Gorm Taube’s style of photography has been hugely influential in the motorcycle social media world. If you’re active on Instagram it’s highly likely you’ve seen lots of Gorm Moto-style photography.
Gorm hails from Sweden, and his style is very Scandinavian, with many of his shots set in either a pine forest, Baltic beach, or among deserted Brutalist city architecture.
The rider is anonymous – behind a tinted visor or mirrored goggles. Usually wearing box-fresh apparel and equipment, like an advert shoot, not dirty and worn gear. 99% of Gorm’s shoots (and those other of photographers inspired by his @gorm-moto feed) are self-portraits, but these are no simple selfies.
We’re big fans of his work, and have commissioned him to shoot for Kriega in the past. We took the chance to learn more about the self-proclaimed ‘one-man army’.
KRIEGA When did you start taking and posting the kind of photos we know you for now?
Gorm Taube It’s been a gradual progression into what you see today. I got my first motorcycle in 2012, the same year I downloaded Instagram, and that’s probably where it all started, sharing images of my bike. It wasn't until April of 2017 that the Gorm Moto account came to life, mostly due to my friends requesting it. They were tired of my personal feed becoming more and more bike related.
That same year we moved to California for work, and I also picked up a new camera to document our growing family and new adventures. Those two events sparked a new passion for photography, and my motorcycle became a perfect subject to focus on and practice my skills. Initially, it was just the bike, but that gets a bit boring. Needing variation and wanting to show more, I started using myself in the photos. The tripod quickly became my companion and best friend, as shooting that way was far more interesting.
What was the inspiration for wanting to take this kind of photo?
Seeing ads and professional images, I always wondered what it would take to shoot something like that, and if I could recreate it myself, or even do it better, solo. I’m still on that journey. Trying to outshine a full crew is a challenge, to say the least.
What is the hardest part of the whole operation for you?
Getting variation and not repeating the same images over and over is probably the main challenge. Being both the model and photographer limits the possibilities and forces you to work harder to find new angles and compositions. It’s easy to fall back on what you know works instead of spending the extra time trying to see things from a new perspective.
Action and movement are also things I’m trying to add, but shooting action on a tripod is probably one of the worst ideas ever.
How long does an average Gorm Moto shoot take, and how many posts will you get out of it?
I try to carry the camera with me on every ride and shoot if I find something interesting, rather than just riding to shoot. Sometimes a shoot can take five minutes, and sometimes I spend hours trying to get what I want. Usually, once the camera comes out, it’s a 30–60-minute stop. I tend to post two sets from each location or ride. Usually, it’s not interesting enough to tell more visual stories from each shoot.
Your website lists that you have two bikes, the Honda NX and the Ducati Scrambler, but have you added a TT500 recently too? What attracts you to these three bikes?
There are actually two 500cc Yamahas in the garage now, an SR500 and an XT500. There’s something about a single-cylinder, simple bike. The SR/XT/TT have such a good base and proportions and have been proven to last over and over. The XT500 is what I envisioned my SR to become, but that project has been on the shelf for a couple of years. So, when an XT came up for sale near me, I had to have it, almost skipping the line on the SR build, sadly.
The NX650 was bought to get off the beaten path. At the time, I had a Honda Shadow fully bobbed-out as my daily bike, and every time I came upon a dirt road, it was a turnaround point. The NX unlocked new paths, and I’ve really fallen in love with its engine and chassis. Over the years, it has slowly evolved into what I want it to be. I recently got a second NX that will take a slightly different visual path but retain the same awesome characteristics.
The Scrambler breaks the ‘simple’ bike mould, but is still simple compared to newer bikes. It was bought to be the polar opposite of my other bikes at the time: something that always started and was reliable, as it was my daily commuter to the office in California. It’s small but packs a punch, has all the right lines, and sounds amazing. When we moved back to Sweden I considered selling it, but when the time came I just couldn’t let it go. It had to come with me.
So, there’s a bit of a mixed bag of bikes in the garage, but they all share the idea of being uncomplicated, both mechanically and visually.
Is it difficult to stop adding more and more bikes to your fleet to give you more options?
Yes and no. The main limiter is space. Unfortunately, I don’t have a huge garage with endless floor space. I also realized that you can only ride so many bikes during our short riding season without feeling bad about the others just sitting there. Trying to cover dirt, street, and cruising categories helps make the line-up make sense and feel usable. I’ve reached the point where adding one more bike means one has to leave, and letting go of a bike is so hard!
We know you have a full-time job, working for Volvo, and also a family, so how difficult it is to make time to create all the photography and content that you do?
I’ve got a constant drive to do more. There are always new projects to put energy and time into, but I’m trying to be more conscious about how I spend my time and energy now. With a family and a full-time job, there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want. It might not look like it, but I’ve been scaling back in some areas to let others take more time. For example, I’ve been doing less photography to focus on parts development for the NX, which I’m currently very passionate about.
Lots of people would have tried to turn this ’side hustle’ into a full-time job if they’d had the success and reach you’ve had, what has stopped you?
Turning a passion and hobby into a full-time job also turns it into work with deadlines and more responsibilities. I’m trying to avoid that for now and keep this as my hobby, where I set the rules and do things on my own terms without demands on my content or time. It’s my safe haven!
I also love my day job. It’s something I enjoy and feel passionate about. So, for now, I feel fortunate to be able to do this as a hobby.
There are lots of people all over the world taking Gorm-style shoots, how does it make you feel when you see people using the same or very similar style?
It’s a tricky thing to answer. On one hand, I’m excited to see all the content and how the level of photography has been pushed way up. When I started posting my content, there was nothing like it out there, and now it’s a completely saturated field. The downside is the lack of creativity or originality. There’s so much copy-paste now.
The internet is a wild place, and there’s no space for claiming a specific thing or style—anything is fair game, and people copy everything left and right. Bike setup, image compositions, editing styles, gear set up… It’s just the reality when you post your creations online. Whether this is morally right is a different question, but sadly, this is the current state of social media.
Tell us about the Diemen’s Call project and where people can see it.
This is the second instalment of the [Australian clothing brand] Akin Moto trips. The first trip was around Sardinia back in 2022, and this time we explored Tasmania. It’s a dream destination with so much variation in scenery. Even for a smaller island, it hosts vast landscapes and desolate areas, which I love.
Trying to capture this place and make it look as good as it actually does was a huge journey. We’ve been slowly sharing the adventures across our social media feeds (@akinmoto and @gorm_moto).
This trip also allowed me to be the photographer and focus on other people. It’s been really interesting to see how my shooting style when working solo translates to shooting others. Having the luxury of not always running around in full motorcycle gear trying to get the good shots is really nice!
It can be easy to get burnt out with social media, do you ever suffer with that, and if so, how do you deal with it?
The tricky thing is that most social media feeds show you things similar to what you do yourself. I tend to want the opposite; I want to be inspired, and seeing things similar to what I put out isn’t it for me. So, I probably don’t use social media as much now as I did when the feed was more controlled by what you chose to see, rather than what the algorithm thinks you want to see.
The randomness of Instagram sometimes makes you question why you even spend time doing things for that platform. But I see my feed as my journey in photography, and if people find it inspiring or interesting, that’s just a big plus now.
What’s next for Gorm Moto?
I’m focusing more on bike building and parts development. I’d love to learn more and develop different types of parts—bodywork and plastics are high on that list.
For photography, I’d love to take more big trips and get further outside my comfort zone.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Don’t miss out on Diemen’s Call! I’ve even snuck my favourite backpack, the T18, into some shots. I’m so stoked about the images from that trip. Thanks so much for having me!
Follow Gorm on Instagram at @gorm_moto
Photos: Gorm Moto/Kriega