So, the motorbike calendar photography season is with me again and I’m currently photographing the Superbikes calendar and here the cover shot taken in Exeter. It’s a simple photo that needs to sit in a square format. I haven’t done much to the final file because the calendar guys normally tweak the images a little so I aim to give them a simple image that will print easily. In the past I’ve been a little ‘surprised’ by their distain for side stands but I seem to have got the angle right for them here.
I first used this lighting setup a while ago to shoot a Hesketh V1000 and thought it would work this fairly confined space. I’d visited Bridge earlier and the Honda was on display in the corner. From my point of view this was an opportunity rather than a hindrance, I was able to shoot the bike ‘Covid-safely’ whilst not impacting on other people. Also but photographing first thing on a Monday morning things were workable.
A punchy 1500w Bowens strobe was set to fire from right of the front wheel into a white voile to the left of the bike. The light skims the front giving a highlight then bounces back giving a nice soft light to describe the bike. The 1500w is useful because there is a fair amount of light loss and it’s a good powerful light.
A second 1000w Bowens strobe acting as fill angled upwards using walls and ceiling as bounce. This strobe was set at a low power.
I was shooting tethered as ever with the Rock’n’Roller Multicart as my desk de la jour. As ever I start with an unlit shot to get the position correct and not unusually I find myself thinking why don’t I go home now and Photoshop it? (Answer: Because I’m better than that!)
Thanks to Bridge Motorcycles for their hospitality and Honda!