Just Ridin' Pictures

[horacewill]

180 miles today, Boise to Mountain Home to Bruneau Dunes to Marsing then home (trying to get the mileage up for some planned long rides later this Spring). Not a bad day considering, 49 degrees... but still a little chill and lots of wind. Next week the forecast is for 70's and one day to 80!! But this was today.

 

[kickstandsup]

Blooming sticks...

 

[kbasa]

California 25 never disappoints. Traditional stop at Pinnacles NP East Entrance

 

[lee]

Old sale barn in SE Iowa. 2022

 

[lee]

2022

Nebraska Sand Hills


Cottonwood Pass Colorado


Gateway Colorado


South of Gateway

 

[omega man]

Always nice pictures Lee.

OM

 

[lee]

NE Iowa 2023



SE Iowa 2023

 

[skibum69]

Getting around.

 

[rhbike]

Getting around.

Petty Harbour?

 

[skibum69]

Good eye! A little surprising on this forum.

 

[kbasa]

Good eye! A little surprising on this forum.

A friend called them "a bike and a rock/tree/something" shots. Perfect side profile, second object growing out of the bike. You want a little something to pull the eye through the picture a little.

 

[lee]

It's not unusual for me to not notice something in the way or distracting when taking a picture.
I took this picture in Colorado back in 1980.
When I got the pictures back I did the forehead smack and thought, how did I miss the trunk lid blocking Debbie's face

 

[skibum69]

I don't worry much about it, I just snap whatever and sometimes they're reasonable.

 

[brownie0486]

Cody Wyoming with my brother a few years ago

 

[brownie0486]

 

[brownie0486]

Wall, SD for lunch while visiting the Badlands Natl Park

 

[kbasa]

I like to include three objects or an eye leading line in a photo. Since it's a motorcycle, it's easy enough to add a road the pulls the eye through the frame. The question then is whether you want to show the road you just came up? Or where the road leads? Which way makes for a better photo? Can I see down the road to the next corner? Or accent how straight the road is?

A bike by itself in a photo is rarely interesting in a trip report, but positioning the bike along side or with something interesting can help make a fairly mundane photo more interesting. Usually, it only takes a minute to walk around holding my phone up, trying out different perspectives. It can add interest to the picture if you have a couple of objects in the frame people are going to look at, especially if they're separated. A decent rule of thumb is to include three items, if you have them. Taking pictures of a magnolia tree? Try to get three blooms. Taking pictures of a field of magnolia trees? Try to get three trees in there and arrange them on the image field so your eye takes a little tour.

I almost never take a side profile shot, but focus on a 3/4 view, which is usually more interesting. If I'm trying to capture the bike and an object, I position the bike so that the object isn't blocked by or the plant/tree/rock doesn't appear to be growing out of my bike. I want to separate the items I want the viewer to look at so again, their eye takes a roam around the frame.

I"ll pick on Lee's photos here a little, but the pic of the RS by the side of the road is OK, but the bottom picture of both bikes, his wife sitting on hers, alongside the road tells a little story of a couple bikes getting ready to go somewhere together.

Those little narratives make some of the photos on this thread absolutely amazing.

Sorry to interject. Send your photos. I love looking at ALL of them.

Also: The GS1000G might be one of my favorite motorcycles of all time. My dad had one set up just like that one @lee

 

[brownie0486]

The Tetons in the background. Heading out that morning for Yellowstone Nat'l Park

 

[lee]

I"ll pick on Lee's photos here a little, but the pic of the RS by the side of the road is OK, but the bottom picture of both bikes, his wife sitting on hers, alongside the road tells a little story of a couple bikes getting ready to go somewhere together.

Those little narratives make some of the photos on this thread absolutely amazing.

Sorry to interject. Send your photos. I love looking at ALL of them.

Good information
Thanks.
I always like to know where a picture was taken. There's been plenty of times where a picture has given us ideas for trips or it helps us decide what road to take.

 

[skibum69]

I will add thanks for your insight, a pretty good thread to give us all a little more knowledge. Heading out today for a couple of days so maybe I'll try harder.