I thought I’d bring together different photographs I’d taken involving scooters. Some of these are abstract compositions and others are more documentary in nature. The most recent pictures were taken just yesterday when I was having a lazy Sunday meander in London’s Soho. Walking down Carnaby Street, I saw embellished scooters outside the Lambretta shop which specialises in Mod clothing. The colourful lights and figures adorning the scooters attracted children and adults alike:
There were also some veteran Mods hanging out:
I then walked through to Bar Italia in Frith Street and came across more Mods and scooters. Indeed it is an established scooter club hang out:
The next picture dates from March 2009, and illustrates how this ritual has hardly changed:
More from Frith Street yesterday:
I liked the creativity involved in decorating some of the scooters. This one combined subverted religious iconography as well music and fashion references, in particular to British Skinhead culture:
The playfulness not only appealed to my inner child, but once again to children in general. This boy was also drawn to photographing the scooter:
Fashion wise, I like the attention to detail. This goes down all the way to the feet. Below – Mod bowling shoes:
Accessories such as chain bracelets are subtle but also statement pieces contributing to the overall look. I like the 2 Tone logo visible on the scooter, another small but intrinsic part of the identity of the look:
Earlier in the week I’d spotted a very stylish couple outside Little Italy, the restaurant adjoining Bar Italia and snapped them with my phone:
When I was looking through my catalogue for other photographs involving Italian scooters I came across a picture I’d scanned belonging to my late father. It was of his cousin, Haji-Ben, who lived in Milan. Here is Haji- Ben on his Vespa. I like this photo as it has a touch of the Marcello Mastroianni about it, and felt way more glamorous and thrill-seeking than the austere and sedate London branch of the Aminoff family:
Next are some photographs I’ve taken in different locations in Italy featuring scooters. First of all a composition – seen in Rome:
Next some doubling of Italian holiday iconography; bougainvillea reflected in a scooter mirror in Ravello:
And finally some abstract compositions featuring scooters in Bologna revealing fragments of reflected architectural facades:
