Hi Ken,
On 5/6/07, Huemax@aol.com <Huemax@aol.com> wrote:
>Your lighting is super! The light inside pool is reflecting all around as
if they are
>glowing from wall to floor, I have never seen this lighing technique.
>
>I saw your chrome Paramunt Pista, on its reflection, I see blue sky as main
light source.
>you have what photographer call "OPEN SHADE" in the white semless
background.
It's purely dumb-luck that I thought to take my bike photos in there. I know
very, very little about photography or how to use a camera. The pool happens
to be a curvey kidney-shaped "bowl" that's lined with bright white
fiberglass. When the sun is directly overhead there is so much ambient glare
inside the empty pool that's it's hard look at. When the sun is at an angle
to the pool though, the "open shade" in the pool is very nice and gives a
very even, shadow-free environment if you're situated at the correct place.
>There is a darklblack reflection on the right side of handle bar as you
shot from
>straight front, perhaps yourself? Did you wear a dark outfit?
>
>If you can cover overhead with thin white material, you will have a perfect
lighting TENT!
When I was setting up the bike I didn't give any thought to reflections so
it is probably the nearby trees causing the what you see. It would be very
easy for me to suspend a thin white covering over the photography area so I
will likely try do that next time. I was also wearing darker clothing and
now realize that I can be seen in some of the reflections. With an
all-chrome bike I will have to make sure to use a small tripod next time.
All of the recent photos were taken without a tripod.
>Getting away from LIHTING, let us talk about the PERSPECATVE-DESTORTION, as
you
>got idea to use "TELE" setting or long distant shot, your front and rear
wheels become
>less diffrence in thier size. Also, if you look how the angles of shaft of
axiles, they
>shall more same angle and pararell, but if you use "short" wideangle
seting, they will
>be tweisted and become different angle. But if you use extreme long lens
in long-
>long distant, you will be careful, the bike shoyt 45-60' angle become so
short, and
>wheels are narrow ZERO shape, this we call overcompression of "tele
perspective"
>effect. Thus, you do have to see and judge hte "TELE" setting, sometimes
NOT TOO
>long (means the longest setting might to be too long..)
This distortion information is something I feel very valuable to have
learned. In some of my previous photos my brain sensed that there was
something odd about the way the bikes looked but I never thought it to be
lens distortion as I hadn't realized that distortion occurs even without
using a wide-angle lens (where it's very obvious).
>Enjoyed your MASI and Paramount track bikes, details are particularly good.
>And thank you again for sharing the images!
>
>KEN TODA, High Point, NC
Thanks again for all the useful tips. I also glossed over the CR archives to
read up on bike-photography tips you've previously posted as it's very
rewarding to get some shots that I can use as wallpaper for computer. :-)
I have other bikes that I will need to get photos of and will post them as
available.
Best,
Tam Pham
Huntington Beach, CA - USA