My dear brother Noel and I go way back… As far as I can remember. When he heard that I had built a cool garage to photograph motorcycles in, he jumped on to his Kawasaki and came over to visit me.
He was stoked to be the very first person in the "Carl's Garage" series
100 years ago I met Boris.... he commissioned me to create an illustration for a magazine he wrote for... possibly even was the editor of...my memoryof those day is foggy at best.... I shot my brother David... a Norse God of a man and the final art was created. There began our friendship!
I create images....Boris writes...He writes good!
enough said.....
Today he arrived at my studio on a bucket list bike for me to photograph.... An Indian FTR1200!!!!
Damn this bike looked good in my garage.... you can imagine the smile on my face when he threw me the keys and told me to cut loose!
I have wanted to ride one of these machines since they came out and it did not disappoint ....Hell no
So my friends...here be the FTR1200...... oh and Boris as well.....lol Thanks Boris... the pleasure was truly mine brother!
"Carl's Garage" - damn straight!
Today Ben bought his Vrod to my studio for a shoot and he rolled on in and this black slick weapon of a machine looked totally bad arsed in my garage.
I love how people customise their rides, the wrapped pipes were a nice touch on this Vrod.....This machine shook the walls of my studio as it fired up....so cool
It's deep black glossy paint almost made the bike looked illustrated in the garage images.
Thanks Ben for wanting to be part of this series of images.
"Carl's Garage" - Build it and they will come
and so it began...
I followed Brett on Instagram, as he builds the coolest postie bikes, that you have ever seen. Then in his feed one day, I saw his beautiful Harley Davidson and asked if he would bring it to my garage to be photographed.
Luke gave me a call today and asked if he could come over to my studio to have his beautiful Breakout photographed.
I hesitated for about three seconds and said ....
"Hell yes let's do this"
Here be his amazing Harley... I am sure it cracked the very foundations of my new studio, as its engine fired up.....what a mad machine
Another stunning bike, another awesome photographic session. Brenden rolled up my driveway on this very cool Triumph today and we created some great images together.
If you know anyone who is proud of their bikes, point them in my direction. "Carl's Garage".... have you got what it takes?
Throughout my life, I have made some very special friendships and right up at the top of that list, is this man...
my brother Trip.
First person to put his hand up to help! Honest as the day is long and he rides like there is no tomorrow.... hard and fast
I asked him to bring this mad machine to my studio today and I am so glad that I did..... it's refined lines and design looked amazing in my garage.
I also added the Harley engine to the bench today....stunning bit of kit right there... my brother Trip also responsible for this new addition.
We go way back....way way back and he has helped me with so many creative projects in the past.... too many to mention...
Love you brother
"Carl's Garage" - where all the cool kids go!
9:30 am...no Steve
9:45...still no Steve
10am and off in the distance I hear the wailing note of a 180BHP Superbike coming in for landing. It's crisp and finely tuned exhaust note, singing to me like a Siren by the ocean shores.
Holiday traffic and common sense, his reason for delay .... words that were muffled as I stood and took this weapon of a motorcycle in.
I am obliged to say....."Bloody Suzuki" being a Kawasaki man and all......but my friends...a bike like this would almost make me change camps.... so light so powerful and so much fun!
Steve and his Gixxer are now part of the "Carl's Garage" Series and he shall be returning with his Classic Ducati in the next few days.
Carl's Garage.....some can....some can't
Well it had to happen....The Mean Green machine rolled into my Studio today to become part of the "Carl's Garage" Series.
Brad and I have history as long as the colourful lives we have lived.... I did more miles on my 80's super bikes with this man as a pillion than I rode solo. He would look over my shoulder as I did smoking wheel stands and when the roar of the engine subsided and the front wheel came down, I would hear his laugh of appreciation.
It is a wonder that we are both still here today....lol
Brad bought this beautiful machine off another brother, 37 years ago and I always remember how tight and sweet it's engine was and how hard it pulled....
Like my Zed, it had a long sleep for nearly 20 years and then he decided to bring her back to life and he did so, in a very cool fashion. Neither of us have ever been standard bike owners, so it was a given, that this build would be unique.
"Carl's Garage" - not for the faint hearted
Mark gave me a call and asked if he could roll on over to my studio to be part of the "Carl's Garage" series.
I was standing in my studio having just shot my mate Brad and his Z and said...."Come on over brother let's do this!
I heard his Fatboy from three suburbs away!
Wild machine
What I love about this series.... is that the people are just as individual as their rides and it is so cool capturing them with their beautiful motorcycles, machines that they take great pride in and get so much pleasure from.
Thanks for wanting to be part of this Mark....cheers brother
“Carl’s Garage” - don’t think about it... just do it
Mutley's Springer just looked sensational in my garage.... ticked every box for me... It was such a great shoot today.
It is going to be exciting watching this series grow and take on a life of it's own.
"Carl's Garage" - Ridden not Hidden
Tonight I had the great pleasure of photographing Brett's bike for him.. He is a hard working, hard riding brother and when he walked into my garage, trumpets sounded and angels sang, as he was the man born for this set!
His gritty tough look, whiskers and shades all sat perfectly into this scene. He said "I don't smile", I said "Good... I don't want you to"
Brett is happy on the inside and that is all that counts!
I love how the matte black motorcycle looks in the black scene as well... such cool lines.
There is a nice contrast between modern machine and my old school garage. Brett is bringing his old Norton over soon.... looking fwd to shooting that for him.
"Carl's Garage" - Damn Straight!
When Aaron rode up the driveway on his Thunderbird, I knew it was going to be a great shoot.
This is no concourse machine....this bike is ridden and ridden hard and because of that, it looks sensational in my garage. Right down to the homemade sissy bar.... cool on every level!
Aaron is a good mate, who I first met a few years back, when he wandered in to my t-shirt stall at the markets and we have been friends since.... a big hearted larrikin and a true Aussie bloke.
You looked the bomb today my man... thank you for wanting to be part of this very cool series of images and thank you for that mad sprocket... now part of this garage's history
"Carl's Garage" - where even dirty bikes have a home to go to
My brother Steve came here a few days ago on his Gixxer and said that he would love to return with his Ducati....this amazing classic Italian Superbike is 20 years old and it looks like it just rolled off the production line floor.
The only tell tale signs were the worn and feathered edges of his sticky soft compound tyres showing that this machine is ridden as it is meant to be!
It's glorious paint scheme looked sensational in my garage set. Thanks Steve for wanting to be part of this collection of bikes and their riders.
"Carl's Garage" - No regrets!
Tonight Norm rolled on in to my studio on the most immaculate Vulcan I have ever seen..... This stunning machine was better than concourse and I just had to stand and take it all in for a few minutes before I could concentrate on photographing it.
Thanks for bringing this wicked machine to me Norm!
"Carl's Garage" - you ride em I shoot em
Just finished shooting Max and his Thruxton.... these are such a cool bike. This bike is ridden not hidden, the way it should be.
I haven't shot many British bikes, so it is lovely to add this to the series. Thanks Max for coming down the highway to work with me....humbly appreciated brother
"Carl's Garage" - slow on the straights and fast through the corners!
One of the very cool things about my job, is the people I meet. Paul came here today with his pride and joy and I was able to capture these images for him.
Paul has only been riding a few years, but he told me he will never stop.... the passion for riding has taken hold and he gets so much pleasure from the wind in his face and his bike beneath him.
It was lovely to meet you brother and thanks for wanting to be part of this series.
"Carl's Garage" - where it is nice to be nice
My sister Kimmie rang me up and asked if she could come along to be part of the "Carl's Garage" series. I smiled and said "Let's do it".
I had no idea as to what she rode, but when she was a few blocks from mystudio, I had a fair idea it was big and bad assed and I was right.
Kimmie started on scooters, upgraded then upgraded then upgraded again to this stunning motorcycle. I asked my daughter to come and look at it, as she loves bikes and she smiled and said "Whooooahhh"
This glorious machine looked sensational in my set.
Thanks Kimmie... you rock mate!
"Carl's Garage" - where bad is good
Sue rang up and asked if she could come along and be part of the "Carl's Garage" series....."Of course you can mate" was my reply - "Everybody is welcome"
I was standing in my studio and a very familiar rumble could be heard fast approaching and it was Sue riding in on her bike "Saphire"
This biker rides hard and rides long miles....no cafe hopping for Sue, she is the real deal.
From the very first exposure to filming her rolling out of my studio, I had a huge smile on my face.... I am meeting some of the coolest people and I love it!
"Carl's Garage" - Have you got what it takes?
Today I got to meet two really cool people, Aynie and Pete Houlahan. They rode for over 4 hours to come and be part of the "Carl's Garage" Series!
You guys rock!
I really enjoyed meeting you and hearing some of your story.... Fairly new to riding, these guys are making up for it big time. Aynie has put 60,000 kms on her Yamaha in 3 years!
They ride long and they ride hard...massive respect for this!
I love this wicked Ducati with it's twisting lines and matte black demeanour and Aynie's Yamaha was so comfortable and tall and it made me want to wheelstand it up and down the road outside my studio....lol Behave Carl
I got to use the new section of the studio today and it worked beautifully.... all part of the streamlining process for when large groups of Bikers arrive..... and they will very soon!
"Carl's Garage" - Bitchin'
Last night my brother Matt, rolled on into my garage for some shots. His R6 wailed as he approached my studio.....such a cool bike!
His wicked whiskers and cool demeanour made for some awesome shots. I have known Matt since he was a little tike, his father Tom, is a dear brother of mine.
Over the years, Tom has helped me on so many cool set building projects and to now shoot his boy in one of them, was awesome. Matt brought over Tom's first leather jacket, it's worn and weathered form hanging off the Champion spark plug machine to the right.
cheers friends
Carl
"Carl's Garage" - established 1963
Today I got to photograph this wicked Indian. Russell rolled up the freeway from Sydney to get shot in my garage. This big weapon of a machine looked sensational and was the first Indian to ride through the door.
Over 700lbs of metal and muscle.... damn these bikes are big! So cool.
"Carl's Garage"..... Vroom vroom baby
Today I got photograph this wicked bike for my brother Brett. His custom Postie bike builds are sensational and this one looked amazing in my garage.
"Carl's Garage" - where two wheels do it better!
When Billy contacted me, a plan was put in place.... Billy's Dad was to ride down from up north, without knowing he was coming to my garage for a shoot.
It was his birthday
They rolled into my driveway and Glen had a somewhat puzzled look on his face, when a 300lb guy with a big moustache walked down the drive to greet him with a hug hello.
When Billy told him I was their photographer for the afternoon, a hugesmile crept across his face....that was so freaking cool.
What followed was two hours of sweat, flashing lights, orange ice blocks and very very cool image making.....
Billy's family are good people.... I love good people..... we had fun.
"Carl's Garage" - memories made of leather and steel
And here was the first photograph that I jumped in to… It was so cool that I just had to become part of that family
John rolled up on his beautiful Road Glide today and we created some great images together.
This bike was pretty damn cool, big loud and comfortable.....all boxes ticked!
John is not a weekend warrior, he rides hard and rides often and it was a pleasure spending some time together to do this for him!
"Carl's Garage" - same Bat time same Bat channel
Kerrie gave me a call just a few days after I opened the doors to my garage series and asked if she could come over with her gorgeous Triumph.
Today she rode proudly in to my studio with a big smile on her face, as today was her birthday as well.....Such a cool thing to do
Happy Birthday Sister
I love Triumph paint work.... it is deep, beautiful and high quality.... I love how the red pops in my garage set.
"Carl's Garage" - where all nations are welcome
I got a message from Jim asking if he could come to my studio today and we made it happen.
Jim has a rescued dog..... I will leave that here for you to ponder ...
I like Jim! I like him a lot!
Hard working young man with a huge heart and a beautiful dog!
"Carl's Garage" - where nice begets nice!
When Ian and I ride together.... I last a few kms then I pull over, leave mybike running, then like a puppy dog asking it's master for a walk, I walk towards his wicked Scrambler and we swap rides!
Loud obnoxious punchy and comfortable, bit like it's owner....maybe not the comfortable bit....lol ...I wouldn't know about that ...love riding this bike
We enjoy riding together....doing just enough illegal stuff to satisfy the inner ratbag, but safe enough to come home each time.... We are good mates!
He has a beautiful BSA he is building for me and I am busting to ride it! I will shoot it when done.
"Carl's Garage" - where you can't have a good beard without a moustache!
A very long time ago...early 90's, I met my brother Alice. It was the dawn of the digital age and with motorcycles and computers being something we were both quite passionate about.... the friendship was born.
I would ring and brag about some crazy powerful processing achievement on my newest fire breathing mac and Alice would listen with keen interest and a barrage of questions. My trips home along the freeway would often see us talk at length about all sorts of stuff.
Then before we knew it... we were old men....lol.... still passionate, still brothers.
Today Alice came along to be shot in my garage and when he rolled up the driveway with his FLHXXX.... I was not sure if it was going to fit....damn this thing is big!
Behind him was Boris on an FTR 1200....but that's another story... I'll get to him
After we captured these images he asked if I wanted to take his beast for a spin..... as the words were leaving his lips I was already pulling on some steel cappers and looking for my helmet... I didn't hit anything, I ran over a tree, I scared a family down the road and I returned...with a huge grin on my face... this Harley absolutely flies and you have to hang on tight when you crack the throttle.
Life... what an adventure!
"Carl's Garage" - but of course!
a few days ago I put it out there, that I was after an old school chopper to shoot in my garage.....through the modern miracle we have grown to love....a connection was made and what a cool one it was.
Tonight I got to meet Jordan and his fine machine.
I wanted old school at first...a shovel, a BSA, an old chopped ironhead... something 70's ish and when I first looked at Jordan's chopper with it's Evo motor I wasn't sure about it....
Then I stopped to think..... To Jordan....this is an old motor. The bike is pulled together from bits and pieces that he had and that he had made himself.... If he was born in the sixties he would have used a shovel for sure.... but Jordan was born in 89... so this engine is the perfect engine for his chopper.
This an old school chopper in every possible way and it is perfect for what I was chasing.... Loud, obnoxious, a 4 inch headlight that points at the possums, home made bits all over it and it leaks oil.
I chatted with my brothers yesterday about old school bikers...we are getting long in the tooth now. It makes me smile to think there are young men out there building bikes like this.... not just buying new and customising, but mashing things together to come up with something they can roll down the highway on, knowing that nobody else on the planet, has one that is even remotely the same, as the bike between their legs...... Respect!
"Carl's Garage" - Live to Ride
A while back Michael tee'd up a shoot for his boys from the Z Owners Club Queensland. It was to happen today after they did the big memorial run down south. After 4 days of shite conditions and 2000kms of travel, it was decided to can it for now.
This afternoon they came to visit and to say Gday, on their way back up to Queensland. So I asked them in, to show them my studio and to create a group image for them, while they were here..... tired, wet, worn out and sleep deprived.... perfect conditions for a group shot!
I asked them to bring in one bike and they all agreed to bring in John's 900.....black mamba, dark and stormy, the reaper, tempest..... can't remember the name..... but when I heard him fire it up, it put a big smile on my face, as this bike has done over 350,000 kms.
John is a Zed rider in the purest form....quietly spoken but with all of the notches in his gun barrel that you could ever hope to gain... it was the perfect bike to use for the group shot.
It's Stone fairing and black satin finish, made it look bad assed, I couldn't ask for more. We have made plans for later in the year to shoot all of their bikes.... that will be epic.
"Carl's Garage" - I was born to do this!
Darryl brought this beautiful Royal Enfield in for me to shoot. I am a big fan of these motorcycles… I love their old school look and the colour of this one was beautiful.
I like good people and this man ticks that box. Just a straight up nice human.
I am a big fan of Fatboys, so when Tony arrived on this motorcycle it put a big smile on my face… He has taken a very cool motorcycle and made it even coolerer :)
Jimmy brought a beautiful Softail Custom for me to photograph. I love the classic lines of these very cool Motorcycles… A modern chopper!
Greg is one of those guys, one of those no fuss guys. He works hard, he rides hard and he is proud of his motorcycle. I like straight up people like that.
Darrell gave me a call and asked if he could bring his family over with their motorcycles. I love doing group shots and when it is of cool people like this… It is a real pleasure.
The backwards and forwards banter between different brand owners is hilarious and we had a great laugh.
Ray Kelly brought a stunning bike to my studio. I love the classic lines and strength of design, in these bikes. This was a great shoot. This motorcycle was immaculate!
Richard was a quiet spoken and humble sort of guy. He arrived with this concourse Harley for me to photograph. We talked life, shared stories and created really cool images together.
Thank you brother :)
Being a Triumph owner myself, it was really cool when Paul arrived on this beautiful T100.
Kerry is a very cool character… I am blessed to be able to photograph so many awesome humans and this man had great stories to share and the shoot went by very quickly.
That is always a good sign that I am enjoying myself, which is important when I am creating images for people.
Darrell is a dear brother of mine and when you look in the dictionary for the word "biker"… There is a picture of this man, for he is a biker of the truest form.
As much as I hate to admit it… This bloody Suzuki is a very special motorcycle indeed.
Cool people, cool motorcycle… Simple really.
I have a great job :)
Jason and Jenny rocked up on this sports glide for a shoot in my garage and we had an awesome time creating these images
Joanne roared up my driveway, on this wicked Harley Davidson.
Some people just look right on their motorcycles and that was the case here. An immaculate motorcycle ridden by a very proud woman.
My brother Jamie and I go way back… Right back to when I first began riding motorcycles. Each weekend we would head off on an adventure and count our blessings that we got home in one piece.
Nearly 30 years passed and our paths crossed again… And of course, like any great friendship… We took off like we had just seen each other the day before.
This was a beautiful motorcycle to photograph and I was so happy to be able to create these images for my brother.
Mutley returned to my studio today, with fresh mods to his Harley, his bike changes over time, like most of our rides.
As he rolled up my driveway and in to my studio, a highway patrol flew by....fearing the worst, I slid the door shut and started to think of excuses for his visit, when my neighbour called out to say "they are at it again".... referring to a troubled family around the corner!!!
I was happy for Mutley, not so happy for the family with troubles.
It was great to be shooting again.... I just started to gain traction on this series of images when Bammmmmm.... Lock down!!!
the good thing is that there is already talk of some restrictions being lifted..... hopefully motorcycle riding will be up for consideration soon...fingers crossed
cheers friends
Carl
"Carl's Garage" - Hell Yeah!
When Luke rode his V Star in to my garage, it looked amazing.....that old school colour looked just right.
Luke has a long history on bikes like myself and that story is shown in the lines in his face and the wear and tear on his ride.
Ridden not Hidden.... as it should be
"Carl's Garage" - Old School Cool
I first met Danielle, when her Mum came to be shot in my Garage 2 months ago. When she saw the images I created she told me she would be back. Well yesterday both Dannielle and her dad Chris, brought their rides to me, to become part of the "Carl's garage" series and we had an absolute hoot, creating cool image after cool image.
I like good people and this family ticks that box with a big black artline texta!!!
"Carl's Garage" - it's a family thing
When Chris rode his Breakout up and into my studio, it looked absolutely bloody amazing. The lines, the paint, the upgrades, all work together so beautifully on this bike.
We had such a great shoot, as his family were there as well and these guys are just really nice people, which made my job very easy indeed.
"Carl's Garage" - when only the best will do
30 odd years ago, I met this hyper young man called Craig...heartrate of 275 and the ability to grind metal with his words, as they fly so freely.
We became mates and for many years, Craig worked as my assistant in my photography business, for no more than hugs and great adventures.
Today is Craig's birthday and he came on over to my studio to become part of the "Carl's Garage" series on his shiny VStar. It glowed under my studio lights and looked bloody brilliant in the garage set.
Happy Birthday Brother
"Carl's Garage" - where chrome and alloy shine brightly
The story continues on
The Shoots Archive #2
