A Motorcycle Tribute

BradfordBenn

I am not quite sure if this is the right spot, but I wanted to share this photo of my friend Bill



It is a picture of him and the motorcycle, he and a few friends restored (me included) to raffle off to raise funds for a memorial scholarship in his son's honor.

More info here...http://BradfordBenn.smugmug.com/gallery/5127688_mrLbG/1/309785873_XnAjm

Thanks for looking and commenting.

DoctorIt

What a gorgeous bike! Although a toaster bike doesn't make your job as a photog any easier (I see you )!

Drooling over the vintage airhead aside (great resto job btw), can you first clarify what the purpose of the photo is? Just as a memory or as part of publicity for the raffle/charity? Or just as a nice tribute photo for Bill?

It's obviously a special subject - a raffle bike project you and your friends no doubt spent countless hours doing, a father, and the memorial to his son. Moving stuff, for sure.

If you are looking for photo comments I have to say, without the story and without being an airhead lover, this photo doesn't have much impact. I mean, the colors and exposure are fine, a great way to remember this moment/spot. But in telling a story, as a photograph, it's really flat.

Bill is sitting on a bench (took me a minute to figure it out) well behind the bike making him look very oddly small, or the bike too big. Your horizon is crooked, accentuated in the fact that the memorial stone looks to be falling over to the right. There's a tree growing out of Bill's shoulder, and there's too much background, it detracts from the focus. I think you can do a lot better, mainly in placing yourself and the subjects.

How about the bike parked at an angle slightly in front of the memorial, Bill symbolically between the two? You could shoot from much lower and capture a more dramatic angle on the bike and lend height to the memorial stone. Just one idea...

eL eSs Vee

I agree with Doctor It.

I'd suggest moving Bill and the bike to the other side of the memorial. Arrange the bike so that it's at fifteen or twenty degrees in relation to the memorial. This will do four things: it'll remove you from the tank, excise the tree from his shoulder, get the bench out of the image, and build a connection between Bill, his son and the bike. A powerful connection.

Have him stand behind the front wheel and place a hand on either the handlebar grip nearest him, the top corner of the memorial or both. Touching one or the other (or both) will show a connection between the three subjects. Make sure he looks comfortable and keep him smiling: He's celebrating his son's life with the scholarship and wants people to be eager to sign up for it. (In the current picture he looks . . . we'll, like he's in the picture. )

Use a wider aperture to blur the background. Use a tripod with the camera set at about mid-chest level (at the pectorals). Use a bubble level.

If the image is to be used to puplicly promote the scholarship raffle, add a helmet. Place it in front of the bike, just behind the front wheel. Do not place it on the bike or the memorial. You want it in there, but you don't want it to be a distraction.

Of course, these are only suggestions. If you don't use them, that's okay.

DoctorIt

eL eSs Vee wrote:

If the image is to be used to puplicly promote the scholarship raffle, add a helmet. Place it in front of the bike, just behind the front wheel. Do not place it on the bike or the memorial. You want it in there, but you don't want it to be a distraction.

I agree with you, especially if Bill is going to wear his riding jacket and depict an ATGATT rider.

Thanks for expanding on what I was basically thinking

Tommyboy

Brad,

Because I'm aware of a lot of the backstory here, this is a great shot. The previous comments and excellent suggestions are right on, too.

The first thing that struck me was the tree emanating from Bill's shoulder.

I would consider making a decision about whether Garth's memorial will be foreground or background. Think about filling 1/3 of the frame with memorial and have Bill and the bike slightly backgrounded. Or, do the opposite, featuring Bill and bike, with Garth's memorial in the BG.

You have the makings of a great shot. I look forward to seeing it in print.