10/5/2007 1:08:10 PM

Hi Angie,
Thanks for your comment. One of the big goals of photographic lighting is to get the relationship between the size of the object and the light right. If I have a light source that is as big as the object and close to the object, I will have smooth light. This is important because light like this flatters a subject: for instance, it reduces wrinkles. Wrinkles are caused by shadows, and a large light source is like an overcast day: no shadows! Smaller light sources help to define texture and can be more three-dimensional. You can see some video from the motorcycle shoot at the workshop page of my website. There is an article about shooting motorcycles at the magazine page of my Web site, www.siskinphoto.com. And, of course, you can get a lot of lighting information here at BetterPhoto both in my classes and at The Forum and the Articles page.
Thanks again!

10/5/2007 1:31:49 PM

What radio show are you talking about? Sounds interesting and would like to hear about shooting through a hole in the light panel.

Thanks,

11/7/2007 12:08:14 PM

Sherry, if you click on the copyright John Siskin link right below the motorcycle image, you will find a link to betterphoto radio. John gave two interviews in the past I believe and all the other interviews are very interesting, too!

11/7/2007 12:22:13 PM

Thanks Angie! Found it and will listen right away.

Sherry

11/7/2007 12:24:58 PM

Hi Angie, thanks for posting this!
For both of you some of this shoot is on video at my website: www.siskinphoto.com/workshop1a.html. Check it out!
Thanks, John

11/7/2007 8:36:24 PM

Hey John, Neat video :) Very interesting set-up. I wondered how you got the misty look on the floor. I like the purple highlight on the background. It really adds mood. And all on a black tarp :) Neat!

12/8/2007 10:31:01 PM

John- I showed this to my husband, who fancies himself a motorcycle guru (he has 3 Harley's :) We got out a couple of his magazines & I looked through them. It appears to me that they are using a large light source on most of them & placing them on a white background. Very clean looking. The common perspective is dead on side view with the kickstand on the back side. Some use kickstand extenders to stand the bike straight up. The kickstand on a lot of them is obviously missing. PS? :) A lot were taken with a perspective view that makes the front tire look disproportionally larger. I think when it gets a little warmer I'm going to try a few shots in our garage. Should be interesting & a learning experience :) Very interesting!

12/9/2007 4:30:49 AM

Hi Jayme,
I’m glad you liked the video. This is the first time I did anything like this. I probably could have gotten away with out the tarp, since the fog worked out so well, but I didn’t know that the fog would work when I started. So I think of the black as a back-up background.

Motorcycles are an excellent learning experience. I have found that you need to make the bike stand out, but if you can make an interesting background so much the better. I would want to avoid balancing the bike with an attachment to the kick stand. I think it might make the bike more unstable.

I’m really glad you like the shot! Thanks, John Siskin

12/9/2007 10:45:09 AM