My passion for motorcycles and sports cars
Hi, and thank you for visiting my website. My name is Rick. I have been a motorcycle and sports car enthusiast ever since I can remember. In mid 2004 (while stationed at the Burn center at Fort Sam Houston, TX), I enrolled in a Saturday and Sunday motorcycle riding course to prepare myself to take the motorcycle license written exam. Something I had always wanted to do since I was in my late teens. Over the course of a couple of months, before taking the course, I had been visiting this local motorcycle dealership trying to figure out which motorcycle and what size engine would best fit me to start off with. I settled on a 2004 Yamaha, 1100cc V Star Classic. After the successful completion of the motorcycle riding course, I went on to pass the written exam that following Monday; and on Tuesday, I asked my best friend Carlos (AKA Chief), to drop me off at the dealership because I was ready to pick up my brand new motorcycle. Boy… was I super excited as we made our way to the dealership! (LOL). There is a bit more to this story that may be a bit too long to tell here so be sure to ask me about it if we ever have the pleasure of meeting. I am sure you will get a good laugh out of what happened next on that Tuesday evening. My 2004 Yamaha V Star Classic would be the first of six bikes I would own over the span of 19 plus years.
The Alamo Apostles of the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA)
In January of 2022, I became a member of the Alamo Apostles, a chapter of the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA), out of San Antonio, Texas. CMA has been serving the motorcycle community through outreach ministry since 1975 (a noble and worthy cause), something I truly enjoy being a Christian myself. In early 2023, after nearly 20 years of riding, I made the decision to give up riding due to ongoing cervical spine issues. Even though I am no longer riding, my commitment to serving the motorcycle community and my love for motorcycles and sports cars will never change.
Enter the visual arts
Besides motorcycles and sports cars, I have always had a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the performing arts. My interest in the visual arts really peaked in 2007 while I was stationed at Camp Casey, South Korea. I purchased a Nikon D80 DSLR camera because I was determined to capture these beautiful images of the manicured gardens I had visited while I was stationed there. Initially, I thought that my expensive camera was defective as I was not capturing the images I was expecting to see (LOL). Thinking back, I remember seeing something that said “read the manual before operating.” But I’m a guy, guys don’t need manuals… right?! It wasn’t until one of the locals who worked on post gave me a quick lesson on shooting RAW and in manual mode. After that, I knew just enough to be somewhat dangerous with my camera. So in 2009 (a year after retiring from active duty), I enrolled at San Antonio College (SAC) and later at the Art Institute at San Antonio taking every photography class they had to offer. I was determined to learn everything I could about photography. What really started as a hobby, would soon turn into a real passion. It wasn’t until 2012 that I decided to get into the business side of photography. Initially I started doing weddings, quinceaneras, and some portrait work while taking evening classes during the week. At the same time, I was working a full time job as a Department of Defense (DoD) Army civilian at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research/Burn center. I still work there to this very day.
Blending my interests – photography, motorcycles, and sports cars
It wasn’t long before I realized that I was spending my entire weekends working so I shifted gears and started only taking portrait work and doing landscape and still photography on my own time while trying to spend a little more time riding my motorcycle. In early 2020 when COVID-19 Pandemic hit, photography came to a complete halt for me. I just recently got back into doing photography this past year. Capturing motorcycles and sports cars in motion has become a topic of interest for me. My number one priority while doing this is the safety of my brothers and sisters as I attempt to capture candid images as they ride past my location. I do my best to position myself out of sight and always use my telephoto lens to avoid being a distraction. Some of my favorite images are of couples; you can visually see the love and the passion shared while being out riding together. I believe that there is an opportunity to capture stunning images everywhere we go. I will always strive to capture stunning images of you and your ride as you are out and about enjoying your weekend. I hope that you enjoy my work as much as I do. Remember… keep the rubber down and the shiny side up! God Bless.
