Photo studio lighting for bikes/frames

[Curt Goodrich]

I'm a novice photographer and wondering what people are doing for lighting? I'm trying to set up studio lighting and am constantly amazed at how much wattage it seems to take to shoot a bike frame. I know the lack of surface area is the issue but nonetheless whenever I think I've got enough light I don't. I have around 1200 watts and it just isn't enough. How big are people's lighting set ups?

[fortyfour]

My lights are made by Lowe Pro and currently are running 250 W / 120 V Osram Halogen Photo Optic Lamps (so 3 total light sources). I've been thinking up upping my wattage a tad and at a later date upgrading the umbrella's I have to softboxes...

Ideally, you really want 3 light sources: left, right and overhead (overhead being the KEY light source for a bicycle IMO). You also want to be using umbrella's or softboxes to diffuse the light source so you're getting as even a light source as can be. You want to have a seamless backdrop on a roll (I believe my own is 12yd's at 107" in width). You do not want any competing light sources as this can play with what the camera's lens "sees". It does not "see" what our eyes do. This is why I shoot at night so I am ensured that no external light is competing with my light sources (I shoot in the frame shop actually). So if you can, ideally shoot in a fully enclosed space without any competing light sources.

With the above lights and about 7-10 minutes post in Adobe Photoshop, here's a shot from this past saturday evening:



It took about 30 minutes to set up, shoot the bike and clean up/put away everything from start to finish. Getting good photos just takes practice and knowing your equipments limits so you can maximize what it is you have and work within those confines. But just so everyone knows: Shooting a bicycle is most likely one of the more difficult products to shoot. The one thing I have noticed recently is my Mac's screen quality compared to the other Mac we have... I can see a heck of a lot more on my wife's screen when working post in photoshop that I cannot see on my screen as the quality of the screens have improved from when I purchased my computer (which is in need of replacement soon...).

[Curt Goodrich]

Thanks Kris. Your photos are always top notch.

[emanuel]

Nice Lights are nice, used to use profoto in my days as an assistant.
Reflectors are cheap, don't need power, and can be diy.

It's not the quantity of light, it's the proportions.

I use a single sb600 and some foldable reflectors from lastolite, I'd get cheaper ones if I was buying again.

a flash meter is more important than the lights.

having said all that, if I had the space I'd def organize a permanent studio.

[Mark Kelly]

Kris

Thank you so much for sharing this with us, IMO you and Firefly set the standard in this area.

Can you give a little more detail on what the 7 - 10 minutes in photoshop involve?

[fortyfour]

Kris

Thank you so much for sharing this with us, IMO you and Firefly set the standard in this area.

Can you give a little more detail on what the 7 - 10 minutes in photoshop involve?

Thanks for the kind words on the shots @Mark & Curt. I am by no means what I would call a photographer but I manage. The 7-10 minutes in Photoshop is adjusting some color/tone/feel, cleaning up any imperfections in the background that are showing, cropping the image (a lot of times I'm actually shooting much larger than what the finished shot will be, so some of the background of the shop is showing at the edges, or you can see the foot of a light stand, etc.), along with a few small tricks I've figured out over the years to give a static product shot a little more "juice" and personality.

[EnginCycles]

Let me emphasize that what follows is based on all the pictures that have been taken of my bicycles. Meters and reflectors are they key as Emanuel has mentioned. The back drop is not really important since you can remove the background in other ways. The one thing that many miss is how far the camera needs to be from the object to avoid distortion. The following photos were taken with a camera located about 30 ft away from the bike and the bike is about 25 ft away from the wall in the background. No back drop is used. The reflectors are needed to remove shadows and defect the light that is burst through the light boxes and the flash on the camera. Without a control box to hit all the light at the exact same time it won't work. Proper photo equipment is very expensive but as mentioned the basics can be had for say a few thousand and it will last a very long time. Here is a picture of the best photographer in industry IMO Charles Uniatowski snapping what might be the most difficult shot. An etched decal on a round tube in the BB area. Notice all the stuff being used a reflectors. All the following photos were taken by Charles Uniatowski (except the crappy one I took with my phone of him taking a picture) in the upstairs of my facility. The wood floor is the natural environment and no other items are used as props.



actual shot:



Again no back drop:



Also worth mentioning there is plenty of natural light entering this space but has no effect on the end result:



Here is a candy apple red painted bike from a totally different session but looks identical:



I could go on but I think you get the point. It is a burst of light at the moment of the photo more than the lights that are staying on. Reflect the light and send a giant burst of it.

[e-RICHIE]

From the master, Jeff Weir atmo -

[Curt Goodrich]

I should have been more clear. What Jeff Weir (photo demi-god) or other pros do isn't what I'm asking about. Thankfully Dave Anderson supplied me with a link to an older thread.
http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...kes-20340.html

This has some good and helpful advice. Thanks Dave!

[e-RICHIE]

I should have been more clear. What Jeff Weir (photo demi-god) or other pros do isn't what I'm asking about.

I thought that maybe seeing some quality working conditions would help seed the clouds there, such as it is.
Ya' know, the same as when we tell folks on their third frame how we do it on our four thousandth frame atmo.

[Curt Goodrich]

I thought that maybe seeing some quality working conditions would help seed the clouds there, such as it is.
Ya' know, the same as when we tell folks on their third frame how we do it on our four thousandth frame atmo.

I hear ya. I should have been more clear. I know what those set ups look like but not the technical aspects like wattage, flash or no flash, reflectors, etc. The whole photography thing can be a rabbit hole. I don't want to go too far down it but I want to be the one telling the story.

[fortyfour]

I hear ya. I should have been more clear. I know what those set ups look like but not the technical aspects like wattage, flash or no flash, reflectors, etc. The whole photography thing can be a rabbit hole. I don't want to go too far down it but I want to be the one telling the story.

Honestly, you can do a lot with a little. You really do not need to invest that much in a relatively good, simple setup. Drew's example is a great one where you use the setting and lighting to set the mood/vibe of the photo. I've been shooting my own primarily on white as I produce a portfolio of work each year of sorts and it's nice to have a collection of bikes on white backgrounds that can easily be presented in the format that I present them in. I also knew I was going to be cleaning up my website a bunch so that was another push for more formal studio shots. There is a lot you can do when you start layering on light setups, light diffusion methods, light fills and reflectors. You'll also notice some times I'll shoot bikes outside in addition to inside in a studio environment. There is something really pleasing about getting the bikes out in their natural environments so the surroundings play off the forms of the bikes themselves.

Two that stand out for me who tells a really nice story visually are Chris Bishop. Love his shots. And John Watson from the Radavist. Just great shots and a good eye for detail/story.

If I were to tell anyone how to spend their money, I would first start with the camera itself. The body and lens/lenses really can make the biggest impact once you know your way around the equipment and it's settings. Having a decent camera body and lens combination with the capabilities to take true high resolution shots is an advantage. The more information your camera can record, (megapixels) the richer the images will be (that's a really simplified explanation). You cannot compare the lens technology of the higher end camera's with the point and shoot type cameras. (Although many of the point and shoot cameras of today take excellent photos). A Digital SLR camera is worth the investment and many times used bodies can be had for not that much in terms of investment - I know I got my own used and it was basically brand new for half the cost.

I learn something every time I take a photo, and I am inspired each time I see some of my favorites work. Been playing with depth of field a bunch as of late to tell the story. Practice makes perfect as they say. I have just made it part of my process as I move along through the build. I have a good book on lighting that I should dig up and get the name for everyone as I reference it every now and again.

[Clockwork]

I'm an amateur "photographer" and I recently started shooting in raw image format and editing with Adobe Lightroom. It's like Photoshop lite and is much easier to use as well as being cheaper. Lot's of cool tutorial online too.

[shirk]

There is also the light painting technique that can get you around needing a full set of studio lights.

Motorcycle Photography, Part II | Bike EXIF