Rick Smith has been riding motorcycles for more than 30 years and began snapping photographs in college. He spent several years working on motorcycles at Pauldings Cycles (White Plains, NY), assembling and repairing British, Japanese, and German models. In 1971, he bought a 1964 R60/2 BMW and spent about a year “chopping” and customizing it. He entered the bike in a local NY motorcycle show, and his efforts garnered 2nd place in the custom bike category. His black-and-white photographs, taken while riding his BMW cross-country, were used on two covers of the BMW Owners of America publications in the mid 1970s and in 2005, a photo of a motorcycle crash was chosen by Intel Corporation to depict the theme “Risk Taking.” Mr. Smith has recently started photographing motorcycle races around the Portland, OR area and has begun producing video footage from many of the rides he’s taken up and down the West Coast. “I love cruising alternately on my Polaris Victory and BMW K1100RS,” says Mr. Smith, “and prefer the twisting, winding roads over the Interstate. It really gives me the opportunity to enjoy the landscape, and I’ve devised a way to safely snap photos and shoot videos along the way.” Mr. Smith also has a deep interest in the history of motorcycles, and has begun research through recent tours of international motorcycle museums in Germany, England, and New Zealand.
Mr. Smith’s photography also includes landscape, candid, wildlife, zoo, panoramics, time-lapse, moon-lit, and special effects.
Upcoming Exhibit:
Stay tuned. Drop me an e-mail if you’d like to be notified of my next exhibit (rickspix dot biz [at] gmail dot com).
RECENT EVENTS, EXHIBITS, and AWARDS
August 22nd - August 23rd, 2010, Amy Roloff Charity Foundation. 2010 Charity Dinner and Golf Tournament, sport photographer at The Reserve Vinyards and Golf Club, Aloha, OR.
August, 2009, Amy Roloff Charity Foundation. 2009 Charity Golf Tournament, sport photographer at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, North Plains, OR.
August, 2007, Street of Dreams, Oregon City. Display sponsored by Taurus Homes and HindSightMX Motocross Arena.
July 9th - September 14th, 2007, Panoramic landscape and skyline photos at the CUBE Gallery in Beaverton (12240 SW Broadway). Gallery at 503-726-5625.
August 4th - September 16th, 2006, The Influence of Motorcycles on Contemporary Art, Mark Woolley Gallery/Guestroom Gallery/Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
November 2005 -October 2006, “Intel Values in Everyday Life” photo contest and world tour, San Jose, CA
October 6th - 28th, 2005, “Hillsboro Naturally” photo contest, Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, Hillsboro, OR