Wheels & Waves is the name of a motorbike festival held in Biarritz on the Atlantic coast of France. Though this ‘biker Woodstock’ was still an insider tip three years ago, it has now grown to become a full-scale event. Photographer Jo Fischer from Berlin has put together a book capturing the festival’s early days. You can see more of Jo’s images in the current issue of LFI, on sale now.
Q: Mr. Fischer, what is it you find so fascinating about two-wheelers?
A: Truth be told, it’s not a question of fascination – they are quite simply part of my life. I got my first bike in my early twenties, and have had one ever since. It was 2013 when I first heard of the festival in Biarritz, so I immediately jumped on my Harley and drove down there. In Germany the festival was relatively unknown.
Q: What did you find when you got there?
A: The sun was burning on my neck as I approached on the final stretch of highway. The air was fresh and salty. Then I saw all these people with their motorbikes – French, Dutch, Belgian, Japanese, American. Exclusive types, each of them a one-of-a-kind. I just had to start taking pictures straight away, and I didn’t put my camera down for three days after that.

Q: And that resulted in the book?
A: Not at first. In fact, my plan had simply been to take a holiday. Like everyone else there, I wanted to show off my bike. At the time I had a chopper, which I had modified myself – replaced the frame, made changes to the engine. Being a big boy now, my ride has to carry my own signature. I wanted to race and I wanted to surf, as the festival title, Wheels & Waves, implies. But then, everything was so new to me that I felt like a kid at a fun fair. My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I looked around: hand-painted helmets, hand-sanded machines, tattooed riders. Biarritz is a town of artists – it’s very colourful.
Q: But you photographed in black-and-white.
A: As far as I’m concerned, black-and-white contains all the colours you need. When I see a colourful motif, my mind immediately converts it to black-and-white. When the light falls in such a way that it creates shadows, I recognize an exciting visual story in the making. Black-and-white pictures show more depth. A colour photo can only be enhanced with colour, a black-and-white picture is reduced to the essential.

Q: When did you get the idea of putting together a book?
A: It was a year later, in 2014. I was back in Biarritz. I realized that the festival had already changed. With 4,000 people there were already twice as many as in 2013. Everything was much bigger – the grounds, the races, the stands. While the festival had once been an insider tip focussing on the basic idea of experiencing a certain esprit, it had now started to become commercialized. I got the feeling that this development would continue, so I decided to capture the essence of the past two years in a contemporary format.
Q: You produced the book yourself. What were you looking for in your choice of pictures?
A: It started when I was taking the pictures: I was always looking for motifs that I found interesting. It could be a house wall creating a certain shadow, a portrait of a person, a landscape. Just like in my life, I need contrasts: hot-cold, black-white, high-low. The selection of pictures for the book followed the same pattern. After a softer picture would come a harder one. I had about 1,000 pictures and I chose 300. At the same time, of course, I took care to show every facet of the festival. I wanted people to get a sense of the whole concept, not only of the setting, the people, their wheels, but also their feelings.
Q: How did you manage to do that?
A: Being a biker myself meant that I was also part of the scene; as a photographer that didn’t matter, rather it was an advantage. It made the first contact with people that much easier. Apart from that there are no particular rules; it’s about sensing the rhythm. I mean, I always approach people on the street anyway. For portraits, the Leica is such a great camera – discreet. The person being photographed sees the photographer, you have eye contact and you don’t remain anonymous. In 2013 I photographed with an M9, and in 2014 with an M. For lenses I used a Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH., a Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 and an Elmarit-M 21 mm f/2.8. In the pictures you can’t necessarily see the differences between the two cameras, but the M was easier and quicker to use.

Q: Does your book have a particular target group?
A: Obviously, the target group is the motorbike rider community. Even so, not every one of them will get the book, only those who really understand it. There are people who say, “I want to see motorbikes.” To them I say, “Buy a motorbike magazine.” I’m not interested in people who can’t see further than the edge of the page, because I made the book to show people, not motorbikes. So, the book’s directed at anyone interested in photography and in books. I could be taking pictures in the north of Norway or the south of Greece, but my photography and imagery wouldn’t change. In other words, the content is interchangeable, the form of expression remains the same.
Thank you for your time, Jo! 
– Leica Internet Team
Read the interview in German here. Connect with Jo on his website and on Facebook. View more in LFI. Also available for the iPad and Android.