If I’m not riding it, I’m photographing it, although space was tight for this shoot as I had to wedge the back wheel in the cupboard. Ideally with more room I’d move the bike further from the background so there was less light hitting it.
As with other lockdown shoots I was just using a couple of Nissin speedlights with various modifiers such as softboxes, snoots and grids. I did use a number of reflectors to put light and highlights into the shot, these are just scraps of polystyrene saved from packaging.
I shot tethered (USB cable from the camera to computer) so I could see the results on a bigger screen and within Adobe Lightroom. I tend to process and early shot, make it a preset, then automatically apply it to the rest of the shots as they are imported from camera.
I thought I’d have to spend ages retouching all the scratches off the bike, but I must have got lucky with the sections I photographed. Since lockdown I’ve been averaging about 150 miles a week, and it’s starting to show on the bike as I already need a new back tyre, it’s a good job I’m still carrying a spare around my waste!
Thought I’d include a snap of the Topstone up the Peak Distrcit shortly before lockdown. I had plans for a bike packing holiday, hence the pannier rack.
Hopefully we’ll all get back to some kind of normal before long. Stay Safe.
