Bicycle Aesthetics and Photography - How to take photos of your bike

(adds balance to the wheel) (aesthetically speaking)

Here is a good example of a well photographed bicycle, from our very of DMCzone.

p.s. the logo through valve thing is EXCELLENT, and I am fully in favour it.

Good choice, that. Stonking bike, excellent shot.

Nothing silly about being anal over tyre/wheel/logo alignment politics as mentioned up there^^^^^, I'm boring enough to be fussy about it.

I am exceptionally pleased by the way the top tube and the tiles line up.

This shows it off even better for me. I think the angle captures the bike's detailing better, and the backdrop is even more convincing, with the single sunken-light. Really well thought out.

http://www.lfgss.com/picture.php?albumid=199&pictureid=909

This shows it off even better for me. I think the angel captures the bike's detailing better, and the backdrop is even more convincing, with the single sunken-light. Really well thought out.

http://www.lfgss.com/picture.php?albumid=199&pictureid=909

Where's the angel?

must just be me can see her..

edits

The picture illustrates some perfect angels and lines, including the difficult to achieve pedals in riding position, not flopped over like limp wrists. But there are a couple of issues I've not had explained satisfactorily; the stem and seat post are contrasting colours, as are the seat/bar tape. Are those ok?

And @ Tel, can we get back to your wheel logos soon. I've not followed what's going where and when.

Just how do you achieve the pedal/straps in riding position, yet stationary? I'm buggered if I can do it.

I think that bike is just about perfect, as is the shot. I'm a fan of contrasting saddle/bartape, within reason, and the stem, well, it's just another inspired touch for me.

It's funny to read about these things, since I didn't look at any examples before before taking my bikeshots and now see a lot of points being talked about here.

I was wondering if you had any points of critique on my detailshots, so apart from the misalligned valves or chain on outerring:
http://www.lfgss.com/thread50495.html
http://www.lfgss.com/thread51715.html
Less dept of field, more overview or anything?

I remember seeing both those advertised originally, and was struck by the care taken with the photography. Good job on both for me.

The picture illustrates some perfect angels and lines, including the difficult to achieve pedals in riding position, not flopped over like limp wrists. But there are a couple of issues I've not had explained satisfactorily; the stem and seat post are contrasting colours, as are the seat/bar tape. Are those ok?

And @ Tel, can we get back to your wheel logos soon. I've not followed what's going where and when.

I still can't see the angel. :(

Ha, and again - freaky goings on in this here thread...

I was wondering if you had any points of critique on my detailshots, so apart from the misalligned valves or chain on outerring:

Pics are superb Bjorn can not fault them myself regarding dof etc, certainly loads better than my attempts!

My only critique other than tyre alignment etc would be to remove all accessories like bells, pumps, bottle cages, etc (acceptable on tourers, etc)

And @ Tel, can we get back to your wheel logos soon. I've not followed what's going where and when.

Yup the problem was (they've been sold now) if I had the Campag logo's on the hubs both facing forward (the shield) then the stickers on the rims would be in opposite directions.

But there are a couple of issues I've not had explained satisfactorily; the stem and seat post are contrasting colours, as are the seat/bar tape. Are those ok?

I'll forgive a black stem if it compliments the colours on the bike such as a PDM paint job for example. I'm not keen on contrasting colours i.e white tape with black saddle but on the example above the white tape goes with the graphics and the black saddle goes with the stem so it balances up quite nicely. Also a black saddle is ok if the bike has black hoods.

Jonny Rau's near perfect Chas Roberts was crying out for a white saddle.

My gripe with it is the red rims, I would have fitted silver or black but then I'm not very adveturious and as I said in the OP colour is very much a personal thing. The red insert on the XA stem does match the red rims though...

Jonny Rau's near perfect Chas Roberts was crying out for a white saddle.

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In the world of bike photography, Ray Dobbins is Jesus and www.raydobbins.com is the bible.

I have just moved my rear tyre round 3 or 4 inches to get some new skid patches and it feels wrong to have it un-aligned with the valve.

However tightness > aesthetics in this case.

You didn't need to move the tyre round, just moving the chain a few links over the cog achieves the same thing.

any bike really!!!

Works for me!

Personally I like crank in line with chainstay, saddle and bars level, valves lined up with logos, not necessarily at bottom, prefer at about 10 o clock. I prefer fixed bikes shot brakless, geared bikes in a high gear with taut chain, shifters in line, and if not a lot of seatpost showing maybe pull it out a bit, and there's a get particular amount of quill stem that should be showing. Pedals should be nice clip and strap if bike is classic or fixed. Background should contrast the bike, white bike in white garage door for example would be fail.

That is all for now.

That is all for now.

Yup the problem was (they've been sold now) if I had the Campag logo's on the hubs both facing forward (the shield) then the stickers on the rims would be in opposite directions.

If the hub logos were as they should be, reading from the right, one of the rims was laced the wrong way round. 'It makes no difference'; the rim label position is subject to the operator/machinery at the factory. Rigida don't always put labels over the rim joint. :-(

Tel, apologies. I've copied, pasted, and mullered;

Aesthetic examples:

• Tyre labels in line with tyre innertube valves.
  
• Quick releases both on non drive side.
  
• Saddle horizontal to the ground
  
• bottom of drops horizontal to the ground/or lined up to point at the rear brake. I read it in the internetz.
  
• One neat strip of tape around the bar tape to finish of
  
• hub logo on front hub should face the same as rear and read from the right.
  -Rim labels should read from the right.
  -Cable routing to be as neat as neat can be.
  -Seat and bar tape to be the same colour. Or not. It depends.
  etc, etc
  
  
  

Photographing

• Valves both at the lowest point, highest point or somewhere else as long as they're in the same place. Can be hidden to astound if no tyre labels present.
  
• logo on crankset should be upright
  -Photograph should be from the right.
  -Geared bikes should have chain on big ring.
  -seat post should show sufficiently, but bars & saddle to be same height. (Rando-luv)
  -pedals should be fixed in the ridden position, not at rest. (by tightening bearings just for the shot. Ha.)
  -Angle of shot should be such that lh drop is all but hidden by rh drop.
  -Downtube shifters should be parallel.
  -Either lh crank to be in line with seat tube, or rh crank in line with chain stay, ahead or behind bottom bracket. In line with something anyways.
  -Background to be unconfusing. And any lines to speak to frame tubing.
  etc, etc
  
  
  
  

This thread didn't take off;
http://www.lfgss.com/thread10370.html
but it has another link to photo-anality.

-Seat and bar tape to be the same colour. Or not. It depends.
etc, etc

Haha bit vague....

--seat post should show sufficiently, but bars & saddle to be same height. (Rando-luv)

You sure!? IMO seat should always be higher than bars! Rando-luv?

Ok question; what length should cables be cut to? i.e past the fixing bolt, gears and brakes.

Was chatting to a colleague the other day who knows a bunch of MTB'ers who fit their Chris King headsets upside down... just to piss off the perfectionists out there in bike land (and to be cool of course).

I'm wondering how many in this thread would have to correct that? ;)

Tel, please don't look to me for answers, I've not got a clue. That's why it's vague. I was trying to summarise what everyone else has said. I remain confused. Where are all our bits supposed to be? And what colour?

Rhb, upside down headset are all cool. I've discovered that handed brake levers can be reversed. Deliberately obviously.

This thread is all a bit....