CODY SHIMIZU

A look into my life, a journal to look back on, a blog for others to see.

Alright so I know we are well into February already but here I am writing about how my January was. Well maybe because nothing much happened in January. For me January was a very quiet month as I was still recovering from my broken ankle. Fortunately for me I been able to ride outside again. The joy that you get from being able to ride outside again after having been off the bike for over 2 month was amazing. It really reminded me of why I started riding all those years ago. The joy that I got from trying to keep up with Ben on the Revolution Group rides or the feeling of getting dropped on Redbikes Monday Night Social Group Ride. Looking back at it now, riding was for purly having fun, the fitness that came with it was just a bonus. Not that I wasnt having fun before I broke my ankle, but for me cycling wasnt just a hobby for me anymore, its my life, I wake up thinking if the weather is nice enough to ride, Im at work drooling over the newest components for my bike, I go to bed wondering if my legs will feel good tommorow. Maybe it I just havent realized it, but it was becoming too much. I will never knoow but maybe my broken ankle was a blessing in disguise, helping me keep the fine balance of training and riding.

Photography has always been in one way or another a part of my life, mainly through my mom. Since I was little my mom would be taking picture snapping away moments of my childhood that I could look back on years later. Because my mom usually had a camera with her most of the time I would take it and play around with it taking picture of whatever was around me. Nearing the end of Junior High I once again started using my moms Nikon D60 DSLR camera to take photos for the year book, and I was really enjoying taking the photos, but at the same time I was starting to get into cycling. Eventually cycling took over and photography was set aside. Than after I broke my ankle I was quite literally bound to my bed, everytime I would move or stand up, my ankle would be unbearablly painful. So as any reasonable teen would do, I spent HOURS on Youtube, and eventually I got around to watching videos about photography, it really inspired me to go outside and enjoy Edmonton for what it is, with cycling you are always moving by so fast that sometimes you dont get the chance to slow down and enjoy the views. So as my ankle got better and felt good enough to hobble outside on crutches I was more than eager to go outside and apply what I had learnt so far. It was really satisfying going home and seeing the photos on my computer screen, I know it sounds weird, but theres something oddly satisfying about seeing things from a different perspective.

As January rolled around and my ankle was good enough to start riding again, I was worried that I was going to abandon photography again. So through out January I was very contious to go out and take photos once in a while. Especially on rest days. So far Ive really loved it and I really hope that it will always be a part of my life. But first I would LLOOOOOVVVEEE to get a new camera! The Nikon D60 is great, its got all of the features you might want on an entry level DSLR, to learn photography, but personally I belive that Ive reached a point where I have out grown the camera, especially the low light performance is quite dissapointing. Hopefully I will have a Nikon D7100 by the end of the year ;}

Thanks for reading! Please check out my photography Instagram Account @ShimizuIMG