Dmitry Gudkov's photostream  

"Biggest problem is deciding which bike to ride," Ross told me before we met up for a photo. Ross likes bikes. He built this cruiser himself, as he did with the other "couple dozen" he has lying around the house.

He started getting handy with bikes at a young age.

"When I was 6 years old, my chain broke, and my mom didn't know how to fix it. So I taught myself - I found I was naturally good at it." He used to ride road bikes but now prefers cruisers, especially for city riding. "You just don't see as much when you're bent over the handlebars."

Ross lives in Woodside, Queens, and thought something "industrial by the water" might be good for the portrait. So here we are in Queensbridge Park, which, by the way, has a beautiful, newly paved 2-way bike lane running along the water.

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... is the name of the pooch. Or "Novey" for short.

Union Square

"I've been riding a bike in New York City for 37 years. I practically raised my two kids on the back of a bike. I live in Tribeca and ride pretty much everywhere. I love riding on the West Side bike path. Not so much on the East Side one."

"I've had many bikes over the years. Had a few stolen. I got this one at Target a couple of years ago. It's great - light and comfortable."

Do you have many friends who ride?
"Not too many. I've kind of become the friend who says 'I'll meet you at your place', because it's pretty easy for me to get anywhere on my bike. Though I also have a couple of friendships I wouldn't have if I didn't bike."

What about your family who don't live in New York? Do you think they're crazy for riding here?
"Yes. But they also think I'm crazy for living here. Still."

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I met Carl today while on a Valentine's Day tour of the Newtown Creek Water Treatment Plant in Greenpoint (romantic, no?). The facility is administered by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which manages New York's entire water supply.

I asked Carl how he got his job. He told me he's liked photography since he was a kid and spent years working in photo studios in New York. One day his wife asked him to take the new civil service exam, "just in case." It was a good thing he did, because a year later the studio he was working for went under. It turned out a photographer position was open at the Department of Environmental Protection (then known as the Bureau of Water Supply). This was 1969. Carl has been the NYC DEP photographer ever since. He has documented the decades-long construction of New York City Water Tunnel Number 3 and countless other DEP projects and facilities.

Carl used to develop all his photos in the DEP's own darkroom facilities, but a few years ago he finally made the switch to digital. He was on hand to cover the tour of the water treatment plant. He still loves his job, and it shows.

Tough Mudder event in Washington, Georgia. February 11 and 12, 2012.
Shot on assignment for Tough Mudder.

Full gallery on my Google + page: plus.google.com/photos/114104809227933373865/albums/57080...