- Bicycling
- Infrastructure
Bryan Formhals • April 17, 2025
When I moved to Minneapolis in 2023 and began exploring the city on foot, I was quickly inspired by the bike culture. Through my work with Streets.mn, I have met many bike advocates and enthusiasts, whom I feel form the nucleus of the energy driving our efforts for equitable transit and infrastructure.
While walking, I began to reflect on how Minneapolis’ excellent bike infrastructure enhances the pedestrian experience. The network of dedicated bike lanes, greenways, parks and paths — and the integration with the broader transit system — both supports cycling and fosters a symbiotic relationship with pedestrian infrastructure. As I walked the city making landscape photographs, I was also inspired by how cyclists navigated the network. I’m drawn to the movement, energy and style of cycling. It brings a burst of energy and dynamism to public spaces that make them much more enjoyable. The strong sense of community, most visible in group bike rides, was contagious. As a pedestrian, I find no better allies and sources of inspiration than the cycling community.
Last summer, I decided I wanted to start photographing cyclists moving through the landscape. I thought my style of landscape photography would work well for this type of project, and I found it challenging to take candid photographs in public, which I hadn’t attempted seriously in years.
Although some debate the ethics of candid photography, my intention is to celebrate and document the public good of cycling infrastructure, rather than to denigrate or mock anyone. No matter my intention, however, others may view the photographs differently, and I am willing to engage in that discourse. In fact, now that these photographs are public, I’ll be offering a 5×7 print to anyone who recognizes themselves in a photograph as a thank you.
Compositionally, capturing cyclists in motion presents unique challenges. Unlike my usual approach of moving through the landscape and capturing images spontaneously, this project demands a different method, one that requires patience and keen observation. Finding the right moment — with the perfect convergence of light, scenery and action — often means waiting and watching. This slower, more deliberate approach has allowed me to observe and appreciate the subtle nuances of urban cycling in a way I had not before. In most of the photographs, the cyclists are only a small part of the overall frame, which is intentional. I enjoy exploring how photography can communicate scale and context, which also makes some of the photographs difficult to fully appreciate on small screens!
The project also allows me to explore themes of movement and energy within the cityscape. Cyclists embody a dynamic energy as they navigate the urban landscape, and capturing this energy through photography is my central goal. It is about freezing a moment of motion, a burst of speed or a quiet moment of contemplation on a bike.
Ultimately, I hope this project is viewed as a thoughtful observation of the interaction between cyclists and the robust infrastructure that makes Minneapolis a top city for cycling.
Editor’s note: To comment on this story, or request a 5×7 print if you recognize yourself in a photograph, visit Streets.mn on Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram.
