Apologies to Pathfinder

Zanotti · October 22, 2005

I am trying to do as well as some of the cool photos that Pathfinder has done. Set this up in the garage with a tripod and tried to emulate one of his! I hope you see it a sincerest flattery - I dont think my attempt holds up to Pathfinders! Why?

gsgary · October 22, 2005

It would be better if it was a GS:D

Zanotti wrote:

I am trying to do as well as some of the cool photos that Pathfinder has done. Set this up in the garage with a tripod and tried to emulate one of his! I hope you see it a sincerest flattery - I dont think my attempt holds up to Pathfinders! Why?

Zanotti · October 22, 2005

Limited PS skills showing. Better?

(I know, still not a GS! Same motor and gearbox though! I think the R1150R is a GS for shorter riders!)

Zanotti · October 22, 2005

Last one I'll bore you with.

Photograph DetailsDate Taken:2005-10-22 13:43:55Date Digitized:2005-10-22 13:43:55Date Modified:2005-10-22 16:12:40Make:CanonModel: Canon PowerShot S1 IS Size: 1600x1200 Bytes: 262009 Aperture: f/5.6 Focal Length: 5.8mm (guess: 28mm in 35mm) Exposure Time: 0.1s (1/10)JPEG Quality:3Flash:Flash did not fire, compulsory flash modeExposure Bias:0White Balance:manualDigitalZoomRatio:2048/2048SensingMethod:One-chip color sensorColorSpace:sRGB

pathfinder · October 22, 2005

Thanks for the PM about this thread. I thought my B&W motor shots were not terribly well received here on dgrin and I never got around to posting them on advrider where I thought they'd get a better reception among other gearheads like myself. So thanks for the kind words.

Your shots are technically sharp, but lack a dramatic black and white that B&W shots need to really work. You did not say how you processed these to B&W, but I think that is part of it. A good range of color is the first requisite before conversion also.

My shots were handheld (no tripod) along the asphalt at the fairground at the BMW rally at Lima Ohio. I did use fill flash and shot in AV mode. The exif data is available at http://pathfinder.smugmug.com/gallery/682370/1/29581359

My favorite image from that trip was this B&W conversion of an R100/s engine compartment. 1/640th f3.5 ISO 800 ( I forgot to lower the ISO

)

I used Greg Gorham's B&W conversion technique for this - I have described it several times here on dgrin - I'm sure a search will find it. It is also available as a PDF on Greg Gorham's website. It is well worth a look - just google Greg Gorham and B&W and it should pop up. I converted to B&W because the original colors were as below, and because engines deserve the serious tones of B&W - engines are serious, not pinks and yellows...

Another image I liked from that trip was the Norton engine - again it deserved the respect of good B&W

Again, I used G Gorham's B&W conversion. I think I did a little Overlay blending with black to darken the grass a little ala the Cletus technique from our very own Cletus here on dgrin.

Glad to hear from another gearhead

Like my license plate holder says - "One Less Car"

Addendum:
Looking at your images again Zanotti, I prefer the closer composition of your first shot over the second. Simpler is better than more, usually - I tried to stay tight on my shots, that is why the crop of the exhaust pipe on the Norton.

I think you have a good beginning. Try G Gorhams conversion, or play with Channel mixer for awhile and see if you can't improve your shot. Try multiply blending your image with a black or a grey layer and see if that helps also.

Zanotti · October 22, 2005

pathfinder wrote:

Thanks for the PM about this thread. I thought my B&W motor shots were not terribly well received here on dgrin and I never got around to posting them on advrider where I thought they'd get a better reception among other gearheads like myself.

I thought they were all technically brilliant, really crisp and sharp. I am thinking about the Tamron 28-75 f 2.8 after seeing these shots. Of course, I like the subject matter as well.

I just put my Canon S1 on B&W settings in the camera and shot away. I needed the tripod, since I really didn't have much light. I tried for good depth of field with a higher f stop (f5.6 and f8.0) so there were some that had 1/5 sec shutter times. I do have a few in color as well, I'll look to your suggestions on alternative conversions.

I took a few copies of your Norton shots on my Bonneville, but found I got nothing but my own reflection in the chrome engine side cases!

Thanks again for letting me learn off your ideas!

Z

gsgary · October 22, 2005

Nopw we are talking real engines Norton

Apologies to Pathfinder

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