Photographing Bikes

S

Skiver

Messages
97
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

My friend has a Kawasaki Ninja and has asked me to take some pictures of it. Nothing serious just a bit of fun as myself and OutLore have been doing with our cars.

Problem for me is I love cars so can get into my head how I want to shoot them etc but a bike isn't really something I have put a lot of thought into and to me, there isnt much to actually take a picture of!

Was hoping some more creative minds might give me some tips on angles and types of shots they may have done or they would like to see etc?

Chances are these will be stationary shots due to lack of equipment, may try some panning shots but due to lack of experience I doubt there will be many.

Another thought I have had is with or without rider? Without for me is a little bit of a problem as the bike obviously doesn't stand straight which I personally don't think will look good to capture but equally with the rider it may limit the shots I can do.

I will of course be looking for some direction from my friend, after all this is his bike and I would like to think he has some idea's on how he wants to see it but the more idea's the better.

Thanks in advance for any advice :thumbs:
 
Has your friend not got a paddock stand? You could then have it upright.
 
jimmyriddle said:
Has your friend not got a paddock stand? You could then have it upright.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the exact same.

Also remember, bike have great lines and exposed chrome/engine parts.

I always enjoy emphasis on embossed manufacturer/model.
 
I've found bikes tend to suit more low down and close up shots, the principals are similar to shooting a car, but the execution is entirely different. Play around with the lights etc, and if it's cold weather the smoke coming from the exhaust can look quite nice.

They are very intricately and high spec'd machines, even straight from the factory, so details such as the forks, calipers, dash, swing arm etc can be interesting. A shot straight from the rear emphasising the fat tyre with the running light on never goes a miss.

I think night time works better too, purely because of the lights.

If you have the rider in, the viewer focuses more on the rider, even if the helmet makes the faceless, but try some.

Drive bys with him fully tucked at say 20-30mph with some careful panning can look very good too, much higher sense of speed.
 
Low sweeping S bend shots, head on with knee down kinda action looks good I think.... Has be got any favourite S bends that would work?....you'll need some sunlight to keep your shutter and AF up to speed.

Never tried it but some have shot from a car, the boot or even a window, travelling alongside the bike and rider. ...It creates some cool blurred backgrounds.

:thumbs:
 
Another one here for a paddock stand. I currently have a screen saver of the Ducati Diavel which is completely upright and shot at a right angle so the bike is in perfect profile. A bit of top lighting and lit from behind, it looks fantastic. I am presuming the stand was cloned out.
 
jimmyriddle said:
Has your friend not got a paddock stand? You could then have it upright.
Click to expand...

He does not but he is part of a Motorcycle club so I have set him a task to ask around, hopefully someone else will.

desantnik said:
We did a new bike launch test shoot for Visordown.com last year, might give you some ideas:

http://blzeebub.com/new-gallery/special-events/category/73-visordown-triumph-speed-triple-test
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, will give that a proper look over before we do the shoot.

Forbiddenbiker said:
Low sweeping S bend shots, head on with knee down kinda action looks good I think.... Has be got any favourite S bends that would work?....you'll need some sunlight to keep your shutter and AF up to speed.

Never tried it but some have shot from a car, the boot or even a window, travelling alongside the bike and rider. ...It creates some cool blurred backgrounds.

:thumbs:
Click to expand...

I can't think of any S bends but will try and find any, concept seems a bit out of my skill range (very new to photography) but would be interesting to give it a go. I Like the idea of the car also but chances are these will be done after work at night sometime so I feel light may ruin any possible shots.

Simon photo said:
Fish eye lens, camera mounted on front faring facing the rider, 1second exposure.
Always wanted to try this lol
Click to expand...

I don't own a fish eye, at the moment I don't even own a tri-pod which is my bigger concern. Also I don't like the sound of mounting my camera and trusting him with it!

Thanks to everyone else also, some very good idea's and feedback. Hopefully this will happen soon and I will post the results.
 
Close up detail works with bikes,

Pop along to your locally supermarket and pick up a few "Streetfighter" magazines to take out on the shoot with you to give you inspiration, once you start getting into it i'm sure you will naturally go off in your own world.
 
Wide angle close up's front and back work well as you can get some nice distortion, making the tyres look fatter.

p67543607-3.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top