Welcome to
babes & bikes
Our Story
A love affair with women, motorcycles & the camera.
There's always something about women and motorcycles that's always made a damn good photograph. Maybe it's the leather, the chrome, the freedom, the sex appeal. Maybe it's simply that the two have shared a history worth looking back on.
Whatever it is, we're a little obsessed.
But this story didn't start with us. not even close.
The Origins:
Women & Motorcycles
Women and motorbikes have shared a history for well over a century, and trust us, there's been no shortage of remarkable women along the way.
Take Effie Hotchkiss, who travelled across America and back on a Harley-Davidson with her mother, Avis, in 1915. Or Vivian Bales, who made headlines in 1929 after riding nearly 5,000 miles across the United States on her Harley-Davidson, earning herself the nickname The Enthusiast Girl.
These weren't women waiting around for permission. They loved motorcycles, adventure and the freedom of the open road.
And more than a century later, we still think that's pretty damn cool.
The Origins:
The era of motorcycle glamour
The 1970's saw motorcycle culture take on a whole new kind of sex appeal. Magazines like Easyriders, first published in 1971, became known for their custom Harleys, biker lifestyle and risque photography featuring women in leather, lingerie and sometimes very little at all.
From the magazine centrefolds to the iconic imagery of women posing alongside motorcycles, this era left its mark on the world of biker photography. A little daring, undeniably sexy and full of character.
It's this rich history and old-school aesthetic that continues to inspire much of what we create at Babes & Bikes. We're not reinventing the wheel, just celebrating a culture that's been around long before us, in our own way.
A nod to the past, with our own creative spin.
same culture. a different perspective.
There's something pretty special about women choosing to be photographed simply because they want to. Whether it's leather, lingerie, a beautiful motorcycle or nothing but a little creative freedom, we believe every woman should get to decide what sexy looks like for herself.
No expectations, no particular way to look or act. Just real women, creative expression and the freedom to have a little fun with it.
The rise of babes & bikes
Funny how one Harley-Davidson and a spontaneous idea can turn into something much bigger. Babes & Bikes was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. At the time, i'd recently launched my own content studio and was also working at my local pub The Oxford Hotel.
One day I watched one of our regulars ride in on his Harley, and something clicked. What if we brought Harleys into the studio? Before long, we'd organised our first shoot, created a vision and welcomed our first contracted photographer to the mix.
What began with one Harley and an idea quickly grew into a travelling photography experience, a growing crew and a business of its own. It's been pretty incredible watching something that started so casually turn into what Babes & Bikes is becoming today.
To every woman who has booked, shared our work or supported us along the way, thank you. You've helped shape what we are today, and have paved the way for more women to come.
Bre x
Founder, Babes & Bikes
The road ahead.
The goal is to take Babes & Bikes across Australia, creating opportunities for women everywhere to experience what we've built.
And the best part? Every booking, every recommendation and every woman who becomes part of our story helps us get a little bit closer.
We've come a long way from that first Harley rolling up at The Oxford Hotel, and there's still so much more we want to do.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
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