Photographer Yve Assad
Iconic American photographer Yve Assad has been documenting the motorcycle lifestyle for many years. I first met Yve (pronounced “Eve”) at the grand opening for Moto Moda in Nashville. She was hanging her huge black and white prints on the wall of their new shop. We had just driven from Cincinnati as part of the Cafe Racer XXX “Ride with the Rockers” heading to Birmingham for the Barber vintage motorcycle festival. The cool motorcycle lifestyle shop was our Nashville rest stop to pick up more riders, get sustenance from a taco truck and get a replacement tire for a pre-war Norton that was part of our ride group.
I had seen Yve’s work in many national magazines such as Iron & Air, Sideburn Mag, Cycle World magazine and many more times online via the book of faces and Instagram. Now I was standing in the same room with her and felt shy like I was trying to get the autograph of the queen. I had been an old school film photographer back in the late 1980’s and mid 1990’s but changed to technology when Al Gore invented the internets. So I knew a thing or two about what she is doing and how challenging the life of a photographer can be in this day and age of digital photography. Yve was like a famous actress or royalty in my eyes. I quietly introduced myself and told her I loved her work. I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment and tried not to take up much of her time as she was still framing her art for the shop’s grand opening the following day. She was very gracious and generous. Then I found out we had yet another mutual passion: BMW Airhead motorcycles! Now I was gobsmacked!
I met her again at Barber and several more times over the years at other moto events like Mid-Ohio, MotoGP and the Handbuilt Motorcycle show. I continued to be a fan of her work and I hope you enjoy her work too. I’m proud to announce that my own motorcycle shop in Cincinnati, Piston Society, is now selling her work. Come visit to see limited edition prints that you can purchase to hang on your own walls at home. These elegant black and white images evoke the feel of riding we all love and enjoy in a way that makes you smile to gaze upon.
Do you want Yve to document your adventures? Commission her here. You can also follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/yve.assad and on Instagram here. She also does portraits, aerial photography, landscape and general travel photography. She has an eye for composition and lighting that sets her apart.
I hope you’ll stop into the shop and see the photography of Yve Assad and support this talented artist with your patronage. Her work is inspiring and captures moments we all wish we could hold onto forever.
Author Tim Burke is owner of Piston Society and the founder of the Cincinnati Cafe Racer club. He also produces events such as Motoberfest and the Garage Brewed motorcycle show. He still picks up the camera every now and then and can be seen riding his vintage BMW motorcycles around Cincy or to far off distant motorcycle events. Find him on Instagram and Linked-In.
All Photos Copyright Yve Assad Photography.
