If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the stories told through the work of motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter could fill an entire library. The striking images produced by this renowned artist over a career spanning five decades have given society at large an authentic look into the world of motorcycles and the culture and events that surround them. Lichter’s passion for motorcycle photography has taken him to biker gatherings all over the world, but the event that’s nearest and dearest to his heart is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. His fondness for the event has shaped him into a virtual one-man Chamber of Commerce for the City of Sturgis, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the Black Hills of South Dakota as a whole.
Many moto-photographers initially develop a love for riding and then start capturing the experience, but not Lichter; his first love was always photography. His fascination with the medium started as a child spent countless hours looking at photography exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art. At age 12, his father sent him to an art camp over summer vacation, supplying him with a WWII vintage Penticon. The burgeoning young artist loved his experience so much that he began amassing equipment and turned his parents’ laundry room into a bona fide dark room. Lichter then graduated high school early and went to a self-directed work camp that allowed him to shoot alongside other photographers. It was an experience that set in motion a series of events that would develop into a lifelong career behind the lens.
In the late ‘70s, Lichter began shooting in Sturgis during the rally, capturing the tumultuous time that would become the final years of rally events and camping in Sturgis City Park. He submitted 10 photos to Easyriders Magazine in 1979 and was dismayed when the publication only selected three to print. One of these photos was Lichter’s most iconic, titled “Early Morning.”
The following year Lichter met some people from Easyriders in Sturgis City Park, and they encouraged him to submit photos to the publication. When he explained the poor reception his last batch of submissions had received, they assured him he should be happy to have any photos accepted, and they asked he send more. By the following September and October, Lichter was doing stories for Easyriders in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado; the next summer, editor Keith Ball put him on assignment for the publication in Sturgis.
When Lichter began shooting for Easyriders, only a handful of bikers attended the event in comparison to the party today. As the largest newsstand selling motorcycling magazine, the publication brought Lichter’s captivating imagery from this emerging event to an enormous circulation of 550,000. As Lichter continued to provide photos for Easyriders, the Sturgis Rally grew exponentially. His portrayal of the event suddenly made Sturgis the event that every biker had to have on their bucket list, and as rally attendance increased, so did Lichter’s potential to capture all of the activity and character surrounding it.
Behind Lichter’s attention to detail and his understanding of composition was an uncanny ability to form relationships with his subjects. He used his eyes to ask for permission to shoot, and the relationship this created opened people up and made them comfortable. Soon Lichter’s subjects forgot he was even there, allowing him to grab very authentic, natural images.
The advent of social media worked to further elevate Lichter’s portrait of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. People started to recognize his name and face, which allowed him to forge stronger relationships with his subjects and have new doors opened for him and his work. Rides started being organized around his name, and exhibition halls began requesting to showcase his work. At each event, Lichter gushed over the Sturgis experience to anyone within earshot. His influence brought international builders and corporate CEOs to the event for the first time. All it took was for Lichter to sell them on the idea once; the experience once they arrived would make them all become repeat guests.
After nearly 40 years of photographing the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Michael Lichter still continues to capture some of the event’s most breathtaking shots, and he displays many of them annually at the Buffalo Chip’s Russ Brown Events Center for an exhibit he curates, Motorcycles As Art. In addition to assignments for Easyriders and motorcycle OEMs, he continues to shoot for himself–reacting to whatever is happening in the environment around him and capturing unforgettable moments that will help spread the good word about Sturgis.
