My First Bike: The Lucy Hobbs Project Motorcycle

I'm embarrassed to say that it's been a little over a year since my last post. I guess a mix of busy, lack of content and (of course) laziness have all been factors. But with a new year comes a fresh start! I spent tonight designing a new look for my blog and working on some ideas for future content.

For my first post of 2014, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about my favorite project of 2013.

The Lucy Hobbs Project (a Benco-created network for women in dentistry) worked with Paul Jr. Design to create a bike that they could raffle off to benefit the Smiles for Success Foundation. I had the unique pleasure to meet Paul Jr. and visit his workshop. Even though I'm not a bike guy, the place was pretty incredible and Paul Jr. couldn't have been more welcoming. 

The final product was delivered to our CenterPoint HQ and eventually to our studio. I never shot a motorcycle before, let alone a 10' chopper, so I was both excited and nervous. It wasn't the lighting that I was concerned about, but a fun thing called specular density or specular reflection. Basically, the light and image captured off of a reflective surface. Whatever light I was pushing at this bike was going to make or break the shot. It was so damn shiny!

After some research, I found that the best way to throw light onto a bike, car...etc. seemed to be with a large, flat rectangle box(es). This would give a smooth line of light back to the camera. I went online to find a soft box that we could purchase that would work for this, but ended up with some gaff tape, cardboard and about $13 worth of tin foil instead. Why buy when you can make?

HUGE thanks to my then co-worker Craig on this. Couldn't have done it without him. Man knows how to work cardboard.

Craig working at the first base. Something around 4'x2'. 

Checking if everything fits (we didn't exactly measure fully).

Cutting out some more sections.

Gaff taping the body together.

Lining the inside with crumpled foil for better light bounceage.

First layer of diffusion on the inside. Oh, that's picnic table cloth, by the way. Great in a diffusion pinch.

Second layer of diffusion. The idea was to hit the first diffusion, scatter the light around the tin foil then spill out clean through the second layer.

Two Canon 430EXII fitting perfectly.

Two final products.

Both boxes hung about 7' in the air.

Backdrop hung and wood on the ground so the bike wouldn't sink into the carpet on the paper.

4X 430EXII.

Both boxes took about 7 hours to make, but the final products turned out great (in fact, I'm still using them today for product shots).

Finally, it was time to bring the bike back for photos. Despite what you may think, a 10' chopper is not easily maneuvered through a corporate building. I nervously gave it a try at first. After about 15 seconds of pretending I knew what I was doing, we called in a co-worker who rides to help us move it to the studio.

The bike under the boxes. It barely fit into the studio!

Wiping this baby down.

After some test shots, I realized the chrome was missing some lighting highlights.

The final set up. Four 430EXII's above in our homemade soft boxes, a fifth 430 (balanced on a tin foil container) to light the chrome. Beautiful.

Sadly, I didn't record the exact power or zoom for the flashes, so it remains a mystery to this day.

Stonehenge, the pyramids, Brad's LHP bike lighting set up.

After cleaning up the backdrop and editing the levels, here's the final product:

This was't just my favorite project of 2013, but one of my all time favorite projects and certainly photographs I've ever taken. Not only because it was a crazy cool bike or because it was a first for me to shoot, but it was the teamwork, learning, adapting, creating and passion behind the shot that really shows in the final product.