Midnight Motorcycle

I was visiting in Logan, UT a few weeks ago when my friend Bob called and asked for some tips for shooting a motorcycle. He was at the Fairgrounds, and I was nearby so I headed over to see if I could help. Bob's classmate was visiting from Chicago and had ridden this gem across country, including a stop in Oregon (which I missed). 

Well, here's what we ended up with. Not bad for the fairgrounds at midnight. One of my favorite things was our bucket brigade from the canal to get the street nice and shiny.

Nikon D600, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens @85mm, f/8, 1/90s, ISO 800. 

We used one SB-700 speedlight in a 24" softbox and moved it around the bike making pictures with the light on various parts of the bike. Then we combined them together right there in the fairgrounds using this method I wrote about for Photofocus.com. We ended up using seventeen pictures to make this image.

Preparation

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 130mm, f/3.5, 1/100s, ISO 400.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens @ 200mm, f/10.0, 1/5s, ISO 200.

Preparing to perform is not only about practicing the movements. A large part is simply thinking about the performance itself, preparing things mentally before creating them physically/ audibly/visibly. This is an age-old piece of wisdom which I am trying to incorporate regularly in my workflow. Oh, not my violin playing (fortunately for you!) like S. here, but in my photographic performances which actually begin the moment I consider inviting you to be my client or responding to your invitation to shoot for you. The first thing I do is to think what words will help to ensure a good fit between us in a working relationship (often I ask if a prospective client has seen my work) because I want 

to make sure there are no misconceptions about what the resulting pieces of artwork will be like. I try to vet those who are after a style I don't do and point them to a photographer I know who might be a better fit. Like the gal who called the other day asking if I could shoot her pottery for her. I was certainly intrigued by her descriptions, and she said she liked my work, so we got together to make it work. The result is that I met a fascinating woman who makes some truly beautiful ceramic creations. I don't want to spoil them, though, so you may have to find them next time you're in Jackson. Anyway, I was thinking for a week about how to light and showcase her work without ever having seen it! In the end, I had to remember that these images were really just the same as my portrait work: they are about capturing her spirit in the clay, not showing off my skill. Still, I bet S. is more skilled at the meditative preparation than I...