BEST JOB EVER

BEST JOB EVER

PHOTO ESSAY

Traveling the globe photographing motorcycles for the greatest magazine in the world

Spring 1991, a clueless photo kid with a bit of ambition landed a job working in the black-and-white darkroom of the national publishing house that owned Cycle World magazine. Mornings were spent processing B&W roll film and afternoons were devoured by toiling away in a red-light darkroom making prints. Standing for hours in front of a Beseler enlarger, his skills were honed printing detail images shot by other photographers. Working with gifted art directors and senior photographers, the kid was getting a quick education from some of the best in the motorcycle industry. Opportunities to assist on photo shoots eventually led to his own assignments near and far. So far, visits to more than 30 countries around the world shooting knee-draggers, wheelies, and dusty backroads followed. It feels like heaven every time.

And that’s how it all began for me 30 years ago. The tools may have changed—roll film and print enlargers are now memory cards and Photoshop—but the joy of the best job ever is still just as fantastic. As I like to say, “It sure beats working for a living.” —Jeff Allen, staff photographer