Challenge #5: Motionless

Credit goes to my wife for the inspiration for this shot.  We were out the other day when a motorcycle roared by us and I made the comment, "So that's what a motorcycle looks like when it's moving!"  It was at that moment that Shannon suggested my bike for this week's challenge.

Due to a lousy spring (weather wise) and being trapped by tools and materials for some renovations being done at our house my bike had been collecting dust - lots of it.    I wanted this shot to be stark and contrasty.  I also had to shoot the bike as-is, where-is since moving it even just the slightest little bit would show signs of handling the bike in the thick layer of dust.  That was a bit of a challenge, since the garage is full of stuff for the reno right now.

I hung a dark blanket on the wall to cover up the tools behind the bike.  I wanted a dark background and didn't want any tools to be a distraction.  I used a Nikon Speedlight SB-600 aimed directly at the bike on a light stand high enough to cast a shadow on the garage floor and door.   I liked how the light captured the dust at that angle and, for me, the shadow was critical to the shot, but the rest of the bike was being lost in the shadows.   I used a second SB-600 set to its minimum output and bounced it off the underside of a workbench that was right behind me.  The effect was what I was looking for... just a minimal amount of light on the tail light and rear fender to show where the end of the bike was with no effect on the rest of the bike or the shadows.

I did little post production on this shot.  I dropped the white balance a few hundred degrees to keep the overall feel of the image cool.  I removed a couple of distracting lens flares and I dodged the sidestand to make it stand out just a little in the shadows - an effort further convey 'motionless'.  The crop is as-shot.  Mostly because I couldn't get any wider, but I think it works well.

Right after this shoot I rolled the bike out onto the driveway, washed it and went for a ride.

I printed this to Ilford Galerie Classic Gloss Paper.  The paper has a bit of a graininess to it that I can't describe.  It's almost like the image has microscopic cracks in it.  I chose to print this image to glossy paper, but this kind of paper doesn't lend itself well to this kind of shot.   I expected more vibrant colors that I normally associate with glossy papers.