I love the story behind the "Handsome stranger" shoot. It is one of these random encounters that led to something amazing you could have never planned. I was out at Reffen with Kristian (for his photoshoot) when we spotted this amazing NSU Quickly bike standing in front of a garage workshop. I am a huge fan of these vintage machines. My father still has his Honda Dax from his college times I hope to drive one day myself.
I saw the opportunity for some cool pictures and asked Kristian to pose with the motorbike. A few minutes in, the owner pulled up with his car. But not any car: an oldtimer Volkswagen! Stephen, an Australian with Italian roots, was cool with us taking pictures of his carpark and showed us his workshop full of tools, motors and car parts. The ultimate man cave.
Stephen joined us later for a beer and a chat just around the corner of his workshop. The best part (besides the cool snapshots) where when he let me ride his bike around the block. I loved it so much, I texted my dad right away, begging him to bring his Honda Dax when he is visiting in two weeks.
I am in love with the pictures (and the bike), even if Stephen needed a bit more encouragement (force) from my side to let me take a few photos. At some point, Stephen just let me do my thing (gave up resisting).
People tell me I start smiling like a kid in the candy store when I find the perfect setup for a shooting and a model. As a photographer, you often see the world differently: You do not see a brick wall or blue door, you see an awesome street photography background. It was the same with Stephen. The light, the atmosphere, the blurry neon light of the beer bar, the sunset, his smoking, tattoos and that beautiful bike of his. I hope to get another chance to take pictures of this handsome stranger. For now, all I have are these snapshots and a good story to tell: https://www.hedgehogmedia.de/handsomestranger