The World Naked Bike Ride started on South Grand and then headed northeast through Benton Park and Soulard. The cyclists whizzed by the Arch, then west on Washington and Lindell to the Central West End. Then a final turn southeast with the ride ending in The Grove.
The WNBR has been around in many cities since 2004, although there are several that have lapsed. St. Louis has been doing it since 2008 and it gets bigger every year. The last time I shot it was in 2009. It was much smaller and no one was literally naked. Way more people this year. It was only a small fraction of the crowd but there were a number of people sans vêtements. And here, in St. Louis. There really is an edge to this city. Can't imagine this event in Cincinnati.
That's it for this series. Gotta get back on the streets.
The staging area for our edition of the World Naked Bile Ride was a parking lot, much too small for the crowd that showed up. The cyclists spilled out into the adjacent street. No one had a clear idea as to which way to turn. The resulting anarchy seemed quite fitting for the occasion. There was something about the whole scene that kept reminding me of the first verse of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row.
The ride goes out onto the street tomorrow.
At the Maine Media Workshops, where I received my photography training, they drill one principle into you: ask permission. On the other hand, at least in this country, the law holds that if you are out on the street, you have no expectation of privacy from photographers as long as the picture isn't used for commercial purposes. Fine art, whatever that means, is always ok.
I asked for and received permission to take these pictures. A few people declined. When that happens I say no problem, that's why I ask, and the potential subject is appreciative. Later Saturday night, when the ride passed in front of the Arch, someone screamed at me for taking pictures, someone who was whizzing through a downtown street wearing, I presume, not much. (I never saw her).
I've got a tee shirt from a Diane Arbus exhibition with one of her most famous quotes across the back: one of the risks of appearing in public is the likelihood of being photographed. Should have worn it but didn't.
The local edition of the World Naked Bike Ride passed through The Lou last night. Its web site says that it "is part of an international event to protest oil dependency, raise
awareness of cyclist rights and vulnerability on the road, and promote
positive body image." I think most people were there just for the daring fun of it, and though the pro-bike anti-fossil fuel folk were well represented.
I last shot this in 2009. More to come, but I will have to be very careful how I edit these.
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This picture gives some idea of what the WNBR looked like when it left Tower Grove Park and hit the street. For the locals, the group is riding north on Grand, just north of Arsenal. The Bare As You Dare slogan is evident, with some people more-or-less fully clothed and others, well, not.
This was a difficult assignment. It was too dark in the park for much light besides the flash on the foreground. The riders left the park in an area with no street lights, so I was shooting into the dark at whatever appeared to be moving. A couple of pics, like this one, got a cool effect by using second curtain sync on the flash. It's a fun effect for night shots.
Flickr users know that you get a running count of how many people have viewed each of your photos. This set started to go up barely 36 hours ago and it's blown away the number of views of anything I've ever posted there, now almost 2,000 images. Maybe it's from people searching Flickr for the keyword naked. As they say, sex sells.
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Saturday night brought the World Naked Bike Ride to The Lou. The slogan is "bare as you dare" and the cause is to protest dependence on oil. There is a good history and analysis of the event here.
The ride takes place in 70 cities. This was the second run in St. Louis. This couple had on about the average amount of covering. (Note the woman's headlights. Uh, head...?) A few bikers wore a lot less. Now, since this is a proper town, appearing in public with the naughty bits uncovered is prohibited. Fortunately, the St. Louis Police Department forgot their night vision goggles and nobody got busted.There is is a growing set of my pix from WNBR on Flickr here, including the naughty bits, or most of them. Note that you will not see all the photos in this set if you do not have a Flickr account or have your filter set to Safe. In accordance with Flickr's rules, any pictures showing more skin than is allowed on U.S. over-the-air television have been classified as Medium. Some people were nakeder than than others so set your filter accordingly.I think we'll have some more of this silliness TOMORROW.BY THE WAY, STL DPB welcomes a new St. Louis photoblog, Merry@St. Louis. It's nice to have another pair of eyes on this city. Merry and I have exchanged email but have not met. I know her husband from my work. They moved here about a year ago from upstate New York. I greatly recommend the weekly essay on his blog, St. Louis Sojourn, in which he writes lucidly about his experiences as a transplant to the Midwest.
