo Pace has their own ambitions, but I think we all, even as individuals, want to see the culture of cycling become more inclusive--to help change the narrative on what it means to be a cyclist and I’d like for Photo Pace to have been instrumental in setting that trend forward. As a group, we
have all talked about developing our brand into something more than just photos on an Instagram page.
We essentially want to move towards working with other brands, in and around cycling, to develop and create content through each of our individual skills. At our pinnacle, I’d like for Photo Pace to have relationships with brands that believe in our vision, as well as, develop a community in and around Photo Pace that helps share ideas, discover talent, and helps to tell stories of individuals and collectives.