Lighting Motorcycles

[bob_bell]

Hi,

 

I was recently asked to shoot an upcoming calender of those pro mini

sport bikes. They will be stationary with models, etc...

 

My question is what do I do about fill lights for the motorcycle

considering it is so low. These are full fairing and sponsored bikes

so they want the bike lit well along with the logos being visible.

 

They want to shoot outside so I was thinking of reflectors on the

ground to uplight the motor and other mechanical areas. Is this the

best approach or would using slaves with softboxes on the ground be a

better idea. Any advice would be appreciated. Thx in advance.

[lex_jenkins]

I met a fellow who photographs custom cars for various magazines. He usually shoots outdoors in open shade provided by various buildings that he chooses to suit the car. Very simple method and he gets great results. A little attention to detail and he avoids problems with unwanted glare and reflections. I suppose reflectors could be useful as well.

[grahams]

Be aware of unwanted reflections in the brightwork of the bikes - an overhead diffuser (scrim) and a broad low reflector will solve all problems, but you need to maintain some degree of moddeling on the models faces, which is why it would be easier to shoot in a studio.

[brooks short]

I agree with Lex. Open shade works well, creating smooth, diffused highlights on the shiny bits and their compound curves. You do have to watch out for the blue color cast of open shade on a sunny day. You might want to try some warming filters if you're shooting film. Digital would be easy to correct for color.

 

Another good choice is an overcast day. Without a blue sky the colors are correct and the specular highlights are translucent and diffused.

 

Using an overhead scrim on a sunny day is an option but by including the height of a person combined with the low stature of a pocket rocket you'll have trouble getting the scrim low enough to control the speculars on the bike. And you'd need a really large, 8'-10' scrim to do the job.

 

Here's a shot of my bike on the Blue Ridge Parkway last spring. It's just a snapshot but the strong overcast was perfect for the lighting on the bike. Notice the open shadows and smooth diffused highlights. There's not a lot of chrome on my bike but then BMW motorcycles are more about go than show. #8^)

 

If this had been a commercial shoot (and that would be a great client to have), I would have used a much longer lens to throw the background out of focus and a much lower camera angle to make the bike taller. Two things you might consider also, no matter what type of lighting you may choose. And I would have taken all of the soft luggage off the bike.

 

Harley Davidson does a great job of photographing their bikes for their various catalogs and ads. They always use diffused light from an overcast day even if that means including some white sky. You might want to go to a HD dealer and snag a couple of brochures.<div></div>

[randall paul]

You could always light over head and create a reflector out of frame in front of the bike bouncing the light towards the bike use a scrim or make one up for the size you require for the over head light. Hot spots can be dulled by a dulling agent which we use for film (cine). Also if you are shooing colour I would be using transparency film i.e provia or what ever with a polarizer. Fun to play with it.

[chris m., central florida]

I have absolutely no experience in this area :-). I shoot people. But there is one technique that's very transferrable in this situation. If you are forced to shoot in an area with bright light, you can purchase a white canopy tent from places like Sam's Club. I've used one once, at a wedding, and it worked extremely well in bright sunlight. I've seen photographers set them up on location at the beach (larger than the one I used). It acts as a large scrim and you are open on four sides so the background is not compromised. The setup time is about 1/2 hour at most. You can purchase sides to roll down as needed. Just an idea! I'm sure you can rent one - I think it was $179 at Sam's for a 10'X10' canopy tent for craft fairs. If you check out your shooting location ahead of time, you'll know if you need one.