Bikepacking with a Point&Shoot camera.
Gravel and Film: Bikepacking Through Les Landes, France.
There’s something incredibly fun — and surprisingly practical — about traveling by gravel bike with a small film point-and-shoot. No overthinking, no settings to tweak, no pressure to “get the shot.” Just riding, seeing, and pressing the shutter when it feels right.
This trip happened in October 2025, through the old railway paths of Les Landes, part of the EuroVelo route. Endless straight lines cutting through pine forests and dunes. A landscape that feels repetitive at first, but slowly pulls you into its rhythm.
I did the ride with my friend Ibai, an incredible photographer and content creator. The kind of person who makes the journey just as important as the destination. We both had our own way of documenting it. He brought his DJI Osmo Pocket 3, capturing the entire trip in motion. I went the opposite way.
I decided to travel as light as possible and brought my Chinon Belami, a tiny point-and-shoot I bought years ago for 1€ at a flea market. Since then, it’s become my go-to portable film camera. It has a fixed 28mm lens, built-in flash, and fits literally anywhere. I loaded it with a roll of Ilford HP5 35mm, with a simple idea: shoot until the roll runs out. No saving frames. No second chances. Just 36 exposures (well… 40, if you push it a bit). Because it’s autofocus, I could shoot while riding without stopping. Grab the camera, frame instinctively, click, and keep pedaling. It made photography feel effortless — almost like a reflex.
The route
We started in Vieux-Boucau and rode all the way to Arcachon, covering around 150 km in a day. The pace was relaxed — no rush, just steady riding with strategic stops to eat, rest, and enjoy the surroundings. Long gravel paths, the smell of pine trees, soft sand creeping into the edges of the trail. It’s the kind of route where your mind drifts, and time stretches a little. Once in Arcachon, the routine was simple: a well-earned shower, then out for beer and pizza. Nothing fancy, just exactly what you need after a full day on the bike.
Day two
Early wake-up. Coffee at a nearby boulangerie, still half asleep, and back on the bikes. The return to Vieux-Boucau took us through the Dune du Pilat, crossing vast sandy landscapes just as the sun was rising. A completely different atmosphere — quieter, almost desert-like, with soft light shaping everything. One of those moments where you don’t need to take many photos. Just being there already feels enough.
In the end:
300 km in two days, good conversations, beautiful landscapes, a video of the route — and around 40 black and white frames that, for me, capture the mood and spirit of the trip. That’s the thing with shooting film on a trip like this. You don’t come back with hundreds of images. You come back with a few that actually mean something.
If you’re thinking about combining bikepacking and photography, try going simple. A small camera, a single roll, and no expectations.
Sometimes, that’s all you need to really enjoy the ride.
You can watch the video of the trip and many more photos here: Bikepacking with a point&shoot
