C & C for newb

[eRoc]

First time taking bike pics. These are from last saturday.

Thoughts? Comments?

[ngoduyviet]

cool bike, no comments on pictures

[semperaggie]

Edit out the kickstand?

[kenmyers70]

Cool bike with an interesting paint job. I would focus on finding ways to highlight the paint. The very distracting background and tile floor are the biggest problems I can see. Of these I like #3 best, but it could use some "pop" I would rotate the front tire so the stem is not a prominent.

[eRoc]

thanks Ken, this is the kind of stuff I need to hear. Thats why I posted em. Thanks!

[d2creative]

Eric, ditto what Ken said.
I would try to either shoot outdoors where you can get a more pleasing, natural backdrop or get a background stand 9' roll of seamless paper to shoot on. That's how I shot this pic... I should probably edit out the kickstand on this one, too.

[kenmyers70]

It may also be worthwhile to use a Polarizer to cut down on the glare. I think you probably want the black to scream "Black"

[eRoc]

Originally Posted by d2creative

Eric, ditto what Ken said.
I would try to either shoot outdoors where you can get a more pleasing, natural backdrop or get a background stand 9' roll of seamless paper to shoot on. That's how I shot this pic... I should probably edit out the kickstand on this one, too.

yea well it was kind of just a last minute thing cuz I was bored, so we rolled his bike (cuz it was night outside) into his dining room to take pics. The background and floor i'm not too conserned about, as i didn't like it from the beginning, more interested in tips on lighting (especially lighting black).

The polarizing thing would be a good thing to look into. One of my friends also mentioned diffusing the light a little more, and using a softbox instead of an umbrella.

How do you guys light black highly reflective objects?

(I read my first post and realize I failed to mention I wanted lighting tips as you can clearly see the umbrella in all the pics)

[d2creative]

Try bouncing the light off of a wall or ceiling for the ultimate "softbox".

Cars and stuff really can't be lit properly with small light sources like standard portrait sized umbrellas and softboxes. Their surfaces are much too reflective. So poor people like you and I who can't afford the massive equipment and studio space need to get creative and improvise. Even with that little scooter my 5ft octobox created reflection problems and it took a lot of light placement adjustment to get it to where it didn't show up in the paint. And that's light colored paint. Dark colors are the hardest and they will reflect everything including the wires and fixtures on your ceiling from your garage door, the shelving on your walls, the lawnmower in the corner.... its tough.

[eRoc]

yea i know what you mean. I had one light bouncing off the ceiling to give the room some light, but my problem is the front of the bike. If i bounce to a wall behind me, I end up in the pic (lol). If i bounce to a side wall the end of the bike closest to the wall looks bright, and the end further away looks dark. And i don't have enough lights to bounce off both sides.

Definately tricky stuff. I'll keep practicing.

Thanks for all your help guys!!