By Reuel Golden

It was only a two-day shoot, but in this short period, the legendary surf and action photographer Art Brewer produced images for the Electra Bicycle Company’s entire 2009 campaign, including a 116-page catalogue, an international ad campaign, industry and retail display and online uses. The images will also be integrated into a video/film promo campaign. It sounds like a lot of hard work, but the way Nena Anderson, Electra’s project manager, tells it, it was also a lot of fun: ”Art Brewer is an artist and his medium is light. His skill is immense and his eye is unique. Plus he is a character. He's worth the price of admission just for the stories and personality alone.”

The concept of the 2009 campaign is intimacy. “Intimacy in actions, events and how a bicycle can become an integral part of your life, however crazy or normal that life might be. The photo concept was to illustrate how Electra approaches conventional bicycle design and markets in an unconventional way,” explains Anderson. Brewer, therefore, had to shoot a combination of portraiture, action, environmental and lifestyle images in a loose spontaneous style. Natural lighting was used whenever possible, with retouching kept to a minimum.

Founded 16 years ago, Electra Bicycle Company is a lifestyle brand that specializes in bicycles for everyday use, designed to be part of people's lives. That philosophy combined with a high design esthetic visually and functionally has made Electra a major player in the sports industry.

Electra prides itself on being more funky and earthy than the average bike manufacturer. In its latest branding, the company wanted to move as far away as possible from conventional bike imagery and instead use visuals that focused on the personality and lifestyle of the rider. So for example, one shot that appears in the catalogue captures a model riding a bike into a motel swimming pool. Another shot shows a musician taking a shower in his suit.

The first day's shoot took place in the South Californian high desert in Pioneertown where they used to shoot Westerns in the 1940s and 1950s. “It has become an artist haven in recent years and provided us with a sensibility that took us away from the beach image usually associated with the cruiser line of Electra bikes. It’s a little dirty, funky and a lot American,” says Anderson. The second day was in San Diego, where the company is based. It is also a bike friendly city with the “right combination of ragged asphalt, city activity and hills to prove that these bikes can work hard when needed or just let you roll through the traffic,” she explains.

During the shoot,  Anderson says, "Getting real people comfortable enough to be photographed is always a challenge.  Shooting in the desert with a cast and crew of 20 people on a low budget and still making that shoot efficient, comfortable and fruitful--that can be tough.” However, she says Brewer’s relaxed approach to shooting and his ability to make the planned look accidental was the key to making it work. “We wanted Art's sensibility in presenting imagery that was not fabricated but true to life.”