ART Shooting my black motorcycle

[grphx]

Mostly looking for criqtues of the lighting, and what I can do better to light up a black(or dark colored vehical). Obviously shot with bare bulbs. From what I read, bare bulbs are better for cars because you need all the light you can get with that big of an area, and from my testing, the umbrellas don't do much.

Setup shot

The shot

I'm not sure on the reason for this pic, but I took it for a specific one. I think I was wanting to see how harsh the shadows were(yet there are none really)

 

[CommanderFish]

Why didn't you bother to clean your bike? Looks like shit

 

[ibewill]

It looks like it is purple.

 

[MSIGuy]

It looks like it is purple.

.

 

[charles foster kane]

Kinda looks like a magenta cast to your whole image

Assuming the window frame is white, the grass is greenish and the concrete is a soft grey or soft sandy colour

And assuming we believe you when you say its a black bike

 

[grphx]

Sorry, it's a blackish purple. I think the actual color code is "black cherry". I added way too much red pearl in the clear and that's what happened.

Any tips on the actual lighting? Should I use a modifier, or move the flashes closer/farther? ect..

 

[charles foster kane]

Apart from the shitty location and boring as fuck shot angle, here's some thoughts

It looks like you've walked up to wherever you parked your bike when you got home from work. It's against a wall so you are like, welp, I gotta shoot it from here. I'll put a light to the left and right just out of frame because, like, I gotta light it, right?

Then you took a pic and uploaded it to ask for pointers.

Find a better location. Most often if a photographer is doing one frame shots, not composites, the vehicle isn't against a wall -- this helps with managing the obviousness of shadows, and allows you to put lights in different spots without casting huge upward shadows, or put a light behind the bike for a rear light / rim light. As well as this, even if you had nailed the lighting for this shot it would still be a pic of a bike against the back-side wall of your house

Then choose a few angles from which your bike looks fucking bad-ass. In general, side on is pretty boring

Then light it right. Get away from the beginner level mentality of just pointing lights at stuff. You aren't playing hide and go seek with a torch at night on a summer camp. You don't win if you fully illuminate the subject

Light each of those shot angles differently. Find a position of the light that will reflect in a certain way to highlight a curve in the body work, or glint along the line of the exhausts, shit like that. You may not want the whole part of the bike which is in the frame to be fully illuminated, play with falloff and lighting contrast or go the other way and add fill if you want

My point is to try and open your mind to a thought process which you appear to have completely skipped before making your exposure

 

[grphx]

About the whole "don't illuminate the entire subject" I thought about that, then I also thought about how I'd get comments on "The bottom middle part of the bike is under exposed" or something like that.

 

[charles foster kane]

About the whole "don't illuminate the entire subject" I thought about that, then I also thought about how I'd get comments on "The bottom middle part of the bike is under exposed" or something like that.

Is that all you got out of what I wrote?

Glad I could help

 

[grphx]

Is that all you got out of what I wrote?

Glad I could help

No I got more out of it, that was the only part that I had a question about. I already know the location and angle sucks. Although I wonder how close you can have a subject to a wall before it starts having shadow issues

 

[charles foster kane]

No I got more out of it, that was the only part that I had a question about. I already know the location and angle sucks. Although I wonder how close you can have a subject to a wall before it starts having shadow issues

Wouldn't that depend on the angle of the light to the subject and in relation to the wall?

 

[Waddup you?]

Apart from the shitty location and boring as fuck shot angle, here's some thoughts

It looks like you've walked up to wherever you parked your bike when you got home from work. It's against a wall so you are like, welp, I gotta shoot it from here. I'll put a light to the left and right just out of frame because, like, I gotta light it, right?

Then you took a pic and uploaded it to ask for pointers.

Find a better location. Most often if a photographer is doing one frame shots, not composites, the vehicle isn't against a wall -- this helps with managing the obviousness of shadows, and allows you to put lights in different spots without casting huge upward shadows, or put a light behind the bike for a rear light / rim light. As well as this, even if you had nailed the lighting for this shot it would still be a pic of a bike against the back-side wall of your house

Then choose a few angles from which your bike looks fucking bad-ass. In general, side on is pretty boring

Then light it right. Get away from the beginner level mentality of just pointing lights at stuff. You aren't playing hide and go seek with a torch at night on a summer camp. You don't win if you fully illuminate the subject

Light each of those shot angles differently. Find a position of the light that will reflect in a certain way to highlight a curve in the body work, or glint along the line of the exhausts, shit like that. You may not want the whole part of the bike which is in the frame to be fully illuminated, play with falloff and lighting contrast or go the other way and add fill if you want

My point is to try and open your mind to a thought process which you appear to have completely skipped before making your exposure

not one to have experience with lighting, but this totally makes sense once I do get more than a couple of lights

 

[YourMomOnRyeBun]

Quick question...but what is the objective of these shots? Are you trying to take some shots of your bike so that you can sell it? Or are you just trying to take nice shots of your bike?

Just trying to get a better idea of whom your target audience will be.

If I'm looking at these shots to BUY your bike, I want to see the whole thing. Any scratches, damage, etc. On the other hand, if it is a photography project take cfk's advice and get more creative with the angles and the lighting.

And change the location. Very distracting... Or at least adjust the lighting so that it doesn't show up in your image - even if that means "removing" it in post or concealing it with a gradient or something...

 

[michael]

Apart from the shitty location and boring as fuck shot angle, here's some thoughts

It looks like you've walked up to wherever you parked your bike when you got home from work. It's against a wall so you are like, welp, I gotta shoot it from here. I'll put a light to the left and right just out of frame because, like, I gotta light it, right?

Then you took a pic and uploaded it to ask for pointers.

Find a better location. Most often if a photographer is doing one frame shots, not composites, the vehicle isn't against a wall -- this helps with managing the obviousness of shadows, and allows you to put lights in different spots without casting huge upward shadows, or put a light behind the bike for a rear light / rim light. As well as this, even if you had nailed the lighting for this shot it would still be a pic of a bike against the back-side wall of your house

Then choose a few angles from which your bike looks fucking bad-ass. In general, side on is pretty boring

Then light it right. Get away from the beginner level mentality of just pointing lights at stuff. You aren't playing hide and go seek with a torch at night on a summer camp. You don't win if you fully illuminate the subject

Light each of those shot angles differently. Find a position of the light that will reflect in a certain way to highlight a curve in the body work, or glint along the line of the exhausts, shit like that. You may not want the whole part of the bike which is in the frame to be fully illuminated, play with falloff and lighting contrast or go the other way and add fill if you want

My point is to try and open your mind to a thought process which you appear to have completely skipped before making your exposure

put this in the Noob thread

 

[Jcolman]

While this is obviously not a bike, it is a dark purple color. I lit it with three lights. Notice that there is not a light source close to the camera. All the lights are placed so as to give the car some dimension. Also notice the background. It does not compete with the car for attention.

 

[grphx]

While this iks obviously not a bike, it is a dark purple color. I lit it with three lights. Notice that there is not a light source close to the camera. All the lights are placed so as to give the car some dimension. Also notice the background. It does not compete with the car for attention.

You don't have a setup shot do you? That would be a /thread for me. If not I would like to know the following answers

Modifiers
Height and what point of the car you aimed each light
How far away from the car the lights were

 

[Marix]

Location is a lot of the problem bro

cfk speaks wisdom

You've got a crappy background and the light spills onto it. Move the bike somewhere more by itself and it can be lit so that it stands out.

Also try some interesting angles etc. The shot you have there is basically the same perspective that EVERYBODY sees a bike from.. standing height, straight on

 

[ʎǝʞsoɹƆɔW]

one problem taking bike pics with a lot of gear is that to get to any location other than where your stuff is stored, it's a multi-person affair so set up can be a pain. It's not like you can throw stands, tripods and whatnot in the trunk of your bike. of course if you have a friend who can haul your stuff it's a moot point..

I got in the habit of using a miniature tripod and finding somewhat friendly streetlights along with long exposures....results are ok.....it's hard to get the shot you want with the tripod sitting 1' off the ground on a grass mound in the dark.

 

[grphx]

Hah that is my canon bag with two light stands strapped to it. Bet I looked funny. I'm going to take what I learned in this thread and try again tonight. Different location though

 

[charles foster kane]

I'm going to take what I learned in this thread and try again tonight. Different location though

excellent attitude, bro

OTAP needs more people who will take advice without getting defensive and acting like a bitch

Be sure to post up your v.2

 

[ʎǝʞsoɹƆɔW]

Hah that is my canon bag with two light stands strapped to it. Bet I looked funny. I'm going to take what I learned in this thread and try again tonight. Different location though

how the......impressive you can ride with those stands sticking out the bottom of your pack.

 

[FryingPan]

Black cars are a bitch. I was on the way to the beach and I was called to shoot a car this morning. Had I been prepared, I probably could have done something more interesting with it, however last minute shoots generally = weak settings.

Bonus points if you know what car this is.

 

[The Cable Guy]

Oh, bike pics?

 

[The Cable Guy]

I also need to choose a different location.

 

[jigelow]

Resembles a 32 Ford, but I can't tell exactly.