Liam gave me a call and asked if I could take some pictures of his Bonneville and he came over for a run, just the other day. I knew this bike was customised quite heavily, but when he came into earshot, I didn't quite know just how much!
When I grow up, I want to sound like Liam's Bonneville, I thought to myself… For there is no other motorcycle I have seen, that slices through the silence, like a screaming banshee, with a few pints in its belly… cackling and spitting and biting all at the same time!
I will share a video of this machine running, at a later date! I think I need you to build a set of pipes for my Trumpy brother …. These mandrel bent specials sound insane :)
You can't help smile as you walk towards this beautiful machine. It is a one off!
A bit like the man himself.
Liam has built up a business based on customising cars and motorcycles, through hard work, perseverance and creativity… Much respect for this :)
You can see more of his cool projects on insta at @butlerscustomsandclassics
It is very hard to say, what I like the most about this bike, as there were lots of highlights.
He wanted special wheels, so he designed them up and got them made…. kind of like a crossover between a 1980s BMX bike and something very old school …. The end result, a stunning set of wheels that look brilliant with those wicked retro tyres, stretched around them. The paint has an almost glow in the dark colour to it in natural light, you know that hint of lime underneath the beige sort of thing.
Thank you brother for bringing me another one of your beautiful creations to photograph. I enjoy our time together and shooting unique bikes like this, is very cool.
So my friends, here be Liam’s Bonneville… Enjoy!
“Carl’s Garage” - I like different
Kane gave me a call and asked if I could photograph his Harley for him and we locked in a day. Rain set in and stopped that shoot from happening … then he gave me another call and told me that he had sold the bike, but was still keen to get photographs taken.
The new owner, Tommy, came roaring up my driveway on this beautiful machine.
We rolled it into the set and I started photographing it and then I asked Tommy to come on in for some pictures.
He looked at me with a surprised look in his eyes and said… No, I just want the bike photographed and I said No don’t be silly… Walk this Way
Begrudgingly, he walked into the set and we created these really cool images together.
Tommy is a good bloke… A real straight up sort of guy and it was a very cool and relaxed shoot because of this.
This motorcycle looked stunning in garage number two and I was really happy with the images that we created. So was Tommy
Carl’s Garage - just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
I like Pandas ...
to be continued...
Craig gave me a call and asked if he could have a gift voucher for a shoot in my garage, for his girl Karissa.
Time passed and a date was set.
He told me that he would come along on the day as well, on his Boulevard. I stood in the door of the studio waiting for them to arrive, then it happened. The roar of three bikes coming in to land, it shook the walls of my studio.
Craig wanted two of his bikes shot, so Greg rolled in on one of them. Talk about contrast. A Harley, a GSX and a Boulevard… You couldn’t get three more different bikes, but all with a common theme…. They were very cool.
We shot one of Craig‘s bikes first and then we rolled Karissa‘s Harley into the garage. Craig came up behind the black velvet screen and said stay here.
Puzzled, I watched him walk into the garage and get down on bended knee.
Karissa melted into a shaking mess and accepted his proposal of marriage.
Well call me Captain Stubing and my garage the Love Boat ❤️❤️❤️
Greg had no idea, Karissa had no idea and I certainly had no idea this was going to happen. Craig had planned it for some time and it was just perfect.
Karissa is a smiling person normally, so you can imagine the difficulty I had from that point forward getting her to do any non-smiling images!
Thank you so much friends for bringing this story to my garage… The pride and love shared and shown this evening was magical. I felt honoured to be part of it.
So my friends… I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and that your wheels are turning… :)
Carl’s Garage - I do ❤️
Steve was absolutely buzzing when he arrived and he hopped off his Harley, with a huge smile on his face. He told me that he was really excited about coming and getting some photographs taken with me and was watching the weather on his phone last night, hoping that the skies would clear.
The weather gods were smiling down on us and his wish was granted.
I love it when people arrive with such enthusiastic energy… We stood and talked for some time, before I even turned a light on. His beautiful bike sitting between us, waiting patiently for us to begin.
He asked me if I met lots of cool characters creating this series of images and with a smile, I answered yes indeed… The people that I am photographing are amazing and all so wonderfully different.
As some of you will know, I am a big fan of these bikes… Facebook won’t let me spell their name correctly, as it goes against their guidelines … so for now we will just call it a “large mail” to avoid any more bans✌️
Definitely one of my favourite from the Harley range… There’s just something very cool about these bikes. He has this one set up really nicely, as he is a big fella like me and when I threw a leg over, it felt pretty comfortable.
Thank you brother, I really enjoyed our time together, it was time well spent.
So my friends, here be Steve and his “rotund mail”
Carl’s Garage - could it get any coolerer.
Tommo gave me a call quite a while ago and said that he would like to come for a run up to my studio in Newcastle, with a few friends for a photo shoot… Fantastic I said … Come on up.
The morning of the shoot, I looked at the radar, as this crew was heading off early from Canberra and it was absolutely persisting down… I thought to myself … Damn … As if Canberra is not already cold enough, these poor buggers have to start a ride in the rain!
I don’t like riding in the rain, I don’t like getting wet and I certainly don’t like… Starting a long journey with a wet arse!
Steve had headed up earlier on and was the 1st to arrive. As we started to create images and share stories, we realised, that not only did we have a similar background, both being from Newcastle…. but we had actually met before, 40 years ago, when a mutual friend connected us through rallies and a touring group.
It is a very small world we live in my friends!
Just as we were wrapping up Steve’s images, the rest of the crew arrived. The sound of three beautiful machines, coming into land from a distance, was awesome. They pulled up in my driveway and then set about cleaning off the road grime, from the ride north.
What followed, was just the coolest session ever. These guys had everything to share, that I could possibly ask for. Positive energy, great stories and lots of laughter!
Just like the line from the movie “The Castle”
It is all about the vibe :)
Thank you so much my friends… This truly was a great adventure, that I was so happy to be part of. After posting these here, I will be sending off all of your individual images as promised.
You guys rock!
Carl’s Garage - it’s all about the vibe!
When I started shooting the Carl‘s Garage series … I very quickly realised, that the people were just as amazing, as the bikes they rode in on.
Each one with their own unique story, bringing something very special to my studio. The collection of portraits has become quite a beautiful thing indeed.
Yesterday was a special day for me, as I got to photograph Robyn and her beautiful Springer.
She contacted me a few weeks ago and told me she was hoping to stop by Newcastle, on her way north to Brisbane. We locked in a day and just a few days out from the shoot, she told me that she was close to town and really excited about coming to work with me.
What I then found out, was that she had ridden from Brisbane to Perth, then back to my studio in Newcastle…!!!
21,800 km in total… Solo!
I shit you not!
This woman is the real deal… Much respect✊
Robyn has lived and breathed motorcycles for a very long time and once she had rolled into my studio and unpacked her swag from her stunning Springer… The stories flowed, laughter bounced off the walls of my studio and great images were created.
Robyn, I thoroughly enjoyed our time together you bloody legend… This was a great shoot and you are one very cool human!
As you guys know, I am a bit of a fan of faaatboys ( deliberately misspelled to avoid fb algorithm jail time ) But I am also a fan of Springers… They are just the coolest looking bikes and this one is a stunner.
Robyn has a Breakout as well and she told me, just as she was leaving, that she was coming back to see me once again on that bike! This time a short trip down from Brisbane, rather than an epic journey, back and forth across the country!
So my friends, here be some of the images, from my shoot with Robyn and her 2008 CVO Springer.
Carl’s Garage - do you even ride bro?
Guy had been following my work for quite some time and he was very excited to come to my studio, as he had been given a gift voucher for a shoot.
Some people just give off a real positive vibe and guy is one of those people. Right from the very get go, the conversation took precedence over the photography and we laughed and reminisced, talked Life and shared very cool stories along the way.
As soon as he rolled into my studio, I recognised Ian Truman’s insanely clever airbrush work. Simply the best work I have seen in this country, by any artist. I have a background in airbrushing, so I feel qualified to comment in such a fashion.
This is a beautiful machine and looked amazing in my old school garage.
Thank you brother for wanting to be photographed by me and for an enjoyable couple of hours together…
Definitely time well spent.
Carl’s Garage - images have left the building!
I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing Sharon and her beautiful KTM.
Her man had bought her a gift voucher for a shoot in my garage and she turned up on her immaculate bike.
I actually thought it was brand-new and was surprised that it had 18,000 km on it… It was very obvious, that great pride was taken in the maintenance of this machine. That is cool.
I was really surprised when I threw a leg over the bike, as to just how light it was. These models and the 1290 Superduke are both very clever designs. You can see the build quality when you take in the finer details.
They are just beautifully made.
You can see her pride, when she is with the bike. I love capturing that in an image.
Thanks Sharon, I enjoyed our time together and creating these cool images for you. Keep riding that amazing machine of yours and clocking up the miles.
Carl’s Garage - burning fuel and melting rubber since 1963
I had the pleasure of photographing Boris and this beautiful BMW.
An excellent build of the highest quality and the bike was pretty good as well :)
We drank dirty brown water, we talked of life and made cool images together.
I love it when people bring positive energy into my workspace and that is exactly what happened today, when Jesse and Shakari came to visit.
With a hairdo like Arthur Fonzerelli and Shakari’s twisted curls of a 1950s Pinup Girl… These guys brought a very cool look and vibe to my garage.
Thank you for being such an awesome couple to work with. It was lovely to meet you both and spend a few hours, making images like these.
Carl’s Garage - Heeeeeyyyyy
I first met Jessica and Stewart, just a few short weeks ago at Bike Night.
They came up and said hello and I walked over to have a look at their beautiful bikes.
Jessica told my daughter, she could throw a leg over her Ducati Scrambler, which put a huge smile on my girl’s face.
A few weeks passed and yesterday we got together, for the coolest photo shoot ever.
However it wasn’t a Ducati and a Harley that pulled up out the front. Jessica had decided to bring her Ural!
So cool… So very cool!
I have not shot one of these wicked machines.
Many years ago, I knew someone that sold them and you could buy a 650 for $650… One dollar a cc!!!
He was an interesting character called Dirk. These are very primal bikes. A design stolen from the Germans by the Russians, a long time ago.
When Jessica rode it up the driveway and into my studio, there was not much clearance on either side. This being the first outfit in the series!
Stewart’s Harley was next to follow and what a stunning bike this was. I don’t get to shoot White Bikes very often and it made a real statement in amongst all my old school stuff. It’s big imposing form, looked pretty bloody special actually.
It was a very chilled and fun shoot with you guys… Thank you. Lots of laughter, cool images and time well spent.
Carl’s Garage - creating a snapshot of our biking community, one shoot at a a time.
Nathalie and Geoff came to visit me on the weekend, with two stunning motorcycles.
The contrast between the two bikes , was as strong as it could possibly be, for we had a British sports bike and a German Intergalactic Starship Destroyer!
Damn these BMW's are big motorcycles!
I love it when I get to photograph such different bikes together …. both quality bikes as well!
A big part of the time is spent with me asking questions and learning about the machines before me… Usually in amazement!
The Triumph felt like a 600cc motorcycle beneath me, so when I learned it was a litre bike, I was quite shocked!
This thing must absolutely hunt with a power to weight ratio that would definitely be hard on your license points… It would be on mine anyway :)
And then there was the BMW!!!!
Don't get me started… What doesn't this motorcycle do?
We laughed, created cool images and had a sweet couple of hours together friends… Thank you so much :)
So here be images from the shoot for you guys to enjoy.
I have another very cool bike arriving here tomorrow, so stay tuned :)
“Carl’s Garage” - Clutch up… power up…. You choose :)
Well my friends… It is no secret that I am a big fan of this motorcycle. So when Dean arrived on this 2011 Fatboy, it put a big smile on my face :)
You only have to throw a leg over these bikes and they just feel right.
I shoot a lot of motorcycles and get to sit on them while working with them and there is something just very cool about these bikes.
I haven't ridden one, but I imagine that they are a hoot to ride as well.
Dean is a pretty laid-back character and the conversation flowed freely, from the moment he rolled into my garage.
I asked him how he knew of my work and he rattled off a list of friends, that have already been here. That is so cool and getting business by word-of-mouth is pretty special.
Thank you brother for rolling down the highway to my place today. It was time well spent.
“Carl’s Garage” - do you even ride bro?
Chris contacted me a while back and asked if he could stop by my studio, on his journey north.
Both he and his wife Sue, are off on a huge motorcycle adventure and wanted to get cool photographs taken, as they travelled through Newcastle.
They rolled into my place today, on this beautiful Thunderbird and we had the coolest shoot ever.
This is a big bike and the build quality is pretty bloody special… they have an equally huge trailer, that they tow behind them and they are going to do some serious miles, over the next few weeks.
Thank you so much for wanting to stop by my friends… I really enjoyed our time together today.
“Carl’s Garage” - 15,000km round trip sounds like a cool plan to me
A long, long time ago… When I was just a wee lad… The XS 650 was quite often the bike of choice, to turn into a chopper… A very cool looking engine with nice symmetrical header pipes that lent itself to customisation nicely.
So you can imagine the smile on my face today when Darren and Liane arrived at my studio, in a beautiful Chevy truck with a trailer behind it and there upon the trailer… sat this custom hardtail Yamaha… Way cool!
Grinning from ear to ear, I walked down the drive to help Darren unload his chopper in the flogging down rain.
We rolled it into my studio and gave it a wipe down before we started.
This is a very cool motorcycle!
I love the variety of bikes that come to my studio to be photographed and in particular… when it is a first! This being the first XS650 in the series✌️
It was a real pleasure spending a few hours with you both… The positive energy that you brought to my workspace was tangible and very much appreciated.
Here be a few images from today’s shoot for you guys to enjoy.
Cheers
Carl
Carl’s Garage - I once knew a guy called Billy Little and every time he hopped off his Harley Davidson he pulled out a hairbrush, that was jammed into the handlebars and brushed his beard and hair before he would walk into the pub… He was a big bear of a man and nobody ever said anything✌️
Chris and Leah arrived today, for a photo shoot on their Street Glide. I commented that both the Street Glide and the Road Glide, were the two most popular motorcycles in the series so far and it is pretty easy to work out why… I am 6'4" tall and I like to be comfortable on a motorcycle and when I threw my leg over this bike, it just felt right … :)
So here I was, with a matte black motorcycle and Chris was dressed in black, with a black beard and black hair, against a black velvet background!
Challenge accepted :)
Right from the get go, I just felt comfortable with this pair… Good communicators, confident and relaxed humans, with no agendas… I like people like that.
There was just a lovely bond between these two…. A really positive energy and I could feel it.
It is pretty cool when you see people that are so in love.
Well put me in a white uniform and call me Captain Stubing, because it happened once again my friends… yes you guessed it… Chris got down on bended knee and asked Leah to marry him!!!
And she said yes!!!
How freaking cool is that :)
Just when you think a shoot is going well…. it jumps to the next level.
So my friends, here be some images from today's shoot with these beautiful people.
Enjoy!
Carl
We have been trying to coordinate this Shoot for a long time… Lockdowns and shitty weather made this quite a process indeed.
But today… We made it happen!
Teena and Sparx arrived on this beautiful bike and we had a fantastic shoot together.
Sparx is one of those really laid-back Aussie bloke. Hard-working, no fuss sort of guy and I like people like that.
Nothing to prove ✊
He had been following my work for a while and knows quite a few people that have stood before me, so it is always lovely when someone that enjoys my social media feed, comes for a shoot… He knows the images I have posted and that is really cool.
Thank you both friends… It was a very chilled session and I love creating these images for you.
Huge day in the studio tomorrow … Two big families coming… Look out :)
Carl’s Garage - the sun is shining
Paul asked if he could come over with his family and what a great Shoot it was. We laughed and carried on, right through the whole session… it was a lot of fun. His kids got right into it.
I first met Paul a few weeks back, on a bike night run, when he came up and introduced himself and his daughter to me and my daughter. He told me how he was excited to come and get some cool photos taken.
I love it when people bring that positive energy into my studio. Only good things can come of that.
Paul arrived first on this beautiful Harley and then the family rumbled into my driveway in a 6 litre V8… Mum’s pride and joy.
Thank you brother for bringing your beautiful family to my humble studio. This was time well spent and I really enjoyed creating these images for you.
Carl’s Garage - tic tic boom
Brittany contacted me and asked if I could lock in a shoot with her sisters, mum and kids… We got together on the weekend and had an absolute ball creating these images.
The back-and-forth banter between sisters is really cool to listen to… I grew up with three older sisters so it was lovely to see the dynamic between them.
They arrived on two beautiful Triumphs and we began.
As I have mentioned before friends… Family portraits have never been my thing, but since I began this garage series… They have become a very cool part of what I do.
Watching the kids get into it, was awesome … When they see themselves on the back of my camera and see how cool they look, they walk back into the set, more confident each time.
Building up each of the group shots is fun, as I place them into the set one at a time and then I stand back and look at the composition and it makes me smile when it all works and looks so good.
Thank you Brittany for bringing your beautiful family to my humble studio.
Here my friends, is a sneak peak into what was, an awesome afternoon of image making.
Carl’s Garage - where socks and thongs are the order of the day. In Winter that is :)
Brock brought his beautiful family to my studio on the weekend and we had the coolest shoot ever.
It was lovely to watch his kids get into the posing and enjoy what we were creating together.
I am really enjoying building up these family images here and I stand there and piece it together, one human at a time, until it just clicks and looks right.
The kids were so patient and very easy to work with.
Yes we had giggles and yes we had laughs, but we also had the cool posing as well.
I love the images we created here and it was time well spent… Most definitely!
Thank you brother for bringing your Family to my humble Studio… I like good people.
We did good :)
Paula and Kent arrived on this meticulously maintained motorcycle… I do love the Denim finish on modern Harleys. as it photographs so beautifully.
This Sportglide is Kent‘s pride and joy. When he rides it, the pleasure he gets is pretty bloody special.
We all know that feeling.
When I switch on one of my bikes and kick it to life… Excitement levels build and endorphins are flowing. When I return from a ride, I am exhausted but recharged.
Kent asked if I could take some photos of him in his RFS uniform and with a huge smile on my face, I 100% said yes!
I loved that he brought another aspect of his life to my garage and as Paula proudly pinned the medals on to his chest, I had this real appreciation for all of these hard-working people out there, that put their lives on the line, to keep us safe in bushfire season.
Massive respect for this.
Thank you Paula and Kent for being excited about working with me and for bringing such positive energy into my studio. I really enjoyed creating these images for you both.
Carl’s Garage - twist the throttle and I am gone!
Hey friends… just had the coolest shoot today, with young Louis and his parents, Mandy and Ben.
This little champion, strode up and into my garage, with a big smile on his face and that smile stayed there, for the entire visit.
Not yet three years old, he listened intently to everything I asked of him and was so cool to photograph.
I told him to come back in 15 years when Dad gives him this wide glide and I want to shoot him again.
Ben and Mandy looked fantastic together on this bike… You’ve got to love red pumps and a red leather jacket on a beautiful woman!
Thank you so much friends, you brought such a positive energy into my studio today and Louis is a very switched on and cool young human. It was a lot of fun and I loved creating these images for you.
See you in 15 years!
Steve gave me a call and asked if there was any chance of me squeezing a Shoot in today.
100% was my answer and he got up early this morning and travelled four hours to meet up with me at lunchtime.
Steve is a doer… He does stuff… And currently he is travelling around Australia with his beautiful family and has this 30 year old sportster, strapped onto the back of a bus, that he has converted into a beautiful mobile home.
He bought this bike at the start of the journey, threw some knobbly tyres on it and a bigger back wheel and built himself a scrambler of sorts… So that when he was on location, he could go exploring.
Brother I really enjoyed photographing this cool bike for you today and spending some time with you. I wish you well with the rest of your journey and your next exciting project
Friends, I hope you all have a sensational weekend. I am shooting some cool people and Bikes over the next 2 days and will look forward to sharing the images with you.
Carl’s Garage - do you want to build a snowman?☺️
Grant rolled into my driveway on this immaculate motorcycle.…followed by his beautiful family.
We set about creating the coolest collection of images and had a lot of fun creating them. It really was a great shoot
Thank you friends, for being so easy to take cool images of… we did good… Real good.
Tomorrow is another day my friends and it is a day full of exciting photo shoots … so stay tuned for more to come
Carl’s Garage - Gamble responsibly
