I’ve known Roger for nearly 30 years. He and I have shared an affinity for motorcycles for that long, although I will say he is much more of a motorhead than I am. Part of the reason that we became such good friends is because we have similar values and can make each other laugh for hours. He is also a photographer and understands the concepts of putting together a shoot, which is super helpful.

This photo was taken as he looks at retirement. As with many of my portraits, I got a vision in my head one night of what it would look like, and this is it. I asked him to wear these clothes, including the vest that he found online and the boots you see here. He is not a cigar smoker. However, as a fellow photographer, he agreed to smoke one for the portrait to imply success as he sat on his Corvette and to comply with the vision I had. As we discussed it, I told him that I wanted to put him in an environment that was indicative of cars and mechanics. He had been working with this speed shop since he got his car. I went by and scouted it, spoke with the owner- who was incredibly accommodating- and got this photo.