Bike-minded People: Andrea Heath - Pursuing My Dream Later in Life
“It's pretty daunting to start pursuing my dream later in life, especially in the depths of motherhood,” Andrea admits as the warmth of a classic Kamloops glow shapes the scene. ”But I told myself that it’s never too late and I've got nothing to lose… so I just keep showing up.”
In the rolling hills of Kamloops, where dusty clay cliffs meet deep forests, Andrea Heath finds home. Not only a passionate explorer of the many shapes of this landscape, Andrea also captures the essence of these scenes with her photography. Focused primarily on mountain biking, she has dedicated much of her recent years to documenting grassroots racing, events like Crankworx, and the growing culture of women’s events such as the Dark Horse Invitational and RIDELAB.
Over the last 20 years, Andrea's passion for mountain biking has only slowly grown more deeply. “I was actually a kids mtb coach in Calgary in the early 2000s, and I rode every day to try and improve my skills. But in the last 5 years, I've really tried to hone my skills and ride more aggressively.”
As our ride rolls on into the evening light, Andrea informs me of the harmonious parallel between her riding story and a similar tale of passion turned pursuit with photography. “Photography has been an interest of mine since I was a little kid,” Andrea admits with fond memories flooding over her. “I had my first film camera when I was 8 and I took it everywhere with me. I still have boxes of old photos I’ve captured.”
“Then In March, 2021, I got laid off and decided it was finally time to get serious about photography. I purchased a camera and some second-hand lenses, and I started shooting everything!” Andrea continues, “I spent a lot of time researching and using YouTube, and I roped in a lot of friends to work as models for me. That first year I shot over 30,000 images!”
I ask Andrea about her favourite subjects to shoot, and what draws her to mountain biking in particular. “In that first year of taking it seriously, I reached out to athlete friends and we started shooting together and that's where my love of shooting mountain biking began! I owe a shout out to Brett Tippie, Catherine Pendrel, and KY Stewart,” Andrea adds as gratitude washes over her. "I love capturing the candid moments, more of the behind the scenes of folks enjoying nature, rather than posing or looking at the camera. In her imagery, Andrea immortalizes the very qualities she hopes to see more of, in mountain bike culture. The gritty relationship between passion and spirit, coupled with openness and invitation for anyone who wants to ride.
A trailblazer in her own right, Andrea brings a unique perspective to the mountain bike landscape. She shoots with a humble shot and might not say it quite so loud, though, with her lens focused on the empowering presence of women in the sport, Andrea’s work showcases the diversity, talent, and brilliance of female athletes. Putting herself out there in the male-dominated MTB space has been both rewarding and challenging. “It's certainly not easy building a name for yourself, especially when there haven’t been a lot of female photographers to look up to - although; I’ve been so inspired by women like Robin O'Neal, Abbey Dells, and Hailey Elise. It's all about fostering relationships and that’s a big thing I focus on. It has been hard, but I've also had lots of success and really grown as a creative person. And I hope that my growth can inspire another woman to chase her dreams… at any point in her life. Age doesn't matter.”
"Bike Minded People" is a collection of stories by Dylan Sherrard about people who represent the passion we share for mountain biking and its ability to be a 'force for good' in our communities.
More installments of Bike Minded People coming soon.