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WTF Blog
When we embarked on building the Biltwell brand, we didn’t really know what we wanted—we just knew it wasn’t the fake tough guy bullshit that has been so popular for the previous 50 years. Our passions took two paths: Riding to neat places with friends, and building the best bikes we could for those adventures. None of us had the skill or budget to build anything that would hold up to modern custom bike doing fun things.
I’ve often joked that if Biltwell could be the crappiest surf or skate brand, it would be the best motorcycle accessory company ever. To that end, we leaned into our strengths and did things our way. I grew up in Southern California, and was a ravenous reader of surf and hotrod magazines. My crew and I never cared much for reading about formal contests. We just wanted to see stories about surf trips, and beautiful pictures of waves in far off places. We knew we’d never win the Op Pro, so competition stories simply weren’t relevant. But driving to Baja in a crappy old van to eat tacos, camp, and surf along the peninsula? That seemed inspirational, and more importantly: Attainable.
Alysha Nett
Canon 5D Mark IV / Canon 35mm f1.4 / 1/200 / F4.0 / ISO 320
Pomona, CA
This was a milestone for me because it was the first time shooting with a professional model, hair/makeup artist, stylist, and assistant. It was tough and nerve-racking, but with everyone’s professionalism we were able to successfully get everything done and land a magazine cover to go along with the article.
Koki Kasai - Ollie
Canon 1D Mark2N / Canon 24-70 f2.8 / 1/200 / F3.2 / ISO 50
Los Angeles, CA
I really like this photo because it was a reshoot after I previously shot a boring, terrible, close cropped vertical image during high noon. This second one was end of day and I was able to play with light and sneak a strobe behind one of the vertical supports to spread shadow over the foreground.
As the Brand Manager at Biltwell, I try to shape the way our graphic designer Luis Aguirre and I present pictures and tell stories to impart the same aspirational vibe surf magazines have created for decades. This has given us license to skip past the chest pounding and macho bluster that have cluttered custom motorcycle media since forever.
Otto and Moose
Canon R5 / Sigma 85mm f1.4 / 1/1000 / F2.0 / ISO 400
Murrieta, CA
This was for a Dice Mag article on Otto’s Evo. I love Otto so much and being able to get a portrait at the end of the shoot with him, his bike, and his wife’s horse, Moose, was a treat.
Great photos make a big difference, and it became obvious early on that I was running out of talent for creating the standards, but we’ve proved ourselves to be pretty good at riding to cool places and images we needed to tell Biltwell’s story. Back in 2017, Mike Ellis, Biltwell’s GM at the time had a brilliant idea: Why not hire the best freelance photographer we’d been working with full-time? I wasn’t sure there was a business case to justify the idea, but I loved Geoff Kowalchuk’s images, and his work ethic was equally inspiring. We gave Geoff the opportunity, and since then we’ve been on many memorable trips together. Today we use Geoff ’s photos in everything from ads and catalogs to social media, products, and apparel.
Arthur’s Pass Bird’s Eye
DJI Mini 4 Pro / 1/800 / F1.7 / ISO 400
Arthur’s Pass, South Island, New Zealand
This is everything I love about drone photography. The ability to give a different perspective showcasing a variety of colors, textures, and terrain to enhance the subject matter. Didn’t hurt to have a beautiful country like New Zealand as a backdrop too.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Geoff ’s passion for photography blossomed while practicing his first love: Skateboarding. Geoff started bringing a camera on his skate sessions in 2004, and his craft began to crystalize. Like surfers, skaters travel in search of challenging terrain, and documenting those skate adventures helped shape Geoff into the shooter he is today. Over the years some of Geoff ’s friends turned him onto motorcycles, and eventually he bought a Sportster. Shooting from the saddle while hauling ass down congested freeways didn’t scare Geoff much, but he did learn he’s somewhat afraid of heights. That occurred while climbing high onto a bridge to shoot a pack of riders crossing the beautiful Feather River in NorCal. Geoff got the shot, but he wore his helmet during that highwire act just in case.
Eggslut Sandwich Stack
Canon R5 / Sigma 85mm f1.4 / 1/125 / F16.0 / ISO 400
Glendale, CA
When Eggslut was building out their new Hong Kong location they requested a fashion inspired photo for a two story storefront image. With a fancy looking purchase/ return Amazon jacket, my girlfriend’s hands, and a few sandwiches, we were able to get this shot within an hour. Also turned out to be my best work painting nails.
Raul Lizarraga - Switch Nosegrind
Canon 1D Mark2N / 24-70 f2.8 / 1/250 / F10 / ISO 100
Los Angeles, CA
Skateboarding has been my life for the last 26 years and being able to use it as the subject matter to learn how to use a camera was more valuable than any photo class I’ve ever taken. Skating is already so photogenic so the ability to enhance an image with lighting and composition is what makes photography so amazing.
Skating is tough work, and Geoff’s had multiple surgeries to repair the damage the sport has inflicted on his knees. At 36, Geoff still skates every day, generally with his wiener dog Koopa in tow. Geoff ’s creative, skate-influenced eye and pack animal work ethic give him an edge at getting photos other shooters can’t. Partly because Geoff sees things other people don’t, but also because he’s willing to go places and do things the rest of us won’t. Geoff’s photos are a fundamental part of how we’ve built our little brand, and we’re proud to work and and hang out with him. Thanks, Geoff!
Ravi Patel - Wheelie
Canon R5 / Canon 15mm Fisheye f2.8 / 2s Remote Trigger / F13.0 / ISO 800
Riverside, CA
Got the idea for this when one of my favorite skate photographers, Anthony Acosta, shot some long exposure delayed trigger photos of my friends David and Frankie. Ravi, pictured here, can wheelie on command so with a handful of attempts on my end, we got this unique take on this quintessential motorcycle maneuver.
Fist Bump
Canon 5D Mark IV / Canon 70-200 f2.8 II / 1/160 / F7.1 / ISO 500
Santa Barbara, CA
This was at the end of a few day trip in Santa Barbara to shoot new helmet colors. Bill had this idea and the road in front of our campground was a perfect spot to get it done. Wobbling around shooting with a 70-200 was a little tough, but with enough attempts, everything aligned and we got the shot. It was wild to see how much this photo resonated with people and how viral it went. To me it was special because it’s my friends/co-workers, Bill and Flynn Bryant, father and son, whom I’ve had some of the best times in my life with hanging out and traveling the world. Forever grateful for Biltwell and the family I’ve been able to be a part of.
