After often being the only female-identifying photographer/videographer in the proverbial room at cycling events, Natalie Starr began compiling a list of diverse professionals back in 2019. After sharing a follow-up to her initial post, Natalie is back with a third installment of folks to book for your next industry gig (looking at you marketers!). Let’s check it out below!
Madlaina Walther
Madlaina Walther lives in Switzerland. After a Master’s in Physical Education and sports sciences, she focused mainly on teaching outdoor sports like mountain biking and skiing. She has always been fascinated by photography and therefore picked up her teenage hobby again to document all the adventures. These days she is leaping into videography and enjoys her work most when it is almost as physical for her as for the actual athletes.
Cheshire Li
Cheshire Li (they/them) is a queer and non-binary first-generation Chinese-American director, filmmaker, and photographer based in Denver, Colorado. After pursuing an itinerant lifestyle of nearly a decade, Cheshire landed in Denver and fell in love with mountain biking. They’d spent years hitchhiking and traveling with a 35mm camera in hand, and dove back into creative work alongside their passion for elevating underrepresented voices in the outdoors and working with other BIPOC and queer creatives behind the camera.
Cheshire’s film work spans commercial, narrative and documentary sets in camera, grip and electric departments; they also shoot adventure stills and video, with a focus on cycling, climbing, and snowsports. They believe that filmmaking and storytelling are the most powerful ways we can rewrite the myths that inform our daily lives, and in turn, empower these beliefs to shape our world. In this way, Cheshire uses their creative work to build more expansive, diverse, and inclusive spaces in the outdoors.
Video Links
• Practicing Freedom (Trailer) – Practicing Freedom is a short documentary film centering queer folks and women of color as they navigate the challenges and joys of building an inclusive community, learning about themselves, and increasing representation in mountain biking. The full film will be available after festival submissions.
•Comba We Love You – A short film highlighting the hard-working trail builders that work with the Colorado Mountain Bike Association.
Heather Young
Heather Young grew up small town in New Hampshire, where she picked up photography as a hobby in high school, although never thought she would make a career out of it. She spent her early 20s moving around the country, before finally reaching California and getting her start shooting fashion for modeling agencies. During a period of burn out, she photographed mountain bikes for the first time with Rachel Strait and Heather Munive, and then rode a mountain bike for the first time shortly after. Since 2019, she has found a family and renewed her creative outlook in the mountain bike industry. More recently, her professional work has moved more toward video filming and editing. With photos, she still enjoys toying with double exposures and experimental film.
Video Links
•Canyon Bicycles
•Deity Components
Ri Ganey
Ri Ganey (pronounced Rye) is a documentary photographer and videographer, who calls Durango, CO home. I used photography as a tool to understand the world around me from a young age, think like 9 or 10 years old. It became such a strong passion for me that by high school I found myself on a competitive photography team documenting football, volleyball, and other sports, as well as attending conferences focused on fine art and journalism. I remained an extreme hobbyist through my senior of college, at which point I acknowledged that my childhood dream of being a professional visual storyteller by trade hadn’t diminished even a little bit, so at the onset of the pandemic, I set the wheels in motion to make it happen and jumped on any and every paid opportunity I could get.
At the same time, I was learning how to mountain bike to be able to continue my position with the local ski patrol through the summer at the bike park. It ignited something fierce in me and in a short 4 months biking became one of the sole focuses of my life. Three years on, I’ve managed a hefty mix of documenting races, products, and campaigns for a variety of brands. My biggest driver is to be an active player in closing the gap in media coverage of WTF-NB individuals compared to men and helping paint a more accurate picture of who can and does play and work outside. Ri covers all realms of cycling, winter and snow sports, and loves a good editorial or campaign project that closes the representation gaps in the outdoor industry.
Video Links
•Sarah Swallow on the Spirit of Gravel
•Sarah Sturm X New Balance
Jordyn Romero
Jordyn is an award-winning filmmaker challenging and changing the norm to make films that matter. Hailing from the Rocky Mountains of Santa Fe, Jordyn’s upbringing immersed her in the wonders of the wilderness, igniting her deep love for the outdoors. Armed with a BFA in documentary filmmaking from Chapman University, she embarked on a journey that has led her to produce work around the world. Her films are a testament to her unwavering commitment to crafting character-driven narratives that inspire, empower, and foster a sense of belonging for every viewer.
With an unwavering belief in the transformative power of storytelling, Jordyn Romero continues to breathe life into her stories, amplifying voices that need to be heard and creating a cinematic tapestry that resonates with audiences worldwide. In her acclaimed film, We Are Like Waves, Jordyn tells the story of one of the first female surfers in Sri Lanka. The film’s distribution with The LA Times Short Docs, full theatrical run, Oscar qualification, and multiple festival awards demonstrate the impact of her storytelling prowess. Jordyn works primarily as a director in documentary filmmaking, branded content, and commercials. She isn’t afraid to get her hands on a camera either – whether submerged in pumping surf or trekking through remote locations with a backpack filled with camera gear and electrolytes. Based in Southern California + New Mexico + Available Worldwide
Video Links
•Ability
•Liv Cycles
Alexa Christensen
Being raised in the outdoor mecca that is Southwest Utah, Alexa found her passion for photography at 15 years old. Through her creative journey, she found her passion in capturing scenes within the freeride mountain bike, road cycling, motocross, and snow sport communities. Alexa’s love for not only photography, but also the outdoors and nature as a whole have allowed her to expand her horizons and pursue new creative projects.
Linda Guerrette
Linda lives in Colorado and has been shooting professionally since 2014. She grew up doing every sport imaginable. Cycling has always been a mainstay through the years. As a storyteller, she enjoys creating a sense of place that highlights the setting and vibe not only the subjects. She has produced materials for events, brands and athletes i.e.Unbound Gravel, STB GRVL, Rebecca’s Private Idaho, Shimano, Lazer and others. Along with her sidekick pup Levi, Linda is very grateful to work in both the cycling and snowsports worlds.
Gretchen Powers
Gretchen Powers, no stranger here at The Radavist, is an accomplished filmmaker and photographer who travels the world with her camera in tow. She specializes in outdoor lifestyle storytelling while focusing on the personal stories of the people who play bikes. Gretchen continues to be inspired by the wild places around her and the way people interact with them. She thrives in inclement weather, loves books and always packs too many snacks.
Video Links
