Hoppinhoowaah!
to be continued...
Next absolute champion of a human to come to my studio was Teresa. What an absolute card.
We laughed, shared stories and then we laughed some more.
Teresa apologised for her language…. I smiled and told her not to, as I like people like that. In your face, honest, strong willed Aussie chick.
She arrived on a stunning motorcycle and we had the best time creating cool images together.
You rock sister and thank you for coming to my humble studio.
Carl’s Garage - Where sisters are doing it for themselves️
I just had the real pleasure of meeting Stuart Carter and photographing his stunning Fire Blade.
Obviously the first thing I noticed about this motorcycle, was the tyres!!!
Stuart rides hard and is no stranger to speed… all done on track days, where I believe speed should be done.
Being of a similar vintage, we were able to talk about so many common things in our lives. which was very cool.
I don't get to photograph many hyper sports bikes, so it is a real pleasure when one as beautiful as this, arrives.
I am a big fan of red and black… A very powerful colour combination that always photographs beautifully. Throw those colours onto a 200 hp Sportsbike and boom!
Thank you brother for travelling up here today, on this beautiful machine.
See you in my mirrors some day...
As you fly passed me :)
“Carl’s Garage” - where power to weight means something
p.s. When I asked Stuart how he kept his bike shiny, he said he used kerosene!! This is not the first time I have heard this and it was probably 30 years ago that I last heard it. And I still struggle in my brain at the concept of using it on my bike, but Stuart's machine looked sensational.... Bloody Kerosene!!!!
Today I had the most awesome Shoot.
Dave has followed my work for some time now and has always been so very supportive of what I share.
Thank you for that brother.
He gave me a call a few weeks back and asked if he could bring his dad and his brother over for a shoot in my garage.
Today… That happened.
When you get family together, you see the similarities between them, mannerisms, eye colour etc etc it is amazing …. humans are beautiful things and I do enjoy photographing them.
This was a shoot with three very cool blokes…. So very different, but so much alike..
Working with these men produced great images today.
Dave had organised it without telling his brother what was going on and when he rode up my driveway, he was still none the wiser.
Thank you fellers for being very chilled humans… this was a great shoot and we made awesome images together.
Big Dave, you have raised two fine men and that is a credit to you brother.
Carl’s Garage - just because
Well put me in a Captain’s uniform and blow a whistle as I walk onto the ship… not just any ship… The Love boat!
All Aboard :)
For I am Captain Stubing and this is my story :)
Yes you guessed it my friends… For once again, love has entered the studio!
Jarrod contacted me a few weeks back and asked if he and his beautiful girl Megan, could come to my studio to be photographed on their bikes.
And there was one other thing…
Would I mind if he popped the question while the shoot was happening… How freaking cool is that!
So Megan arrived none the wiser and we started shooting Jarrod's bike first.
A beautiful Yamaha with a mad colour, that sometimes looks blue and sometimes purple. These are a very cool Bike.
Then we started to work on Megan's bike and I said to Jarrod quietly ….. that I would give him the nod and once we pulled down the black velvet and were shooting in the old garage, that would be the perfect time.
Megan was on her beautiful Harley Davidson and I made a space for Jarrod to stand and gave him the nudge!
He stood frozen for a short while and I could see the nerves building… It was beautiful.
He took a deep breath and on bended knee asked Megan to marry him.
Her immediate response was magical :)
The whole energy in the shoot shifted to a new level :)
So Cool
I normally try to send the images out the same day that I shoot them, but I have been a tad busy my friends … So here are some of the highlights from my shoot with these two beautiful people.
Enjoy!
Carl’s Garage - promises something for everyone :)
Matt and Maria arrived on their beautiful Softail Deluxe, keen as, to create cool images in my garage.
It is always lovely when I find out that people know my work and know what I share… As I discussed previous shoots and things that have happened in the garage, they would nod in recognition, having seen and followed my work for some time now.
That is really cool when that happens.
Thank you guys, you brought a lovely positive energy into my studio.
I enjoyed the stories shared and creating these cool images for you both… Definitely time well spent :)
Carl’s Garage - not enough “o”s in Cooool :)
Tyler sent me a message and asked if he could come down for a run on his Harley with his missus on the back, for a few pics in my garage.
Damn straight was my reply and the date was set.
I heard this bike coming from quite a distance off… and then when he turned in to my drive… I smiled broadly.
This was a cool motorcycle… A very unique one… A bit like the man who rode in on it.
He flew up the driveway, passed my trailer, through the narrow opening and came to a screeching halt …. in the middle of my garage
Shanon hopped off the back and I greeted her with a hug and then spun around to Tyler’s open arms… “are you a hugger? “ he asked
We know the answer to that one.
With the greetings done, I turned to his motorcycle. This ungodly creation … This beast of a motorcycle… Tylers Harley … Was like no other.
He told me that when he first tried to turn the engine over, after a serious upgrade, that he just stripped the starter motor, through the engine having way too much compression… I am not really a technical person, but I could feel this engine in my core when it was running and that was pretty cool.
I looked at him with this curiosity, as I felt like I knew him and it was only when he mentioned another brother (cheers Brett) that had already been here for a shoot, that the penny dropped… Tyler had been here and dropped off some giant crankshafts for me to have as props, 12 months ago … so I wasn’t going daft, we had actually met before.
What followed was just the coolest shoot ever. This young couple had strong love between them, that was quite tangible and it was a very relaxed and fun shoot.
So many great stories shared and so many cool images created… Definitely time well spent.
Thank you my brother and sister for brightening up my studio with your positive ways.
Carl’s Garage - Rules…. What rules... Twist the throttle and hang on!
When Allan contacted me, he asked if he could bring two bikes over to my place to be photographed. He sent me a picture and I was very happy to see the bikes he wanted me to shoot.
Motorbikes have always been in my life, but I have only ever related the name Bultaco, to dirt bikes… never road bikes. So when the opportunity came up to photograph these beautiful machines, I could not have been more excited.
And when I say beautiful… I mean lovingly restored masterpieces.
Allan and his father, worked side-by-side, building these motorcycles, but very sadly, passed away before the finish line.
The plaque on the racer, a tribute to his Dad, is a beautiful thing and every time he hops onto this machine, he will think of his dad, think of the time spent together and know that he is there riding with him.
Motorcycles have always been part of Melissa’s life as well and she shares the same passion as her man, which is so cool.
Both with a background in trials bike riding, I dropped the name Sherpa and they both smiled and said yes Melissa, has one of those. And the list went on!
These were two very cool humans indeed.
Today was also to be the maiden run of these two beautiful bikes, for after our photo shoot, they were going to the saddle up and go for a ride together.
Can you even imagine the sound of these two bikes running alongside of each other… a pure symphony of cackling, smoky madness… So cool.
Thank you so much Allan, for sharing the story of these bikes and bringing them here to my garage to be photographed.
I shoot a lot of incredible Bikes, but when I stand next to a machine, like either of these and see the hours spent… the days and weeks spent, lovingly restoring and creating piece after glorious piece, until the final beautiful motorcycle stands before them… My respect levels are set to volume 10.
For this is a true labour of Love.
Beautiful.
Carl’s Garage - 50:1 smells so good
Shane was given a gift voucher, for a shoot in my garage and today we got together, to create some really cool images.
He is a straight up sort of fella… No fuss, direct, honest and hard working Australian man … short and sweet.
He loves this motorcycle and cares for it accordingly.
Each time I pressed the shutter, I felt like I was capturing something special. He fits this bike nicely and the connection was quite tangible.
Man and machine… Meant to be.
“Carl’s Garage” - can you hear the thunder?
I had the coolest shoot yesterday with Leanne and Mark.
Leanne gave me a call a little while ago and said she wanted to surprise her man, with a shoot in my garage. She told me that she was going to tell him that they were going on a ride and his bike had to be clean… That was all :)
They arrived early, Leanne was buzzing about getting this done, which was so cool.
We started with her stunning motorcycle and then we moved it to one side, to ride Mark’s beautiful trike, up and into my garage.
What a stunning colour it was!
I love the contrast between the two bikes, the same contrast between the humans that rode them here.
A beautiful matte finish white motorcycle versus a rich glossy blue trike… You could not get two more different bikes :)
“Motorcycles changed my life”… Leanne said to me. I understand that, I thought to myself. I feel blessed that I have had them in my life for a very long time, but I also understand the joy that someone feels, when they are still new to them. That is where she is at right now, which is awesome.
You could see the pride in her eyes, when I started to talk about her beautiful bike Nova.
It was really lovely that Leanne has followed my work for some time now and to finally meet her and spend some time creating these images together, was awesome.
Thank you friends for wanting to work with me and for bringing two amazing machines for me to photograph.
“Carl’s Garage” - let me create cool images for you!
I got a phone call from Shane, he wanted to buy a gift voucher for a shoot in my garage, for his friends Renae and Scott.
He wanted to give them something cool :)
I rose early Sunday and ducked over to the toy run to have a quick ride around and have a look at all the motorbikes, being mindful that I had to be back for a 10am shoot.
Leaving Stockton in plenty of time, I turned the corner into my street and there were three Harley Davidsons parked out the front of my house.
Bugger… I thought to myself… I thought I had this all sorted :)
Flew up the driveway, pulled off my helmet and looked at my clock, to see that they were half an hour early!
All good :)
I raced around like a lunatic, changing out of motorcycle gear and into my bare feet and shorts… the uniform of photographers like me … took a deep breath and we began.
Shane bid us farewell and rode off into the distance on his beautiful bike.
Right from the very get go, this Shoot had the coolest vibe. Renae and Scott are just lovely people …. end of story.
We laughed and shared snippets of our lives, created awesome images and enjoyed the moment.
Thank you so much friends… I really enjoyed this shoot with you.
“Carl’s Garage” - Go on…. make that call … you won’t regret it :)
Tom was given a gift voucher for a shoot in my garage by a brother and yesterday we made it happen.
I had no idea what he was going to arrive on… The distant rumble told me it was a Harley Davidson and then when he came in to sight on this immaculate Faaatboi (Facebook does not like that name) it put a big smile on my face, as I am a fan of this model.
Then when he pushed the button and the bike made a hissing sound and sat it’s back end down… I smiled even more. For now he had taken a bike with cool lines and made it even coolerer
Tom is a good bloke and the session was laid back, fun and creative. Just like I want all of my shoots to be.
I love doing what I do and making people smile, with the images I create, is a very cool thing to do.
Thanks Tom… The pleasure was truly mine brother.
Carl’s Garage - stopping time and making memories is what I do
It was quite some time ago, when Louise bought a gift voucher for her man Troy… Lots of things got in the way… A pandemic, buggered wheel bearings… You name it… It just wasn’t meant to happen… each time we planned a shoot… Something got in the way
That was until of course, today!
When, in the early morning sun, they jumped onto their beautiful motorcycles and headed east towards my studio, from a little town that I had never heard of before and I can’t even remember the name
Louise was originally just coming along to jump into a few photos with Troy, but changed her mind and brought her beautiful Harley down as well. I do like the Wide Glide… It has fantastic lines and has a real cool chopper feel to it.
From the moment she arrived… Louise was grinning like a Cheshire cat and was so happy to finally be here doing this.
Once we finished Louise’s bike we rolled Troy’s into place.
What a difference… These low riders are a very cool motorcycle indeed. It must’ve been 10 inches shorter in the wheelbase and about 30 kg lighter at least. It’s rich deep colour looked amazing in my old school garage.
I love creating cool images for people and when it turns out that they are really nice humans as well… it is just a bonus
Carl’s Garage - it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Champion of a human plus ultra cool motorcycle equals fantastic photo shoot. Bill rolled into my studio on this immaculate break out and we had an awesome shoot together.
Bill is a very chilled down to earth guy and I like working with people like that… Nothing to prove, straight up sort of person. We did good
Today I had the great pleasure of photographing Bec and Chris, two very cool humans with a beautiful Harley.
They have tried for some time now, to get up to Newcastle and work with me, but you know how it is… Sometimes life just gets in the way … especially these days :)
When Chris rolled into my garage, I got to see the new paintwork on his bike. I am a big fan of gunmetal grey and this was a beautiful representation of that colour.
This bike has done 110,000 km … Chris and Bec do the miles.
Engine work and suspension upgrades… This bike sounded as smooth as one, that had just rolled off the showroom floor.
It is all good and well to make your bike look pretty, but it has to handle well, is Chris's take on motorbikes.
A hard-working bloke with a very down to earth attitude. Chris and Bec brought a lovely positive energy into my studio and we laughed and talked and created cool images together.
It was time well spent.
This be my last shoot for 2022 and what a lovely way to wrap up a hectic year.
“Carl’s Garage” - Boofriggunyeah!
Well, hello again my lovelies… I am back and here be the first shoot in Carl’s Garage for 2023.
You could not get three more different fellas on three more different bikes… That is wonderful thing about the motorcycle community… No two shoots are ever the same.
The night before this shoot, the weather wasn’t really looking very sharp on the bureau app, so Brendan and I had a chat and discussed what to do… We decided to leave it till the morning and see what transpired.
An early message between us, saw the fellas on their way and heading north to Newcastle. Yes, it was raining here, but it was blowing from the north west and pushing the rain out to sea, so hopefully they were going to arrive with blue skies. They had spent many hours detailing their bikes prior to this shoot, so our fingers are crossed.
Unfortunately, there was a Southeast breeze pushing underneath the Northwest rain, which kind of held it in place a little longer than we had hoped and the boys arrived, wet and dirty.
Not to worry, as I have plenty of cleaning products and rags, so a quick detail was done on each bike before we rolled them into the garage.
The conversation that flowed and the laughter that was had, meant that the shoot went by really quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed working with these three men, from start to finish.
The usual banter that happens between mates, was fast and furious and funny. It was a good time indeed.
Thank you Brendan for organising this and for bringing your brothers up for a shoot in my humble garage.
“Carl’s Garage” - Kaboooooooom ... here we go now
Aldo gave me a call and asked if he could bring his Kawasaki around for a shoot. No problems, I replied. He asked if he could also bring a picture of his Grandfather, as the bike was once his.
What a fantastic idea, I thought
He arrived on this beautiful WR800, the first one to be shot in this series.
What a cool motorcycle!
I like the old school look of the engine, and the modifications that he has made to this bike.
I knew that once, we rolled it into the garage that it would look sensational… And it did.
Aldo also has a Triumph Rocket, but the emotional attachment to this beautiful Kawasaki is strong and he decided to bring this one to my studio.
Carl’s Garage - where both distinguished gentlemen and vagabonds are welcome.
Early this morning, Sean jumped on his immaculate Harley Davidson and road south to my studio… For his amazing wife had bought him a gift voucher, for a shoot in my garage.
Sean has followed my work since this series began and was really excited to finally be here.
Sport Glides are very cool bikes and I bet they are an absolute hoot to ride.
Sean is a very chilled, no bullshit sort of guy and the conversation flowed thick and fast. I really enjoyed our time together today brother and creating these images for you, was a cool thing to do today.
Carl’s Garage - burning fuel and melting rubber
What a fantastic day yesterday was. I got up early and smashed out 400 km with a brother on my 900 and then with just 30 minutes to spare, arrived home and got ready to photograph Glen’s stunning breakout.
I heard this bike come in to land from quite a distance… It’s sharp, explosive exhaust note, made it quite clear of the work done to the engine.
Very cool
Then, when he came in to sight and I saw just how pristine this motorcycle was… I smiled broadly.
Kerryn had organised a gift voucher for Glen quite some time ago and it was so nice to make it happen for them.
Cool people, stunning motorcycle and time well spent… Nice
Carl’s Garage - he only wears shoes for motorcycle riding and funerals
Sarah gave me a call and asked if she could get a gift voucher for her dad and we made it happen.
It was so lovely when the family arrived, as the kids were very excited to be here in the studio. Greg had showed them my work and they wanted to be part of it.
It is lovely when people bring a really excited energy into my workspace and we laughed and shared stories and made super cool images.
Greg is very proud of this beautiful bike and with good reason. I love how the tone shifts from Orange to Red from front to back… They don't muck around when they paint these Harley Davidsons now do they :)
Very Cool
Thank you brother for bringing your beautiful family and your stunning motorcycle. I enjoyed our time together.
And of course thank you Sarah for making it happen :)
You rock sister
“Carl’s Garage” - Cool set to volume 10 :)
Rodney rocked up early today on his Heritage as he had been gifted a voucher for a shoot in my garage.
I do like it when a classic looking bike rolls into my old school garage… It just looks like it is home.
Thank you brother for giving enough hints to get one of these shoots as a gift… Some people just need a little push in the right direction
It has been a great day today as I started early with 1000 corners on my magic miles and then got to spend time with this cool human and his beautiful motorbike.
Early rise for another shoot tomorrow morning friends so stay tuned for more pictures to come.
Carl’s Garage - Autumn is coming
Today I had the coolest shoot ever with a young fella called PJ.
He pulled up on this stunning Honda… The first thing I said to him was… I wish I had a bike like that on my L plates
Scott and Renae have been here before and they are just super awesome humans. This being PJ’s first road bike, they wanted him to come down and get some cool images taken.
They rode down from Quirindi … there is no way better to learn how to ride a motorcycle than to do the Miles.
It was so nice to work with someone right at the very beginning of their motorcycle story. I can remember when I was freshfaced and 17 years old and three of my brothers came round to my house, the morning after I had bought my first motorcycle and they knocked on the door and said… Come on, let’s do this.
Off we set on an epic journey from which I returned, a much more confident rider.
Thank you Scott and Renae for wanting to come back with PJ today. It was a great shoot.
Carl’s Garage - barefoot and hairy but he takes great images
I have shot quite a few of the Bayside boys and Jason’s missus got him a gift voucher for a shoot with me, quite some time ago.
He told me that she keeps moving it around the house and putting it in front of his face and saying… Have you bloody called Carl yet?
Well, I’m happy to announce that he indeed called me and today we got together for a shoot.
Jason is a straight up, no bullshit sort of guy. I like men like that. His bike has battle scars and he does as well.
As much as his son would like this bike… I think it will go with him to his grave
He told me that he had a card at home with a cool picture taken of a new faaatboy back in the 90s… I asked him to take a snap of it when he got home and send it through to me after the shoot and turns out it was something that I had created, all those years ago.
Nice to see my old work still out there and being appreciated.
Thank you brother, I really enjoyed working with you today to create these images.
Ride well, live long
Carl’s Garage - where all the cool people go
Brother Alby has been here a few times now and he gave me a call and lined up a day, that he would come up the coast, with a few brothers for a shoot in my garage.
The sound of four Harley Davidsons coming into land, is a beautiful thing indeed.
One at a time, I greeted the men with a hug and a hello and then we began.
We were shooting three bikes today, but Alby came along for the run.
Three unique motorcycles, as different as the men that rode in on them.
As you guys know, the people in the series are just as important to me, as the bikes they bring to be photographed.
Dax, Wain, Charles and Alby, brought with them respect, friendship, conversation, excitement, and patience… All the things that make a shoot very special for me.
They listened intently to my direction and helped me create the coolest collection of images ever.
Thank you Brothers for doing the miles and for being part of the “Carl’s Garage” series.
I thoroughly enjoyed our time together today, and like I often say… It was time well spent.
Kia ora brothers
Carl’s Garage - I like good people.
Well my friends… I did promise I was shooting something special today and I am sure I shall not disappoint.
Glen arrived with this immaculate IT250 and we created really cool images of it, in my garage.
This bike is nearly 40 years old and it looks like it has just rolled off the production line… Except of course for the upgraded inclusions that Glen has chosen for this bike.
When you get up close to it, you can see where he has made some really cool choices. It is not just pretty on the outside, this motorcycle absolutely hunts as well.
I can remember back in 83, I was riding a fuel injected 1100 Kawasaki at the time and one of my friends at work had an IT490. He called me around and asked me if I wanted to take it for a ride.
I am no stranger to horsepower and in fact, I absolutely love powerful motorcycles. But when I kicked this, 490 to life… I said a little prayer for my well-being.
ding, ga ding ga ding, ding ding ding.
I could not believe the arm wrenching, fear inducing awesomeness of this bike and I was happy to return to my friends house and give it back to him and turn it off and put it on the side stand.
I thought I was pretty cool doing incredible wheel stands and drifting Japanese superbikes and then I felt like a little child, when I threw my leg over this dirt bike.
Seeing this bike today, brought those memories back.
Glen has ridden all his life… He had no choice, as both his parents raced motorcycles in many different forms.
It was so cool today to talk Bikes and talk life in general, with this fair dinkum bloke, a passionate bike enthusiast on many levels.
We discussed that it would be quite dull, if you only ever rode one style and one brand of motorcycle. You would miss out on so much.
Glen has missed nothing
Cool human… Cool Shoot… Cool Bike
“Carl’s Garage’ - forget, suck, squeeze, bang, blow… large bore two strokes are the go.
Throughout life, you learn certain things. Be kind, be strong, be smart and if you grow up in Ballarat, Victoria … Don’t be frightened of long distance motorcycle riding
A few years back, the longest distance travelled record, was set when Kerry hopped on her 900 Bonnieville and rode 11 hours to my studio in Newcastle, for a shoot in my garage.
Only recently, did a fine group of four, ride down from Mount Isa, nearly doubling the distance and taking out that record.
In theory, though… Kerry’s record still stands as the longest distance “solo” ride to my garage.
That was of course, until today, when her friend Penne hopped onto her Ducati Monster and set out on a road trip to Carl‘s Garage… Penne tells me that she lives two blocks further away from me than Kerry
And so the record was broken… Not by much and I am sure there may be an appeal from Kerry.
In all seriousness, though… I always wanted this series of images to be well received and it is when people like Penne and Kerry, ride halfway across the country to work with me, that I know that box has been ticked.
Huge respect for doing the miles sister and for doing them on your own. ✊
Your beautiful Italian motorcycle looked sensational in my garage and you looked pretty bloody good on it as well.
Friends asked Penne why she would travel all the way to Newcastle to get photos taken… She said because that is where “Carl’s Garage” is.
Simple really
“Carl’s Garage” - the destination
