FOLE VETERAN MOPED MEETING 2022
Every year on a saturday in June a veteran moped meeting is held on an open field in a small village in the south of Denmark. I use to go there with a friend to photograph.
What does a typical veteran moped owner look like?
The times I’ve been to Fole Veteran Moped Meet-up (Facebook page in Danish), I’ve always looked forward to it, because there are some great guys to meet here. It probably doesn’t come as a big surprise that very few of them who look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They look like ordinary Danes, and they’re incredibly easy to get along with. Almost everyone likes beer and a lot of them grow facial hair. To put it another way: No one seems to run a daily marathon.
Those who are members of clubs wear some kind of club uniform. It can be a leather or denim vest with the club’s badge on it. Here they try to look like the tough guys in the biker clubs. But there is a clear difference. Their messages are delivered with a lot of humor. Many club names contain a lot of humor in themselves – Wild Monkeys, Maxi Maniacs, The Boars, Morfars by Choice (Grandpas by Choice) or The Fox Tails. The clubs’ badges also have humor. The front of the vests often has the function of the member sewn on – president, treasurer or something else, which can be a nickname you have in the club. When it’s warm, the vest also comes off, and then beautiful tattoos become visible to the camera. It could be Marilyn Monroe or another angel on the upper arm.
Those who are not members of clubs can also wear funny messages on their clothes – “We are not old; we are recycled teenagers”. I asked a man if I could photograph him. He asked why, because he didn’t see himself as an interesting photo object. After some thought, I replied that it was because he looked like someone who had just been in the field picking beets and was now on his way home. We both had a good laugh, and I got a nice picture.
The helmets are also a chapter in themselves. You don’t see many modern, almost full-coverage, very safe and recently purchased helmets. There must also be an edge here. You have to match your veteran moped, and the style must also be a bit vintage. Some are pre-printed with eagles, flag symbols and the like, others may be military helmets that have been converted. I have also noticed Viking helmets with soft cow horns.
It may well be that the pictures you bring home are quite similar, and the character of the pictures from year to year is similar. But Christian and I really enjoy visiting Fole Veteran Moped Meet-up, and would love to come back again.