Setting the Scene
I’m fortunate to have that spot at the back of the farm you see in my sig pictures so often, along with a great many other spots in the area that the bike looks good sitting in front of. Visualize some of the views in your area with your bike sitting as a part of them. Remember, your picture frame size isn’t going to be extremely large, so try to
pick something that will fit and still look good. Inserting your bike into certain other areas (a garage, gas station, etc.) works well too. Always try to keep the background as interesting as your motorcycle. You want both elements of the picture complimenting each other. No matter how good the bike looks, if the shot is off level or the background is off center it will be ruined. As I said, lighting plays a major part in this, and make sure the scene isn’t too dark.
Once you’ve parked the bike, visualized how it will look, and are happy with the lighting, take a few steps back. I will usually stand about 10 yards back from the bike when I start taking pictures. I also never shoot from eye level like most people. Most of my pics come from chest level or lower. It will give you a better view of the bike, plus it will get more of the background into the shot. Take pictures of the side, and some slight angles of the front and rear. Above all, shoot multiple shots of the same picture. When I go out and take pictures of the bike, I will shoot 30-40 pictures. Out of those, I generally end up with 4 or 5 I really like. I love this digital age…..free film!
Manually look through what you’ve taken while you’re still standing there, and if you see some that didn’t come out very well, you can re-shoot them right on the spot. I’ve made the mistake of liking a certain angle, but then finding out (once at home) I only took 1 or 2 pictures from that angle.