Vol 2 Issue 5 - 6 May and June PDF

Stories From the Road

March Vol 22 Issue Issue 35 / 6 Vol

A day with Friends

Panama City Beach

Thunder Beach Bike Ralley

MinT Photography

Letter from Rick April proved to hold true to ‘April showers bring May flowers’ However, Mother Nature added a twist to it by including COLD weather. Needless to say, I didn’t get in much needed long distance riding to enhance my newsletter with cool riding info.

Even though April proved to be a ‘slow’ month for riding, I made up for it in May. I headed south to Panama City Beach, Fl to see a friend during the week of May 2nd—6th, not to mention it coincided with the Thunder Beach Bike Rally!

Last but by no mean least, I witness my favorite photographer Vici Amanti of MinT Photography in action while shooting for one of her magazine customers.

Wow, what an issue! I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you all so much for your support!

Be sure to check out my YouTube ‘Stories From the Road’ channel too!

Ride safe! Ride Often!

I would love to hear your road stories and share them with others in my newsletter. If so, just email your story and send a few pictures to:

storiesroad53@gmail.com

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A good friend, a beach and motorcycles

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A day with MinT Photography

COVER IMAGE Vici Amanti of MinT Photography Picture courtesy of MinT Photography .

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A good friend a beach and motorcycles

A good friend and new friends down by herself. So, I was happy to have Kim ride along with me. Not only did we have a good trip but I made a new friend in the process!

Kim and I left Lexington, SC around 8 am or so and rode continuously on backroads through SC, GA, AL, and Fl until we arrived at Cindy’s around 730 PM central time. I can’t speak for Kim, but it was 13 hours of riding bliss for me! We both were happy it was an uneventful trip and happy to finally get there.

I

We unloaded our bikes and got our assigned rooms and sat on the porch having adult beverages and reminiscing about old times. However, Cindy and Kim’s know there must be a saying about people com- stories were a LOT more interesting than Cindy’s and ing and going into and from our lives, but I’ve mine. I learned a few things that I would not have imalways tried to make an effort to keep in touch agined about my friends. Don’t worry. None of it is illegal in the lower 48 states. I promise! with friends both past and present. One such

friend is Cindy Leavel. I first met Cindy at an Accident Scene Management class in Columbia , SC. At the time I was an admin for Bikers of South Carolina.

We were attending the class to enable the group to be knowledgeable on what steps should be taken if we were involved in or rode up on an accident involving a motorcycle. The class lasted 8 hours and covered many areas. If you haven’t attended one of these classes, it is well worth the money and time. I’ve actually used some of the things I learned while riding in the mountains last summer.

Anyway, needless to say, we became friends and stayed in touch. Last spring Cindy embarked on a new adventure in Panama City Beach, Fl and I promised I would come visit her. Following are a few picture of that visit.

Kim and I got connected through Cindy. She was wanting to visit Cindy too but didn’t want to travel

Oh! I almost forgot Roxie. Another one of Cindy’s good friends is also a new friend of mine! She came up a couple of days later.

Thank you again Cindy for your gracious hospitality!

I had the shrimp dinner

This is Roxie ——>

A beach and Motorcycles

Panama City Beach is known for it’s white sand and blue water There’s also a little event that just happened to be going on while I was there.

Thunder Beach!

Although it was not the focus of my visit, I did manage to get a few picture here and there

A day (or two) with MinT Photography

For example, Nocturnal Void Magazine wrote: ‘ Charleston, South Carolina has a woman on fire with her photography and that woman’s name is Victoria Amanti. If you check out her page on Facebook for One Sweet MinT Photography, you will view a portfolio full of madness, fun, happiness and classically beautiful moments she and her team have captured over the years.

And she’s not quite finished yet.

With this beautiful submission she’s given Nocturnal Void Magazine, she’s showing the world a more antries and struck a conversation empowering vision of how women regarding the charity she was helpare taking over the world. The best ing. Immediately I knew she had a is yet to come! heart of gold and loved helping people. This was a person I wanted Thank you, Vici! ‘ to have as a good friend. As time Pretty amazing kudos for Vici in went on she actually remembered my humble opinion! So you should my name and knew what I did for be able to see why I was so ecstatic the magazine (LOL). to be able to watch Vici at work. To

Welcome to what I consider to be the feature article for this month’s newsletter! As you know, I write about my motorcycle travel experi- Now fast forward to the present, I ences. They might include a favor- have since left Carolina Chrome ite highway, place, event or person. Magazine to pursue my love for I was so pleased, no ecstatic, when riding motorcycles and writing Vici Amanti, professional photog- about my travels. It’s been a learnrapher and owner of MinT Photog- ing process that I’m still fine tunraphy, agreed to let me hang around ing. during several of her ’shoots’ and As I mentioned earlier, I like to take as many ‘behind the scenes’ pictures as I wanted. Man, and did write about people I meet. One such person is Vici. Why do I conI. sider her to be special?

First, I would like to begin with a Firstly, she is a specialty nurse / little history of how I met Vici. professional photographer, an intelWhen I was writing for Carolina ligent woman in two fields. SecChrome Magazine, on occasion I would be asked to take magazines ondly, she is also a down to earth person with a passion for people. or other items that crew members Intelligent, pretty, and down to of the magazine would need for various things. One day I was given earth makes her pretty special to the task to deliver some charitable me. items to Vici in Charleston. When I Don’t just take my word on this. arrived at American Biker to deliver her items, we exchanged pleas-

witness the behind the scenes action that goes into a big shoot.

As if this isn’t enough to make anyone have the utmost respect for a woman of this caliber, she’s also a devoted wife and mother of 3 girls and a son.

I will also suggest if one day you need a professional photographer for an event, wedding, or just fun shots of the family, you won’t find anyone more qualified and dedicated to capturing the moment.

See for yourself. Check out MinT Photography Facebook page to view her work.

So, with this I will begin my story ‘ A Day with MinT Photography’.

Rick

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a great ora- Highway 176 will take me to within 10 miles or less tor or gifted for gab, but I was so excited about atof American Biker. Needless to say, my head was tending Vici’s ‘big shoot’ and getting some behind racing with what will I photograph Vici doing? How the scenes shots that I had to go live on my Stories much will I be allowed to photograph? Are photoFrom the Road blog page to let everyone know what I graphs of the models off limits? Which shots will I be was going to do that day. Yeah, I know. I’m a dork able to use in my blog and newsletter? About 2 hours when it comes to these things, but I truly respect later I arrive at American Biker. Finding a comfortaVici’s talent and work and was pumped to be invited. ble bench to sit on, I wait for Vici to arrive.

So I get my point and shoot Canon, my knock off Go- It was a short wait. Vici rolls up on her Hummer and Pro and my phone loaded on the bike and head to parks under some shade trees in a field next to AmeriCharleston and American Biker. can Biker.

As usual I chose the backroad to American Biker.

Time to get started.

Vici and I had just finished unloading the Hummer when her models begin arriving. Who knew this much stuff was needed for a shoot. And the costumes, well as Vici put it, I got more than I bargained for that day!

No photo shoot is complete without props. However, Vici’s props for this shoot are not stuffed animals or colored backdrops. Well, let’s just say that these props are special ordered for her Prohibition Steam Punk Concept shoot. Vici’s fan base is deep and wide and any one of them are more than happy to lend her a hand when needed.

With the preparation completed and all the props on standby, Vici puts her camera around her neck, the girls put on there photo shoot face and wait for her direction. Vici selects one of the girls and ‘Mama’ is ready to begin. You might wonder why I called Vici ‘Mama’. I found out all the girls call her that out of the love and respect they have for her. Vici and her crew are truly a family.

Couldn’t help myself

Photo

Gallery

Well, Vici got a shot of me holding a shot gun for Britney Nicole. I have to laugh though, it’s been decades since I’ve held a shot gun and it looks like it in this photo. All in good fun.

Speaking of fun, today was a blast! (no pun intended) Special thanks to Vici and all the girls for letting me in on a little of their world. Watching these women do there thing and making it look so easy was a sight to see.

My day with MinT Photography wouldn’t be complete without some photos of Vici in her finest. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did covering Vici and her girls in action.

Special thanks to Vici for allowing me to use some of her photos for this story .

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