Every time I publish a new volume of Embrocation Cycling Journal I learn something new. For example, this time around I had someone proofread the whole thing. Twice. In fact, I then took what The Gus had proofread, and I read through it again.
Yet, I still forgot something.
Something very, very important.
If any of you know and are familiar with the photography of Chris Milliman you will know that he is at the core PRO. Professional in a way that makes everyone else just kind of look silly in comparison. I mean, his list of clients could be boasted as probably one of the best in the industry. Everything from (and I'm probably going to get some of these wrong here, I'm just going by memory) Giro, fi'zi:k, Specialized, Velonews, Serotta, Cannondale, shit, the list goes on and on (I can keep going if you want...Ibex, Crank Brothers, Liquigas, should I stop?)...
Check out the sheen of embrocation on Hott Sam's Legs. Hot indeed.Anyway, I first got to work with Mr. Milliman (as he should from now on be called) with the Rapha Continental project. Our first ride shooting together was actually the first one I participated in, a ride labeled "Occidental."
From there on out the rest was history...
Or something to that effect.
In Embrocation Volume2 Chris had a spread of his photos from the 2008 Tour of California. They are pretty amazing portraits that were taken during the Prologue. My favorite shot is one of Boonen that he took from the bridge that went over the course. It show's Boonen descending into the Darkness. As I'm sure most of these riders have to do to ride as fast and hard as they can all the time.
However I think some of my favorite Milliman photos appear on under the D2R2 Rapha ride. Chris does a great job capturing cycling photography. Any given weekend of the cross season you can find him on a cross course from anywhere in New England to the mud covered fields of Portand and don't rule out Belgium either. So we know he know's how to shoot riders...
But what he does in the D2R2 photo shoot is amazing and not related to the sports shooting that we're used to seeing. In the barn sides and wide open fields he plumbs the depths of what cycling photography can and should mean. The periphery. How it all the pieces fit together to tell a story. How the sides of barns and fields of wheat all play characters in the greater story that is being told.
Which is why, when I was putting together a piece on Seven Cycles I turned to Chris Milliman for the photography. This time asking him to capture the minutiae of what goes on behind the scenes at Seven. Here are a couple of photos that didn't make it into the final piece. Which just goes to show...what's in the final piece?
So, these two photos...the one of the derailleur's at the beginning and this one are just a taste of what's involved in Embrocation Volume Three. Yet, that's not the point of this post. I said at the start that I forgot something important.
And this is where I openly apologize to Mr. Milliman. I forgot to credit you for the cover shot. Sure, there's a list of contributors and your name appears there. But this is what holds the whole volume together. Pun intended.This has been my favorite photo of the 08-09 Cyclocross season and I forgot to say where it came from. What a jerk. Sorry Chris.
When Chris sent me this photo. The week after he took it at Gloucester I emailed him back a minute later. "This is the cover for Volume3. Can I use it. Please." Or something to that effect.
I had maybe one page of the volume completed at this point, but I knew that I wanted to use this photo for the cover...and it stuck there ever since.
I hope you'll forgive me.
