Valerie Topete - Photography Developer

Valerie Topete is a very skilled rider for a top New York City courier company called Mercury Rises. She started as a freelance courier and for three years she pushed herself to create a reputation that suited her drive and dedication to the job. It was that dedication and competitive nature that led her to Mercury Rises and top rider for her new company. Topete credits her success with her ability to multi-task.

 

Bicycling around the Big Apple everyday gives her the perfect opportunity to search for new and unique viewpoints for her photography. Always quick with at least her smartphone, she is always ready to capture the perfect image. Her fascination with everything New York City inspired her to start taking pictures of the architecture and people that she would see each day. As she became more versed in the layout of the city and began exploring parks and gardens with her two boys, Topete has more recently taken an interest in botanical images. 

Topete started off by just posting her favorite images to her personal social media site. The albums that she would upload of her treks around the city were so popular and the overwhelming support from her friends and family encouraged her to go professional. After conferring with some friends that already had online stores for their craft goods, Topete took their advice and created her own website. After launching her online business, Topete saw great sales and the demand for her work is skyrocketing. She continues to produce new images and uses her time at work and with the family to look for inspiration across the city. 

Her interest in photography has grown and she has recently taken an interest in the process of developing her own photos. While Topete took photography classes in high school, the actual development of film was never something that was covered. After researching different local options, she found a four-week class at her local junior college that would introduce her to the process. Now educated in basic techniques, Topete spends her evenings after the boys are in bed in her makeshift darkroom in the basement. 

The project of developing her own photos has been a long endeavor, but one that has renewed Valerie Topete’s dedication to her art. She has been able to explore different exposures and enjoys being able to develop her own photos. While the process is time consuming and the chemicals can be expensive, she believes that the fact she is processing her photos herself makes her photography more of an art form. In addition, the new development styles that she has been playing with have sold very well on her website in addition to the traditional prints.

Valerie Topete - A Changing Photographer

As a successful bike courier in New York, Valerie Topete has seen her fair share of the city. Working full time for one the most competitive courier businesses out there, Topete spends her days weaving through the city, racing to deliver her parcels, packages and letters. Her dedication to her job has led her to become the most well-known and successful couriers at her company. Working for Mercury Rises for the past four years, and as a freelance courier for three years before that, Topete knows her way around and excels at navigating the blocks between deliveries.

For several years she had enjoyed the architecture and people that she observes every day so much that she took up photography as a way of capturing the sights. Her unique photos of the city, from angles and spots that most tourists never see, became so popular that she turned a hobby into another part-time career.

Topete began as an amateur photographer snapping photos from her smartphone as she biked around for work. She stands by her advice to always be ready to take a photo, and while she uses her SLR camera as much as she can, more often than not, her smartphone is what she has available. Regardless of the type of device, the most important factors to Topete when it comes to photography are the lighting and subject matter.
As each courier assignment takes her to a new part of the city she has never seen, Topete had the opportunity to observe the assortment of gardens and parks scattered about. Designed by some of the best in the business, the garden displays nestled between skyscrapers and the shadows of monuments always intrigued Topete. The more she traveled, the more she started to notice the varieties and intricacies of the plants that made up these gardens. Soon, Topete found herself planning her courier routes past these gardens or through Central Park. Now, as her eye for photography focused on the beauty of the gardens, Topete shifted her subject matter from architecture and people to high resolution, up-close botanical photography.

With all of the hidden garden gems tucked away throughout the city, Valerie Topete is never at a loss for subject matter and quite enjoys the hunt for new and interesting locations. During the workday, Topete scopes out previously unknown gardens, and during the evenings or weekends, her and her family picnic in the parks. The hobby really has turned into a family affair, as the children run around hunting for pretty flowers and plants, and Topete follows with the camera to capture their finds. Whether the shots are professional quality or just family memories doesn’t matter, but combining passion and family does.

Valerie Topete - Staying Safe In New York

Valerie Topete has been working in New York City as a bike courier for several years. She enjoys the freedom it gives her and being able to meet new people and clients. Working in a big city like New York can have its risks, but if you know how to stay safe you don’t have to worry or feel nervous. These tips can help you stay safe while working or living in New York City.

Valerie Topete

Don’t Look Like A Tourist
Many criminals look for tourists because they are vulnerable. If you do not want to be the target of a crime, you need to avoid looking like a tourist. This means avoiding wearing souvenir t-shirts, looking at maps and wandering along slowly. Make sure you walk confidently and look comfortable.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings
You should never let your guard down when you are in a big city and should always be aware y of your surroundings. If you feel uncomfortable in a certain area, quickly find your way out of it. Keep an eye on the people around you and avoid dangerous parts of the city

Don’t Flaunt Your Belongings
Avoid wearing jewelry, carrying expensive phones, cameras or other objects or flaunting any other personal belongings you may have with you. These things can make you a target by showing criminals you have such items or the means to afford them. Dress modestly and leave your expensive jewelry at home.

Take A Cab
If you aren’t sure if your destination is safe or how to get there, take a cab. A cab driver will be able to deliver you to your location safely and tell you if the location is safe or if you should go somewhere else instead. You can easily find a cab on almost any street and riding in a cab is much safer than walking on most occasions.

Stick To The Main Streets
If you aren’t familiar with the streets of New York, make sure you stay on the main ones. It only takes one wrong turn to find yourself in the bad part of town and that can put you at risk to be the victim of a crime. If you will be visiting the city at night make sure you stay on streets that are well lit and not empty. When there are people nearby, you are less likely to be victimized.

Not everyone has what it takes to live in a city as large as New York. Valerie Topete enjoys working in a fast-paced city that offers unique experiences and people. If you are worried about staying safe in New York City, the above tips can help.

Valerie Topete - Tips For Improving Your Singing Voice

​Valerie Topete is a talented singer who entertained aspirations of becoming a pop star when she was studying at high school. She still has an excellent singing voice and is always interested in techniques that she can use to get better. These handy hints will help anybody who is looking to improve their technical abilities or those who just want to sound a little better.


Sing Often
Few things in life come easily and those who are not blessed with natural singing talent are going to find that they need to practice to make improvements. Sing along to any of the songs that you love when they are playing, but try to pay attention to pitch and tone while you do so. This will allow you to match the efforts of the singer on the record, improving your own voice in the process.

Practice Scales
Your voice is an instrument, much like a guitar or piano, so it is important to practice the basics so that you can develop the technical skills that you need to tackle difficult songs. By practicing scales for a few minutes every day, you will be able to extend the range of notes that you are able to hit and thus become able to sing more songs.

Record Yourself
Valerie Topete believes that hearing yourself sing can play a large role in highlighting issues that you need to work on. By recording yourself belting out a few tunes, you can play them back and make improvements. Save multiple recordings over time so you can document your progression and stay motivated.

Valerie Topete - Essential Tips For Road Cycling Safety

As a bike courier for Mercury Rising, Valerie Topete has an exceptional safety record and has never been involved in any traffic collisions, barring the occasional small scrape with taxis. To maintain this record for safety, she makes sure to refresh her knowledge of security while road cycling on a regular basis, which is particularly important given that she works in New York. These pointers will prove useful for anybody who is wary of cycling on the road, particularly in built-up areas that are often congested with traffic.

Avoid The Sidewalk

A lot of new cyclists try to ride on the sidewalk, rather than the road, in an effort to avoid collisions with vehicles. This is not only dangerous to yourself and pedestrians, but may also lead to you breaking the law in some states. Avoid the sidewalk whenever you can and make sure to get off the bike if you have to use the it. Remember that trying to weave in and out of groups of pedestrians is extremely difficult at the best of times, but is much more so when doing it at high speed on a bicycle.

Make Eye Contact

One of the key challenges that faces cyclists is ensuring that other road users recognize their presence so that potential accidents can be avoided before they happen. Though you may find it a little uncomfortable at first, by making eye contact with drivers, especially when at stop signs or traffic lights, you make sure that they are aware of your presence. You don’t need to get into a staring match, as a look and a smile should be more than enough to suffice and keep you in their minds as they pull away.

Always Wear A Helmet

One of the first safety tips that any cyclist will be given is to always wear a helmet, even on the shortest rides. This is particularly important for road users and may save your life if you are involved in a collision. Hard concrete hurts and hitting it at speed can lead to traumatic injuries that, in the worst case scenario, could have a dramatic impact on the way that you live your life. Always be sure to invest in a quality bike helmet and make sure that it fits before taking it out on the road.

Wear Light Clothing

Valerie Topete points out that cycling at night presents a range of challenges that you won’t face during the day, the biggest of which is maintaining visibility. Always make sure to wear light-colored clothing when you are out on the road so that drivers can easily see where you are. Reflective stripes and other high-visibility clothing will also be able to offer additional protection.
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Valerie Topete - Bike Equipment That Every Cyclist Needs

So you have finally purchased a bike and you are looking to get out on the roads as soon as possible. However, before you do, it is important that you pick up all of the relevant equipment that you will need to make your journeys as comfortable as possible. As an experienced bike courier in New York City, Valerie Topete knows better than most just how important good equipment can be, particularly during long days of cycling. All of these are important for any new cyclist to have if they want to stay comfortable for longer.

A Helmet

The very first thing that you should purchase before you head out on your bike is a good helmet. Make sure that you do some research and pick a helmet that has been made by a quality manufacturer, instead of trying to buy the cheapest option available. After all, your helmet may end up saving your life if you are involved in a collision or end up coming off the bike for any reason. It is also important to ensure that you purchase a helmet that properly fits your head, so that you can enjoy full protection.

A Water Bottle

Long rides can get very exhausting and the constant sweating may lead to you becoming dehydrated in fairly short order, especially if you are cycling in warm weather. This means that you should always have a water bottle available so that you can take a quick swig if the ride is starting to wear on you. Always refill it before you head out on the bike and make an effort to clean it properly when you return home. If you’re on a very long ride, it is also wise to take advantage of any opportunities that you have to get a refill by stopping off at water fountains that might be on your route.

Valerie Topete

A Puncture Repair Kit

Tire punctures are one of the biggest issues that a bike courier or long-distance cyclist is going to face, so you always want to be sure that you have what you need to make quick repairs so that you don’t end up stranded on the side of the road. Purchase a good puncture repair kit that leaves you able to repair multiple tires if needed. It is also a good idea to bring a bike pump along with you as well, so you can re-inflate a tire following the repair work.

Gloves

Valerie Topete finds that the friction that her hands experience from constant gripping of handlebars while she is working as a bike courier can be problematic. By investing in a good pair of cycling gloves, you completely eliminate this issue and will also be able to remedy any problems that could be caused due to vibrations while riding.

Valerie Topete - A Freelance life

Valerie Topete did not always enjoy the comfort and security of being employed full-time by a company. In fact, before she became a bike courier for the company Mercury Rises in New York City, she worked as a freelancer. Though her duties of delivering packages all around the city has not changed, her experience is much different working for a company than it was being a freelancer.


There are pros and cons to freelance living, as with any occupation. While having a reliable full-time position at a company ensures a steady pay rate and often comes with good benefits, it also comes with a rigid, set schedule and rules. Also, many jobs have a steady pay rate, which means it won’t go down, but also is likely not to go up.

Freelancers on the other hand have the freedom to set their own schedule. A freelancer is his or her own boss. While this means more personal freedom, freelancers also tend to have a far less reliable income, as job opportunities often change or disappear all-together. So while a freelancer has more freedom, they also take substantially higher risks. Freelancers are also not entitled to things like health insurance benefits.

Though freelancers’ income is not always certain, one upside is that they have the potential to make more, faster, based on how hard they want to work.

Valerie Topete enjoyed her time as a freelancer, but prefers working at a steady job where she can rely upon a stable income.
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Valerie Topete - History of The Bike Courier

Valerie Topete has spent the last seven years of her professional career working as a bike courier in New York City. The experience has certainly left a strong impression on her, as it is a unique lifestyle. There is an entire sub-culture that revolves around bike couriers, one that dates back to the late eighteen-hundreds.
In fact, after the bicycle was developed, delivery systems and messengers followed shortly afterwards. There was once even a group of bike couriers that were employed exclusively by the Paris Stock Exchange in 1870. Only twenty years later, the US experienced what was called a “bicycle boom”, in which companies like Western Union employed a number of bicycle couriers in order to deliver mail and packages across urban areas.

Valerie Topete

Entire companies were being developed around the concept of a bicycle messenger as early as 1945. By the time the 1970s rolled around, there were many well-established bicycle courier service companies across every large city in the United States.

In Europe, bike courier services lost momentum, but experienced a resurgence in 1983 as a new, more environmentally conscientious Europe used the service as a way to cut down on fossil fuel usage and atmosphere pollution.

Valerie Topete is proud to be a part of a long tradition of bike couriers. She has become inaugurated into a special sub-culture full of individuals that pride themselves on speed, accuracy, and even style. The need for bike couriers will likely stay steady in the future, as it still remains one of the most cost-effective and environmentally-friendly methods for delivery available.

Source(s):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_messenger

Valerie Topete - The Competitiveness of the Bike Messaging Industry

Valerie Topete is a dedicated individual who is always looking for a way to advance the success of her future. Although she moved to New York City more than seven years ago in order to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist, she realized she had a love for riding her bike through the city. She now works for Mercury Rises, which is a local bike messaging company that delivers time sensitive materials all over the area.

Riding a bike around New York City is often the fastest mode of transportation because bikes are not bound to the same laws as motor vehicles. This means that they don’t have to constantly use gridlocked and traffic-jammed streets in order to get around. However, this makes the industry extremely competitive as it becomes like one big bike race. Even within Mercury Rises, the managers are constantly pitting their employees against each other in order to increase numbers.

Valerie Topete has become one of the best messengers in the company because of her unrelenting desire to be the best. Although she wasn’t as competitive when she initially started, she became intrigued by the idea of discovering the fastest routes to and from frequent delivery locations. Now she regularly competes with the other riders in Mercury Rises and competing businesses in the field. Although it sounds challenging, it is really a friend environment that is designed to bring more success to the business overall.

Valerie Topete is dedicated to her career in the bike-messaging world, and will stop at nothing to bring success to her company.

Valerie Topete - How to Be a Professional Bike Messenger

Valerie Topete is young professional and artist currently living in New York City. She moved almost a decade ago in order to pursue a career in photography or singing, but decided that she needed a more stable means to support her lifestyle in such an expensive city. She is currently working for a local company called Mercury Rises, which is based in the bike messaging industry.

Valerie Topete has become the most successful bike messenger for her company, and is determined to continue her success in order to operate her own business in the industry in the near future. She is even taking businesses classes at a local college in order to support her professional dreams. She is always willing to help out her fellow colleagues in order to make Mercury Rises even more successful.

One of the tips she gives other messengers in the field is always know your route. As you continue to work in the field, you will begin to learn the ins and outs of the city, as well as shortcuts to particular areas or frequent delivery locations. However, it is always important to submerse yourself in your surroundings and find the best route before you set out.

Another tip she gives is to keep your bike in proper condition. Every morning before a day of work, she checks all aspects of her bike in order to ensure that she can ride as efficiently as possible, without hitting any snags along the way.

Valerie Topete hopes to use her skills to enhance the success of her future business, and she is determined to be successful in the industry.
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Valerie Topete - How to Manage Your Own Business

Valerie Topete is a dedicated individual who has the determination to succeed in her professional future. She is currently living and working in one of the biggest cities in the world, New York. When she moved to the area seven years ago, the constant traffic and immense density of the city caused her some light anxiety. However, now that she has been working as a professional bike messenger, her attitude toward the city has changed drastically.

Valerie Topete has worked her way to the top to become the top messenger for Mercury Rises. She hopes to use her continued success to one day operate her own bike messaging company in the near future. She is even attending local college business classes in order to expand her knowledge in the area.
She has learned that in order to successful run your own business, you have to have a solid plan with realistic goals. Starting your own business is extremely taxing in the beginning, and most businesses are unable to make a profit within the first year.

In addition, you have to hire people you know and trust to help your run it. Solid managers with quality leadership skills are a must so that you don’t have to directly manage each and every employee, as well as run the business from behind the scenes.

Valerie Topete is determined to operate her own business in the world of bike messaging within New York City. Riding a bike is the best way to get around, and there are a lot of companies that are willing to pay good money for a quick delivery service.

Valerie Topete - Equipment for the Professional Bike Messenger

Valerie Topete is currently serving as a professional bike messenger for a company in New York City called Mercury Rises. The company has become one of the leaders in the business, and a great deal of that success is due to her success. She has become the top messenger for Mercury Rises, and is always ready for the next important delivery.

Valerie Topete

New York City is huge. Valerie Topete used to suffer from anxiety when she moved to the area seven years ago to begin a career. However, her job has taught her the best way to navigate the dense traffic, and now she never leaves home without her bike. Through out her time as a messenger, she has learned what equipment has become essential to her success.

The first piece of equipment you’ll want to have is a helmet. They are essential for quickly delivering important messages around the city. However, no message is more important than your brain.

The next piece of equipment you’ll want to have is a pair of gloves. When you’re delivering messages fast and frequently, your hands get sweaty, which makes them slip on your bike grips causing blisters.

One other essential piece of equipment for the bike messenger is a small, bike computer. A sensor attaches to the front wheel spokes, and a small screen, slightly larger than a watch, connects to the handle bars. They track your speed, distance, and time during a ride.

Valerie Topete always has her equipment ready to go for the next job, and she has learned how essential it is through out her career.

Valerie Topete - Amateur Photographer

Valerie Topete sees herself as a witness to the everyday lives of the millions of people who live in New York City. That’s a tall order, and there’s no way she can accurately capture the sheer volume of life that happens in New York every day—even in her own borough. Topete works as a bicycle courier in New York, a job that allows her access to the public outside that many other professionals don’t have. She hopes to start selling her best photographs as a second career someday. Here are a few tips to taking pictures in the city:

 Be mindful of your surroundings. Many people don’t want their picture taken in public by a stranger. If you feel that you’re making the people around you with your camera, ask them if they would like to be in a photograph and make concessions as necessary.

Subjects and framing. Pay attention to how the eye will be attracted to different elements of your photograph. Valerie Topete loves to frame her subjects in creative ways, giving her viewers a chance to focus on her subject in a different way. Framing can also be used to create a space within a picture.
Shadow and light. Especially in black and white photography, which Valerie Topete is fond of, the interplay of shadows and light can create a beautiful and interesting conflict in a picture. Valerie Topete has played with different light settings on her camera and with different subjects in and out of shadow.

Valerie Topete works throughout the five boroughs but lives in Brooklyn with her family.
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Valerie Topete - Rising to the Top

Valerie Topete became a high-ranked bike courier at the highly competitive bike courier company Mercury Rises in only two years. Employees often don’t make it through their first month at Mercury Rises because of the fierce competition for the best-paying routes and the most opportune clients. But Topete rose fast because she had the skills to compete against anyone at the company and she wasn’t afraid to provide herself with opportunities to show her skills.

 

Valerie Topete learned how important opportunity was in a corporate setting during her early weeks with Mercury Rises. In an environment in which employees are encouraged to directly challenge each other, she quickly found herself taking some of the best routes available and moving up in the company. Valerie Topete had the advantage of learning the city and how to stay safe on almost any route by working as a freelance bike courier for three years before. She still took routes that she wasn’t familiar with and challenged some of the most skilled riders at Mercury Rises. She didn’t win all of her challenges, but she showed that she wasn’t afraid to take on the most responsibility and take risks. Sometimes risks are the only opportunities you get in a highly competitive job environment like Mercury Rises. 

Valerie Topete has worked for Mercury Rises now for four years. As a high-ranking bike courier, she is entrusted with some of the company’s highest-profile clients and their very sensitive jobs. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Valerie Topete - Courier for Mercury Rises

Valerie Topete is a skilled professional bike courier working full-time for Mercury Rises, widely recognized as one of the top courier agencies in New York City. Topete worked as a freelance bike courier for three years after she moved to New York in 2008. For the past four years, she has worked for Mercury Rises. Topete has always loved to ride her bike and she feels that her position with Mercury Rises is the perfect fit for her and her dream of making a living by doing what she loves.

Working for Mercury Rises is not easy. The company’s owner, John Tudebaker, purposefully made his work environment at the clubhouse a den of competition. Employees have the opportunity to pick up more routes and work more if they can prove that they are more effective than other employees. This kind of direct competition put Valerie Topete on her heels at first, but before long she came to understand this practice. While many couriers only worked part-time, Valerie Topete worked a full week every week and found herself earning more work. Tudebaker, above all, tries to maintain a high standard of excellence for his company and his employees. He fosters this vision by creating direct competition between employees to keep them fresh and on their toes.

Valerie Topete came to relish the opportunity that Tudebaker gave her and made a career out of delivering materials for clients throughout New York City, her dream job. She is now married with two kids.
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Valerie Topete - Three Tips for Working as a Bike Messenger

Valerie Topete took an unusual career path after she moved to New York City in 2008. She decided that she wanted to be a bike courier, zooming through the congestion of New York’s foot and vehicle traffic every day to deliver important legal documents, projects, and other materials to clients throughout the city.

Topete worked on a freelance basis for a while, delivering regular materials for a few steady clients until she was picked up by a local bike courier company, Mercury Rises. Working for this company is very competitive, and many who apply are turned away. Many more who make the cut are then fired when another bike courier comes along able to do the job faster and safer. Topete has stayed with Mercury Rises for four years and is in no danger of losing her spot.

Valerie Topete takes great pains to stay safe and always deliver her loads on time to the precise place and person she is assigned to. When she started working as a bike courier, she poured over maps of the city to get the best routes to certain boroughs and tested them out on the street with her bike whenever possible.

She took training runs throughout the city to understand the best ways to ride when she needed to make an especially quick delivery. Valerie Topete was able to carve out a niche for herself as a bike courier because of her dedication to the occupation that many people think is too dangerous.

Valerie Topete still lives in New York with her husband and two children.