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Very nice shots . Good example of how pics should look.
Originally Posted by booch
I have yet to get the pictures I want, the great ones you see in magazines and some on this forum, but I have learned a few things trying.
If you really want to see the bike, the less background the better. It is also good to keep the bike away from the background and shoot from as far away as possible with telephoto if you have it. This blurs the background.
Just before sundown or early morning gives the best light, it is less harsh.
Bright sun causes lot of glare, especially on chrome or black bikes.
A flash can help if you have one but it needs to be deflected to cut the harshness and bounce back from the shiny surfaces of the bike.
Also watch for your own reflection in the bike, unless you want that. I am constantly making that mistake.
I really enjoy seeing well done photos on this site, good pictures make any bike look great
Best tip I have whether selling or for keepsake is shoot the bike in an area that is good riding area or give the viewer the outdoor feeling. Motion is cool too, if you can work with someone to capture it.
imo the top pic would look better if you cropped the people & the power lines out! just my 2bobs worth
I have yet to get the pictures I want, the great ones you see in magazines and some on this forum, but I have learned a few things trying.
If you really want to see the bike, the less background the better. It is also good to keep the bike away from the background and shoot from as far away as possible with telephoto if you have it. This blurs the background.
Just before sundown or early morning gives the best light, it is less harsh.
Bright sun causes lot of glare, especially on chrome or black bikes.
A flash can help if you have one but it needs to be deflected to cut the harshness and bounce back from the shiny surfaces of the bike.
Also watch for your own reflection in the bike, unless you want that. I am constantly making that mistake.
I really enjoy seeing well done photos on this site, good pictures make any bike look great
Good stuff, thanks.
I read a lot of bike mags and I personally think that only about half take good shots. They are either way too close or at bad angles. In most cases, we aren't looking for art, we just want to see the bike. That means at least give us a good profile shot of the left and right side. Then they can impress us with their artistic eye.
One other thing we need to understand is you can only have one subject, either the bike, or the sceney. Oh, sure the bike is an important prop to the picture, but when taking shots of the scenery, the bike is only a prop.
My avatar picture is a good example. I must have taken a dozen shots because I couldn't get it right. Then I realized I was trying to get the perfect shot of both me and the Road King. I then put the emphasis on me as the subject and the bike as the prop and got the shot I wanted. That was a tough shot because I was by myself and had to use the timer. I wanted to get another angle without the trees, but I was loosing the sun and ran out of time.
Good stuff, keep it coming and show off some of your stuff.
Beary
Last edited by soldierbot; Apr 2, 2021 at 07:44 AM.
Definitely take tips from the CL geniuses who take half cocked,cropped photos of the speedo/riser,rear wheel/exhaust,front disc rotor,don't even pull it outta the shed pics.Those are my favorite.Do they even want to sell these things?
Took this Monday morning shortly after sunrise. Early light, on the ground, simple background, distant background, fill flash, no HDR, cropped to show what I want viewer to focus on,
Yah it's not a motor...
Oh yes, iPhone4.
Last edited by Sierra977; Jan 28, 2015 at 07:22 PM.
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