Motorcycle Photography Tips
One of the great joys of motorcycle riding is all of the photo opportunities it will present you with! You’ll want to share all of the best landscapes and group photos with your loved ones back home and your trusty social-media devotees, which is why taking a good picture matters.
If you’re relatively new to photography, we’ve got some tips for you to make your motorcycle trip photos stand out. Interstate Cycles here in Lake City is your Sunshine State motorcycle dealer. Let us help you take those Instagram-worthy photos more easily so you can show off your travels to your friends and family!
Keep Your Camera Handy
While you’re riding, your focus will be somewhat divided. You’ll need to be conscious of how your motorcycle is handling, whether you’re on the right path, that you’re taking regular breaks and that anyone riding alongside you is doing okay. So you won’t want to have to remember where you packed your camera. Keep your digital camera or phone in an easily accessed pocket or bag so that you can grab it when you see that Kodak moment at your destination or when you pull off the road at a scenic overlook.
Focus On The Lighting
The key to a good photo is having sufficient lighting to illuminate your subject. Sure, you can try to make adjustments using filters or in Photoshop, but it’s much easier to just take a well-lit photo to begin with. You don’t want there to be too much or too little light on your subject, since this can make the image impossible to discern or completely washed out and white. Notice where the light is coming from, since light that’s behind your subject will keep them in the dark. Light that’s behind you, the photographer, is better, and side lighting can make for a nice, dramatic contrast.
Many professional photographs choose to take advantage of the “golden hour,” which occurs just after dawn and just before dusk, where the sun is low on the horizon. This angle filters the light in such a way that warmer colors stand out and create a soft and elegant focus on your subject. Even an amateur can take a great photo if they get the lighting right!
Use Interesting Frames & Angles
Lots of amateur photographers make the error of always centering the subject of their photos and angle their cameras straight ahead, which can become extremely boring and tedious to look at over a series of pictures. Try different framing methods and unique shooting angles to mix things up.
For framing, consider the rule of thirds, where you picture a three-by-three grid through your camera (some cameras can even superimpose this type of grid on your viewing screen as a guide) and try putting your subject in any square that’s not the center.
When it comes to angles, try kneeling down and shooting from below, or standing on a parapet or bench to shoot down from above. You can make your motorcycle look like a dominating beast when shooting it from below with an extreme angle and the sky behind it.
Eliminate Distractions
Taking a photo with too many elements in it can distract the eye and make it hard to get a sense of what you were trying to capture. This can be difficult when it comes to a city shot that’s going to have lots of people and cars and buildings by default. But you can use angling, framing and focusing techniques to reduce those distractions, or even physically remove components from a photo before you take it.
Show us your awesome photos when you come by our dealership in Lake City, Florida, to check out our full stock of new and used motorcycles for sale. We even offer financing options, which you can discuss with our friendly staff. Interstate Cycles welcomes all of our customers coming from the cities of Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida.