Meet Jamie Nelson, Fashion and Beauty Photographer turned Motorcycle enthusiast. Age is just a number for Jamie, who fearlessly embraced a newfound hobby, transforming it into a heartfelt passion. It all began with the simple desire to wear a motorcycle jacket and not only look the part but be the part! She worked hard at not letting fear stand in her way. If you are a woman who’s been on the fence wanting to try something new but scared, we promise her story will be inspiring and empowering for you!
Jamie is just one of almost 150 subjects photographed by David Goldman- an award-winning documentary and portrait photographer/filmmaker. You’ve probably seen his work before. David got his start in the music world shooting album packaging (such as Blink-182’s Enema Of The State) and celebrity portraits for many years before moving on to working with organizations such as un women as well as many ngo’s to bring attention to issues and causes such as human rights, maternal health, human trafficking and marginalized people.
For the last couple of years, David has been working on a series called The Motorcycle Portraits featuring amazing stories of people whose lives are deeply connected to motorcycles, racers, builders, collectors and world travelers while also highlighting the inclusiveness of motorcycling, no matter the rider’s age, gender, race, or other identifier.
Jamie sat down with David to discuss how she got started and here is her interview! Check it out and hope you feel inspired:
Intro: My name is Jamie Nelson. I’m a fashion and beauty photographer. We’re here in Los Angeles at my pink house. And I’ve been riding motorcycles for about 10 years,
How did you get started?
How I first got into motorcycles. I was living in New York City doing the whole fashion photography thing, as kind of, it’s interesting that everybody was wearing these leather jackets, and motorcycle fashion was on trend at the time. And I was kind of sick of seeing, like all these girls wearing motorcycle jackets and not riding and I was like, I want to wear that and actually ride and some of my girlfriends expressed interest in going to a class with me, and it just didn’t pan out. And they kept delaying and delaying. So I just went by myself, I didn’t have any support system, I was raised by a single mom. So I didn’t have any kind of father figure at all to help me with anything like that. And to be honest, it was a big fear of mine. And that that I wanted to conquer. So I went to the DVS safety school was out in the middle of New Jersey, and I was only one of two girls, the other girl ended up crying and going home. And I had this bike that for some reason the the throttle was was too far for my hand, it was stuck in position that it wouldn’t ever close. So I ended up going off into the forest. And it was terrifying.
And I was like, I actually think there’s something wrong with my bike. But I know enough about bikes, but I was like, I’m pretty sure I’m following instructions. But I did pretty poorly. But I was like, I’m not gonna quit. And I was there with all the guys and was the worst one, but I made it through. And then I just was writing on my own despite all my friends fears of it, and just working my way really slowly into everything.
I got a CB 250, which I recommend, everybody gets to start with guys included. And I sold it pretty quickly. But it was a perfect bike to drop and cost a lot like, you know, small to park and negotiate everywhere. And then came going from Jersey City through the tunnel, the first day of like going through the Holland Tunnel was probably like the scariest thing for me because everyone kind of worked that up in my head.
And I finally did that and then some bridges and going to Brooklyn and just one step at a time, I joined the misfires, which is a group of girls right out there. And we ended up I ended up getting a bigger and bigger bike, got a 66 Triumph Barney and then moved on from there. And we started doing some some trips in the tri state area. I think writing really got me to discover who I am I got the freedom that I had from out in the mountains going to all these events, meeting all these people, it was my time to feel the breeze literally and take off my clothes. And as free as I possibly could be. I became naked girl because I was going to some of my friends events out in the Catskills. And like it was a comfortable environment.
For me, I started doing it there and just being out in nature and feeling the breeze and going at low speeds like it was you know, perfectly safe, but it was just this moment of strength and femininity. And like all the guys were taking their tops off playing around and I thought I should be able to to and so I continue to do that multiple events and, and almost get thrown out of multiple events, which I don’t think is very fair. But people just started see me as that and I got coins, the the naked girl is interesting because like it first I mean, everything takes practice, including getting naked.
At first you’re shaking, I dropped my bike in front of everybody the amount of support I got from other women coming up to me being like, You’ve inspired me, you’re so brave, I wish I could do that. And it just like became a thing that I did over and over and I meet people they’d be like a naked girl. And they remember me from all these different states, all these different events I go to, I found that so interesting. But that’s something just being brave. And being yourself like that takes practice to and you can connect with people on that level, even if it’s just getting naked, it sounds kind of superficial.
What is a great story or experience that you can attribute the bike to:
But I have a lot of good memories with a particular girlfriend of mine, Adrienne, and we would go to all these different events together. And she actually passed recently from a lot of different health issues she had. And it was amazing seeing like, the community with the misfires and everybody like, you know, all the memories we had and like seeing videos of all of us having such a good time. And that was the best moment for her obviously being on her bike.
And there’s so many things like that, even with like, as we were talking about with photography, one of my favorite shoots, I was in Brooklyn, and this Hasidic Jewish neighborhood and I was shooting this girl and I had to ride I had to have my my assistant, take the camera and do the shots because I had to ride the girl in the back of my bike. So I ended up being styled in like this clear vinyl outfit. And he had to take the shots as the model was behind me. So we’re both naked under vinyl.
This sort of Jewish guy walks by and gives this look in his eye. And we got him just staring at this girl with just her whole ass out in the middle of this neighborhood. And we got screamed at but like it was one of the most memorable experiences of just bringing the photography community together and then me with my riding skills and like really combining all of those passions together.
What do motorcycles mean to you?
Motorcycles, for me mean strength, ultimate femininity, freedom, and really just a break from what I’m doing on a daily basis to like being my true self. and conquering things that I’m scared of. There’s so many different types of writers that it’s really been able to connect me with people that maybe I wouldn’t have connected with in any other way. Also just, you know, an escape from a certain industry. I think it allows everyone to be a little trashy and fearless and reckless. And I think we all need that in life, right? This is a break from the day to day grind.
You can see his commercial and documentary work here: davidgoldmanphoto.com
The Motorcycle Portraits dedicated website here: https://
You can follow along on his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.
