About Motorcycle Photography
Professional motorcycle photography is about more than just making great photos: it’s about capturing what makes motorcycles unique. The unique nature of motorcycling, in that it is both beautiful and dangerous, is what I strive to capture in each photo. Along with these aspects it’s important for me to capture the “hand of man” which helps to create a narrative sense of story in what is otherwise just a picture.
Story is what I thrive on. My interest is not in photography, but in illustrating the best possible stories through the medium of photography. You’re probably thinking, “how could a picture of a bike tell a story”? Well, read on, and see how my approach to photographing motorcycles is different.
Stock motorcycle photos are not necessarily of great interest to me unless the bike is of some historical significance. What is however of great interest are motorcycles which the owner simply could not leave alone. When I am photographing a motorcycle I am looking for the three aforementioned concepts: beauty, danger, and modification.
First I am looking for the beauty in the motorcycle. I ask myself a series of questions related to the overall aesthetic of the bike and must take in to account the period in which it was built and what the overall design considerations may have been before I take to photographing the bike. Believe it or not the motorcycle designers were trying to tell you a story when they chose the lines for the bike and it’s the photographers job to convey that story. Sure, you could drape a hot chick on a bike, but my guess is the designers were trying to give you the visual stimulation of a hot chick on a bike without actually putting her there, so lets stick to their plan.
The story a designer tries to tell in their creation of a motorcycle isn’t that far from the photographer’s story. A designer makes a bike look fast as hell, or sexy, or old school by using visual cues and you have to be able to key in to these cues when you’re shooting. Look for the lines of the bike and how light falls on the curves. Then take a moment to think about what the sketch of the bike might look like on the back of Pierre Terblanche’s cocktail napkin. Now make that photo.
Emphasizing the danger of motorcycling is paramount to creating a good photo. In reality, motorcycling isn’t all too dangerous of a sport/hobby/profession, but identifying the elements that make it dangerous are essential in telling a compelling story. Right now I am looking at a photo of a Harley Davidson XR-750 and I am thinking about the elements of danger in the photo. Mind you, these elements seem relatively mundane when you look at them on a static bike, but these are what creates that heart pumping adrenaline when you ride.
The photo looks like a motor with wheels. A monster V-Twin is shoe horned into a lightweight frame and fitted with two of the biggest air cleaners K&N makes. Front brake, nah. Chain guard, nope. These are the focal points of a great photograph of a great race bike. When you shoot these all of the other elements seem to fall into place.
One of the last and most crucial elements, for me, in motorcycle photos is the “hand of man”. A motorcycle in it’s most basic form is beautiful, but what intrigues me most are bikes that have been modified. Much like photography only two things have remained constant in motorcycling since it’s invention over 100 years ago: evolution and innovation.
My Grandpa used to tell storied about fitting a Norden Machine Works carburetor to a Triumph drag bike, and while the carb proved to be way too much fuel, it did serve to fuel other ideas and innovations. It’s ideas like this that are the icing on the cake and make a perfect photo.
In the digital age it’s easy to see the same thing over and over. You’ve been to the races and seen the hordes of photographers in the corner; each of them clicking away without thought. These three details are what has allowed me to create great photos time and time again, and hopefully they will help you too.
If you'd like to further discuss photography, motorcycles, or a project, please feel free to contact me.
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