I know I didn’t sleep in this room, but my sleeping arrangements were about parallel quality as they involved two bathroom towels and a Spongebob Squarepants pillow.
I had already been in Paris for three days before the DK Bicycle team arrived. When I finally met them, I was apparently a little too early. As I sat watching everyone hatch from their jet-lagged slumber, it took about five minutes of taking in the disaster of a room before the idea to shoot a photo finally overtook me – possibly because this sort of scene isn’t all that uncommon in BMx, or I simply could have been moving just as slow that morning.
Considering it was day zero, I’m fairly certain that this was the first photo officially shot on what would be a very eventful trip around Europe. In true American fashion, we bumbled around multiple countries infuriating countless locals, finding ourselves really lost several times, and eventually getting robbed and beat up – it was an unforgettable trip.
Ryan Fudger

About the shot

Biography
I’ve tried to live my life by making the best decision at a particular moment, without worrying about the future. Choosing a path without looking at the final destination may not be ideal, but it hasn’t let me down yet. The high and mighty plateau I’ve been living on has had me working for the one magazine I subscribed to as a kid – Ride BMX.
Oddly enough, it was my writing and web knowledge that got me hired almost 14 years ago. But when I was handed a camera bag and subjected to a crash course from a couple of the best photographers in BMX, a spark of some sort went off. In a short time, my job transitioned into what it is today. I love my job, the magazine, and feel emotionally attached to it. I owe my salad days, or years, to that publication and I remind myself often to be thankful of where I am and who I have around me.
I’d like to say I don’t take anything seriously, including photography, but the truth is I’m quite critical—in fits, at least. I go months without shooting a good photo, and other times I feel like I’m on an infallible streak. My photography is based around, and caters for BMX.
On a photo shoot, I usually have to work with an athlete who has a trick and a very ‘I’m doing it right now’ attitude. My role at that point is to do the best with what I’m given and then attempt to capture the odd places, weird people, and wild scenarios that happen in between. I’m here for a good time, not a long time, but maybe a photo I’ve taken will be.