From beautiful wheels to a beautifully designed single speed, the cycling eye also wants something. Many bicycle designers are fully aware of this and cleverly respond to this by accompanying the designs with beautiful photo reports.
Inspired after seeing such a beautiful report, we enthusiastically grab our own camera and bicycle and start taking pictures. Unfortunately, we often find out that the bicycle does not come into its own as well as in those beautiful reports. But don’t worry, with the following simple tips you can improve your cycling photo skills (even without Photoshop).
Tips To Improve Your Bike and Cycling Photo Skills
Clean bike and accessories
Make sure your bike is clean, and polish everything because, with a beautiful subject, you are already halfway through a beautiful photo!
Sufficient light
You naturally want your photo to be sharp and clear, so make sure you have enough light. “Yes, logical” I hear you think, but remember that our eyes need much less light than the average camera, we often make a mistake in this. So if you can, take your photos outside and make sure your shutter speed is 1/125s or faster.
Beautiful light
Light is light, isn’t it? No, for a nicely lit bike you want ‘diffused’ light, no harsh sunlight or artificial light and no direct flash. A cloudy day generally provides nice diffused light. Are we dealing with one of the rare sunny days in the Netherlands? Take your chance and take the photos around sunrise or sunset to take advantage of the beautiful light on these parts of the day. Still taking the pictures in the afternoon? Look for some trees, trees often let in enough light, but the leaves make the light nicely diffused.
Background
It may sound crazy, but the background can make the difference between just a good photo and a “wow!” photo.
For example, include slanting lines in your background for an extra sense of depth, for example put your bike in the middle of a path/road for this effect. Or choose a background that matches your bicycle in terms of color and texture, for example an old wall, an industrial building or an extensive heathland.
Do you have a camera where you can set the aperture? Then ensure that you have a large aperture (low f-number), so that your background is beautifully out of focus (also called bokeh), and your bike really stands out from the picture. When placing your bike, make sure you have enough space behind your bike, so that there is enough distance for your background to become out of focus.
Good composition
Ok! Your bike is crystal clear, you have found beautiful light and a fantastic background, now a nice report! How? By bringing everything together into beautiful compositions, a few tips:
– keep your camera straight for total shots (sometimes you have to bend your knees)
– provide variety, total shots and nice details
– don’t place your subject in the center
– try to include lines in your composition that lead the eye to the subject (see photo below)
– keep the photo clean, watch out for disturbing objects in the background or foreground
– take lots of photos!
Material
Which camera should I use for this? You can apply the above tips with any camera. It is true that with an SLR camera it is easier to create a blurred background and you need less light compared to a compact camera. If you already have an SLR camera or are planning to buy one, buy a 50mm lens with an aperture of 1.4 or 1.8. Every camera brand has an affordable 50mm lens in its range. With this you can shoot fantastic details and create blurred backgrounds, the lens with which you can improve your photography skills for little money.
In summary, go out and take a nice picture of your bike. For the best photo you first look for good light, then a nice background and finally a good composition. This way you work step by step towards a beautiful photo.