Randy Baxter

Though it seems an odd time of year to photograph Triumphs outside, in Iowa, that’s exactly what I did last week. Randy Baxter, of Baxter Cycle fame, called and explained that he had a couple of special old Triumphs in stock, and maybe I should drive down for a day of photography.

Usually we do this fall run in October. It’s always a chance to take advantage of the proverbial fall colors. This year, though, it seems both Randy and I were consumed with other projects. For me, it was the death march to finish the Sturgis book (still at the printer I must add). So when Randy did finally call I had two thoughts: Yes, it’s a good idea to get a few bikes shot for next year’s calendar, but damn, we’re going to freeze our little asses off working outside when temperatures are in the teens, and what about the snow?

As luck would have it, they haven’t had any significant snow in Marne, Iowa so far this year. The weather report promised clear skies and temps in the thirties, not exactly balmy, but certainly better than teens or single digits.

Show this picture to your wife, tell her this is what you want from Santa - a ’66 TT bike.

I promised to be there by mid-afternoon on Wednesday, somehow thought it was nearly sundown when I finally pulled up at Baxter Cycle. Which left us precious little time to do reconnaissance for the next day’s photography. We did drive to Atlantic, Iowa, a nice little city of grain elevators, implement dealers and tidy small houses. There on Main Street we stopped for a moment to enjoy the Christmas lights, and both had the same idea at the same time.

The results of our nighttime photo experiments can be seen nearby. We might have stayed out longer and tried different positions for the bike, except that the photographer’s trigger finger was going numb, forcing us to seek shelter in one of the local steak houses.

The next day was way better. The trigger finger went numb again on the first morning shoot, but after that the sun came out, warming everything it touched.

The intersection of two kinds of power in the wilds of Iowa. Bike is a ‘74 T140B.

All in all, we did six complete photo shoots, pretty good for a one-day deal. You will notice that some of the bikes aren’t Triumphs at all, but rather, Nortons. Seems Randy is a gluten for punishment, and for 2011 we’re going to produce two calendars, one filled with Triumphs and the other with Nortons.

Some of the bikes we shot this year for the Triumph calendar aren’t Triumphs at all – like this ’74 Norton Commando.

South Point Casino in Las Vegas is home to the annual MidAmerica Vintage Motorcycle Auction, the reason for my visit, mentioned in last week's blog. Every January all the old bike nuts come here to buy, to sell, and to tell a few lies.



I flew in on Monday, before the auction started, to work with Randy Baxter of Baxter Cycle fame, on the 2011 Classic Triumph Calendar. We try to change-up the calendar every few years, so the backgrounds aren't all corn stalks from Iowa, or canal views and golf courses from Florida.

The MidAmerica Vintage Motorcycle Auction is the biggest auction of it's kind in the country.

One of the locals directed us to the little town of Nelson, south of 'Vegas and a little south of Hoover Dam. Nelson isn't much more than a collection of trailers and small houses. Just down the road though is a restored mine site, kind of a refurbished ghost town. There's the general store, the barn and a collection of buildings in various states of disrepair. Scattered between the buildings is an extensive collection of old Jeeps, school buses, Chevy pickup trucks and mining equipment.



To discover this little town, run by a husband and wife team who gave us carte blanche to use the buildings and backdrops, was like being turned loose in the proverbial candy store with a pocket full of quarters. If the mining site wasn't enough, the Colorado River is only a few miles away, and the views of the desert and the river are simply to die for.

Just down the road from Nelson is this eclectic collection of buildings, cars, trucks and stuff. Lots of stuff.

Needless to say, we spent most of our time in Nelson and along the river, rolling bikes into and out of Randy's pickup truck, and then moving them this way and that until we were sure the perfect photo of the T100 or TR6 was contained on the memory card in my digital camera.

We parked this 1963 T-bird in a wash with the Colorado River as a backdrop.

As shown nearby, we did spend one night downtown. Freemont Avenue, with its canopy of lights, seemed the ideal place to photograph old motorcycles. The street has turned into a walking mall of sorts, complete with street musicians, open-air bars and lots of cops. All of who said, "no, you can't roll a motorcycle out here without getting permission." Luckily the folks who run the Plaza, on the west end of Freemont, were a little more open minded. We parked the little 250 Triumph under the canopy of lights at the Plaza, and aimed the lens at the lights of Freemont.


The MidAmerican Auction is a win-win deal for me, partly because I don't gamble (being self-employed is gamble enough). It's hard to beat great weather and endless photo ops. I'm thinking this little jaunt to Nevada could easily become a yearly event for me.

The 1969 TR 25W shines bright with the lights of the Plaza reflected in the paint, and the lights of Freemont in the background.

And for anyone who wonders, we do have some 2010 Classic Triumph calendars left.

Early one morning we parked this 1964 TR6SR in front of anther old mine building.

Sabina Kelley, one of the most popular pin-up models of all time, is included in our new How To Airbrush Pin-Ups book. Look for a new how-to slide show featuring Sabina at www.artkulture.com.

The Road South
This last Friday afternoon found me rolling south on interstate 35, the highway that runs from Stillwater, Minnesota to Marne, Iowa, home of Baxter Cycle.Randy Baxter and I started work early the next morning, in the city park in nearby Atlantic, Iowa.

The TR6 model started life as an off-road bike, this example from 1965 looks right at home sitting amongst the Oak leaves.

The goal for the day: shoot two vintage Triumphs for the 2011 Classic Triumph Calendar. First we parked the ’65 TR6 on a bed of fallen Oak leaves, next we positioned the Rickman Matisse in the middle of the little band shell.

Not all the old Triumphs we shoot actually run. Luckily this one did, though Randy Baxter did a lot of kicking before the sound of a Triumph twin filled the otherwise quiet Iowa morning.

Luckily the TR6 was in running condition, which means we didn’t have to push it uphill through the leaves. Though the morning started cold with fresh frost on the ground, the sun soon warmed things up enough that we could peel off at least one layer of clothes. With cows mooing softly in the background (I’m not making this up), and the sun shinning brightly through the trees, it turned into a beautiful morning to photograph a couple of nice old motorcycles.

I have a great job.

Back in the day the Rickman brothers made some very trick race kits. This Matisse is certainly one of their most attractive conversions.