Best Way to take photos of bikes?

[glade]

I always seem to take pictures that look ungainly, the bike looks out of proportion.

Anyone got any tips for capturing good static shots of the bike? I've jsut got a tripod and i want to go and get some night shots, when i find a decent backdrop.

I use a Fuji Finepix F10 compact digital camera. Its not very adjustable but was a good 6MP camera when I got it. I've just figured out how to use the iso settings to stop my images being grainy, and doing decent night exposures (with streaky headlights, but detailed backgrounds), but i only have one decentish pic of the bike (which was an accident).

My best photo so far, but a bit over exposed.



some others

Rubbish - night shot before i got tripod in asda using a trolley and incorrect iso and WB settings.


First streaky headlight shot i liked...


some stuff i've seen on Pistonheads.com photography forum...



The astons are from Steve Carter's website.

[Red ones]

The 3 car sots are heavily reliant on the filters! Without filters they would look "normal"

The underexposed hot as you call it is actually really good - the bike is in focus and exposed well. If you had then applied Polaroid filters and messed around with the finishing then it would look fantastic!

I put it down to luck....... I have some real rubbish ones, but some come out ok....




These are all just done on my small trust panasonic digital cam.

im still waiting for a sunny day to take a goon picy

I think one of the most important things in photographing bikes (and cars for that matter) is the angle of the shot - most people take them standing up - but then you are actually alot taller then the vehicle.
Get down on your backside, or even on your belly to get down and dirty with your bike.

This first one was taken kneeling:


But I personally think this looks much better and was taken laying on the floor.


As for the setting, the easiest is to look for something that will frame the shot


Or as there is in the car shots, the lines of the background echo the lines of the vehicle.

That said - the theory is the easiest thing about the whole deal.

Keep experimenting, with digital mistakes don't cost money. Work out what pleases you in an image and what doesn't, if the camera allows you to view the exif data then you can see which apertures and shutter speeds give you the results you are after, tiny aperture slow shutter speed greater depth of focus etc. The Astons were probably shot with lights and reflectors as well as being tweaked in photoshop to bring out the very best in the images.

dont take many pictures myself..

Sorry to derail the thread, but i too love photography and got a Panasonic FZ7 for xmas. Ive got old photoshop from about 4-5years ago but looking into getting a new one. Which one is best to get? There seems to be one for pros and one for not so pros

[glade]

I went out and tried to take some photos by the renault building in swindon, but got swiftly shoooed off by security. So off to asda! And then by an urban dual carriageway to see if i could do anything with the headlights in the dark.

[glade]

Originally Posted by K

But I personally think this looks much better and was taken laying on the floor.

I liek this best too. nice and low - looks markedly different!