Pedaling to Provide Portraits

If you’re reading this then there is a good chance that you own a camera; whether in your laptop, smart phone or even a digital camera. In the age of selfies, most of us have the ability to take pictures of ourselves and store them in a digital library. But what if you didn’t have a picture of your family or even own a camera? This is a problem that many face throughout the world, but one man is pedaling his way to provide portraits to those in remote areas.

Federico Cabrera said he always wanted to travel with a bigger purpose than self-discovery. The 40-year-old Argentinian photographer is doing just that with his personal project “Their Only Portrait”. Federico rides his bike to different areas equipped with a portable photo studio and printer, a studio on wheels of sorts.

He has decided to start this journey in his own backyard, by traveling to indigenous groups in remote areas of Argentina. Federico completed two warm up trips to Jujuy and Chaco Province in Northern Argentina. This month he started his 4,000-mile journey along Argentina and spent three weeks pedaling 800+ miles through Southern Patagonia.

Federico’s website provides a page that outlines the gear he packs with him. Included in that list is his “old but trusty” Edge 800, which is on it’s second battery life. He said he uses it for everything from maps/navigation, to checking and saving cycling details (miles, speed, riding hours, etc.), to finding points of interest, and even geolocating his photos. It has accompanied him on many of his journeys and will continue to guide him in his future endeavors.

Their Only Portrait is not a one-and-done type of project, as Federico has plans to take it to a new country each year. The Brazilian Amazon would be the next warm up trip, with Bolivia following that as his main trip. Even after that he plans for either Peru or India by 2017. Federico Cabrera is on a mission to provide portraits to indigenous and remote people groups.