From Behind The Lens By Colleen Swartz Blogga’ Pleeze… This is a new age that we live in. I remember when my Mom bought the first microwave oven I had ever seen from a restaurant supply store (only restaurants had them at first) it cost $800, was the size of a pinto, and boiled water in under a minute (of course it cooked your kidneys too if you stood too close to it while operating) and it was the coolest fucking thing I had even seen. Now I have an 11-year-old who is so jaded by technology that nothing is Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens By Colleen Swartz December, 2008 The Devil is in the Details So here we are looking at Bobbers in this issue of Cycle Source. It got me thinking about all of the labels in the motorcycle world and what they all mean. Have you ever met someone and when you discover that they have a similar interest in motorcycles you ask them, “What do you ride?”? You may find that the answer you get may tell you more about the person answering than it does the bike. Saying, “I have a 2000 Fat Boy.” is solid Read More>>>

From behind the lens Sept. 2008 Hiatusmyass Allright already. Here’s a “From Behind the Lens” for the first time in what, 3 months? Maybe 4. I didn’t think that many people read this little bit of bitching every month because when I said something extra stupid or controversial I would get a couple emails mostly from my friends and occasionally my Mom; but go a few months without saying anything at all and just watch the readers crawl out of the woodwork! Not writing this column has been better for my ego than writing it. I am now approached by Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens October 2007 By Colleen Swartz Welcome to the “Fourth Amendment Free Zone” Two years ago I wrote a column called “Survival in Sturgis” which was run in Quick Throttle Magazine. It told the story of how 2 of my crew were arrested during Sturgis in 2005 and both were able to buy themselves out of jail and more importantly, out of charges with a “voluntary donation to the Meade County Fund”. Although I took advantage of this offer at the time, it deeply disturbed me. This was 2 years ago for me. Now some residents in Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens My Uncomplicated Friend By Colleen Swartz July 22, 2007 This month’s article has nothing whatsoever to do with motorcycles. It does, however, involve dogs, love, life and pain… all things I think you can relate to. I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren’t certain we knew better.  They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death.  Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens Feb. 2007 I’m getting old….I think…. By Colleen Swartz I’m at that age where I am starting to realize that I am getting older. I catch myself saying things like, “I don’t know what these kids are using for brains these days.” Which is something that would (and I’m sure did) come directly out of my Mother’s mouth at one point or another. On the other hand, I really don’t feel all that old. Oh sure, after a long day of shooting, my legs are a bit sore and my back takes a little while longer Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens September 2006 Colleen Swartz Riding the Rally, Sturgis Style If you ride, you have to go to Sturgis at least once in your life. This is something that I repeatedly tell everyone I meet who rides. I have been to Daytona Bike Week, Myrtle Beach and many other rallies around the country and although each has its charms and attractions, there is no place on the earth like Sturgis South Dakota. The difference is the riding. When I am in Myrtle Beach I ride to get from one destination to another. They are all great parties, Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens August 2006 Colleen Swartz In Praise of the Biker Chick If this is the first time that you are reading this column, I feel compelled to give you a brief description of what it is I do for a living so that you have a better understanding of where my perspective on this topic originates from. I am a photographer who specializes in shooting bikes and biker events. Sometimes I can be found in my studio in Milwaukee, sometimes in studios around the country shooting bikes for magazines. Often I am shooting a bike on location Read More>>>

From Behind The Lens May, 2006 The Men, From the Boys, from the Builders There is a cultural phenomenon in this country now that has taken the bike mechanic out of his dingy shop with long hours and turned him into a pop icon. The bike mechanic has now become the bike builder and they are absolutely everywhere. Mechanics used to keep stock bikes running, then they became fabricators who chopped and remade stock into custom, now aftermarket availability allows nearly anyone to assemble a custom bike to his or her taste. But in the mind of this observer, there Read More>>>

I Stand Corrected….Sorta January 2006 Ah, here we are, a new year, a new column and a new occurrence in the Quick Throttle office. I received an email correcting me on a column I did a couple of months ago called “Fat Bottomed Bikes”. In that column I asserted my opinion that I didn’t like the look of the huge rear tire. I personally feel that it is overdone and that the need to outdo one another by simply increasing the width of the rear tire is passé. Now, I get email about my column and articles every month. I Read More>>>

From Behind The Lens September 2005 Survival in Sturgis…An Insider’s Guide I’ve just returned with my photo crew to my hometown of Milwaukee from our trip to Sturgis South Dakota. The annual motorcyclist’s Mecca that is the Black Hills Rally officially runs 7 days and the little town of 5,600 swells to an estimated 500,000 during that weeks’ peak. There are 7 regular police officers on duty in Sturgis most of the year, and I would be curious to know the statistics on how many out-of-district law enforcement officers come to town. They are everywhere. This has prompted me to Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens July 2005 By Colleen Swartz Brother Speed and The Little Lady To a photographer, especially a motorcycle photographer, Brother Speed’s bike is treasure trove of opportunity. Every inch of it is covered with unusual artifacts collected by a colorful man over many years of travels. Immediately you will notice the hundreds of coins silicone glued over the entire tank, then you will see the dentures affixed to the frame, then the human tooth on the rear view mirror, layers and layers of duct tape cover the seat, stuffed animals and trolls adorn the handlebars and windshield, Read More>>>

From Behind the Lens April 2005 Burnt out on Burn-outs As I write this column, I am being driven from Pensacola Florida to Daytona in my last leg to the annual rite which is spring bike week. I am eager to arrive and be a part of all that is great about a major bike rally. I love the people that I see at each and every event that I get to see no where else, I love the music and the drinks and the food and most of all, the riding. The thing that I no longer relish at Read More>>>

From Behind The Lens December 2004 My Favorite Bike Builder… in case you care. BigShots is my business and in that respect is mirrors my interests. Photographers have as many subjects to specialize in as there are subjects; but mine is motorcycles. I didn’t pick motorcycle photography because I thought it was an untapped market, or because my first client hired me to shoot a bike; BigShots specializes in motorcycle photography because we love bikes. We love motorcycle events, we like the people who ride bikes and we like the people who build bikes. Bike builders have evolved into a Read More>>>

Spearfish Canyon, SD August 2004 Welcome to my world as a professional motorcycle photographer. It is great job. I travel to most of the major bike events, I bring beautiful women with me, I shoot some of the hottest bikes out there and have some of the nicest bikers as my customers. I rub elbows with celebrities and get told great stories about finding knuckleheads in bushel baskets in barns. I work closely with my boyfriend and my friends are always around us (see the above mentioned beautiful women). So why is Sturgis Bike Week reserved as a vacation destination Read More>>>