Photographer.

Some use this term to describe holding a camera in thier hands. Some are very good with it. Some have a natural gift. Its a hobby. Just like the guy that builds the chopper, they see the image in thier heads of what they want as they build. Weld fabricate and structure the machine to a finished what I like to see it as a work of art.

The person with a camera learns the way to approach folks. The way to talk with people. To create a small relationship. When shooting machines I have always tried to have a conversation. To learn about a person a little bit.

The garage shoots I did going way way back, just looking at a person tool box could tell you alot. How they worked. How they thought.

With being given this kind of connection with a person. The photos one creates are real and serious to us. I have had the pleasure of documenting some cool shit. Choppers mostly, some vintage stuff, and most recently a build by Mitch Bodine. And thats still ongoing. Tomo at Oley ill be looking for Bobby Bus.

This got sparked because the push that I have done on some of my shooting to me was alot. Im not always an easy person to get along with. I can even be a real dick with my sense of humor some times. But im always real. I have never EVER stepped on toes. I have always kept the respect in the communities I was allowed to shoot. At all events. Both club present and non present. I know what I can and cannot do.

There is a vibe with a few and me. I have been over it for a long long time. But know this. The machines I shot are still some of my favorites. One or two in particular. And the folks who build em know it by how my face would light up when u would see a shot as I was staring and just go into a zone and start shooting.

Im typing all of this because I take what I enjoy doing seriously. And just came across another photog with my shit posted for a raffle. And it was screen shot. It pissed me the fuck off.

If you pick up a camera. Take what you do seriously when you label yourself a “photographer”!!! Respect the relationships no matter how small.or large with the folks you interact with. And most of all respect other people’s work. Learn from it you wanna copy a shot by trying to recreate it. Go for.it its a good learning tool but dont repost other people’s work as your own. It seriously diminishes everything we do. And it really just puts a person in a bad place. I will leave the names out of it. And once this is posted ill remove my story post calling folks out. But come on.