Under-Bikes: I Photograph Bicycles From Underneath

Last two years, I spend all my time to photograph things from underneath. The most difficult project was Under-horse, also I did Under-cats, and Under-dogs. This time I decided to photograph bicycles from underneath.

I didn’t think of this project myself - it was suggested by the bike shop owner in Groningen, Netherlands. First thought that popped to my head was that I have never really seen a bicycle from underneath and well, that might be actually interesting. After giving it some though I have packed all the equipment, got on a plane and flew from Lithuania to the Netherlands.

In the beginning I had no idea if it will be interesting or not. It was going to be my first project where I would be capturing an everyday item instead of an alive animal like in my previous projects. But in the end not only the pictures turned out to be very interesting but also the photoshoot itself was nothing like before.

When I had landed, the first thing that didn’t go unnoticed was of course the amount of bikes in the city. The Netherlands has the highest bicycle density worldwide, with about 1,2 bikes per inhabitant, which makes it the world’s only nation where bikes outnumber people. That is why it makes the perfect place for the project like "Under-Bikes".

My temporary photo studio was based at the Church Mansion, a former monastery now serving as a vibrant student house. For this project we’ve had all the help from the students who live at this student house and came to study to the Netherlands from foreign countries. And of course the bike shop owner too. He has organised everything for these shooting days and had invited the owners of the most interesting bicycles found in Groningen. For this photoshoot many of them were enormous cruisers, we even had a cruiser made from wood or the one that was made from iron chains. For us it was such an incredible experience which will be remembered for a long time and we hope that these pictures will bring some of that vibe to you too.

For all bike enthusiasts, Underlook is releasing T-shirts, posters, and textile prints, which you can find at their e-shop.

More info: getunderlook.com | Facebook | Backstage video