Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alec Levy-O’Brien. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alec, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Coming out of High School, I had hardly picked up a camera before. Most of my experience with photography came from the occasional family holiday where the family camera was broken out at the scenic viewpoints. I had quite a few friends who took photography classes while in school, however.

During the first Thanksgiving break after High School, I was spending some time with a close friend and his brother, both of whom were avid film and medium format photographers. They asked if I was interested in joining them on a trip to a local camera store so they could pick up some supplies. While there, I got inspired to pick up a camera myself and start experimenting.

Fast forward a year later and I have upgraded from a film camera to a Full-Frame DSLR to take photos of my friends racing bikes around Northern California. At this time, I was working in a local bike shop while attending a local community college. A regular customer of ours seemed to know a lot about the world of professional cycling and low and behold, he revealed that he was a professional photographer working for several big-name cycling brands. I shared my interest in learning more about the profession. A week later he offered to take me under his wing and show me the ropes.

So, for the next two years, I worked alongside him learning all the tricks of the trade. I met some cycling heroes of mine and some up-and-coming stars as well, availing myself of the opportunity to take photos of them. This acted as a springboard for my first professional photo contract in early 2020.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Alec, I am a professional cycling photographer, journalist, and Assistant Team Manager with the largest junior mountain bike development program in the United States, Bear National Team. I have worked professionally in Photography since 2020 and as an apprentice from 2018 to 2020.

My primary focus in photography is on action sports photography, with an emphasis on cycling. I pride myself on using only natural light to capture my images, both in action and portrait photography. I believe this sets me apart from a lot of other photographers in the space as my final product more accurately portrays both the subject and the environment they are placed in.

I do my very best to not only capture as many quality images as possible but also to get the “bigger picture” of what is happening. Stepping outside the box, or in most cases just taking a couple of steps back, can transform a scene from good to great. Because I am self-taught, I feel that my skills are not hampered by conventions that a lot of other photographers will constrain themselves to, allowing my creativity to flow and for a higher quality of product to be produced.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I began working my first professional solo photography gig in February of 2020, a month and a half before the world came grinding to a halt because of COVID-19. I was excited to test my skills and prove my worth to my employers.

My first shoot that year in February went off without a hitch, and I produced images that I am still very proud of. I had the opportunity to work with a handful of other photographers at that event, all of whom I still collaborate with.

My second shoot started well, with a trip to a race venue down in Temecula, California for the first race series of the season. The first two days were progressing nicely when we started getting news stories of the first COVID-19 cases on the West Coast. While concern was low, the race series was canceled halfway through the weekend as a precaution, forcing a last-minute change in plans for the team and myself.

I still remember boarding the last plane from LAX to SFO thinking “This will be a nice couple weeks of vacation before we are back to it!” Oh how wrong I was. I wouldn’t get the opportunity to work professionally again until the Summer of 2021, when the team invited me out to the U.S. Mountain Bike National Championship in Winter Park, Colorado. It was here that I availed myself of the opportunity to demonstrate how my skills had improved in the months between and how I could be of further value to the team moving forward.

Since the Summer of 2021, I have worked more than 20 race events as a photographer, and have developed my role into an assistant management position. This has expanded not only my access to the team but allows me to more effectively contribute to the development of these young athletes, helping them achieve their dreams of being a professional cyclist down the road.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

From the beginning, my photography goal has been exploring both myself and my environment. I have long dreamed of being a photographer for a professional team at the Tour de France. For now, I am happy enough to be working with the young athletes I am with now. Following their journey and watching them succeed through incredible odds has been rewarding enough for a lifetime. As I am answering this, two of my former athletes just went first and second at a World Cup event in Brazil. Watching a spectacle such as that happen, even from half a world away, is the best taste of success I could have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alevyobrien.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/alevyobrien
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alevyobrien/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/alevyobrien

Image Credits
All images property of Alec Levy-O’Brien/Bear National Team