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Lighting a motorcycle in industrial setting

J

Joe Cage

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Hello Guys,

I need to light a motorcycle in this location, so there will be a lot of light coming in. I have an ARRI M18 with big diffuser, aputure 120D, aputure ls1S with softbox and a quasar science crossfade and negative fill cloth/flag. How would you go about shooting this.
I think the most easy would be placing the ARRI M18 above the motorcycle and using at a toplight. But I will not be able to do that. I might be able to place the quasar science over it with a boom, but then again It might not be bright enough with the sunlight.

So what options do I have left, lighting it from one side with the ARRI M18 SOFTBOX, other side LS1S with softbox, and rim it with the 120D bare?

27xntj7.jpg


Thanks!
 
Cristian Mihai said:
Depends on the framing and type of look you are looking for.
Click to expand...
yeah something that pops from the background. I really dig the top light look, but I dont think I can pull it off with the gear I got.
Thruxton-R-TFC-11.jpg

Maybe put the lights on each side as high up as I can and tilt them down. (only a part in the middle will be unlit then). Allthough this ref is in a dark location with dark bg. I have the sun hitting it, only problem is that the sun will also be hitting the bg just as hard. So I think I need to crank the Arri M18 as hard open as I can, expose for that so that the background will drop in exposure.
 
Cristian Mihai said:
To make the background darker during the day you will need BIG and STRONG lights kinf of shoot day for night...ND filters also
Click to expand...
Yes I know, but I only have what I wrote above :), so not sure what looks I can create or expect that are still awesome and not bland :)
 
I love solving challenges like this.
Can you rig to the structure above the set? Do you have more than one camera? Do you have control over the time of day when you shoot?
Depending on what the shotlist looks like, you could set up your lighting in a more controlled environment and take a reading, then wait until the ambient balances out to the ratio you want. Or use Sun Seeker in the exact spot your set will be and choose a time when the sun is streaming in at a key place in the frame and light against that.
Working with limited resources at a location like that, it helps to do more listening than anything else. Mainly to avoid frustration and managing expectations on both yours and the client's part.
If you don't already, scroll through BikeEXIF for inspiration. They often have killer photos, and the empty industrial space is something that comes up frequently in the moto world.
 
Thanks!
that website is indeed good for references, maybe I need to prepare for a couple of circumstances of the weather, it might be sunny, it might be stormy(hope so :) ). And just see on the day itself what the location and ambient light is telling us. And I dont know the color of the motorcycle yet. So if its white or black would make also a big difference.

Its a big location, so what I could do is find a much darker place, I even believe there is one on that location.
Then I can might solve the issue with hanging a quasar science crossfade with a boom pole over it and still create that top light (allthough a bit smaller then it should be)
 
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Dominik Muench said:
can you only shoot/ access during the day ? I would shoot it at night in this sick location.
Click to expand...

Yes, that was the first thing I said when they told me the location, but night shoot is no go..
 
Where will you place the bike and how tight is the widest shot?
 
Joel Arvidsson said:
Where will you place the bike and how tight is the widest shot?
Click to expand...

I am not sure yet, Im gonna do a lookaround when I get on location. There is one really wide shot planned. So for that shot, I am going to shoot it just center frame of the location picture. Lighting needs to be done from far away, so just trying to fill in I guess at that point.
For the close ups, I can move the bike to a darker location and light more closely.
 
Mirrors are great, but they need to be glass, and glued to a really heavy piece of plywood. A 4x4 mirrior board certainly isn't any easier to deal with than say a 4k HMI and they are more delicate.

Nick
 
If the placement of the motorcycle in that location is paramount, just a thought for consideration:
Treat the location as a plate.
Shoot the motorcycle in another location where you have full control over all lighting.
Then composite the two together.

If not, I would suggest flying the M18 overhead on the I-Beams with a 12x12 silk underneath to serve as a large overhead chimera.
Surround the silk with negative fill to reduce the surrounding natural illumination.
If you need to zoom from a wide into a MS, you could hinge the furthest negative fill via an electric hoist.
Everything overhead can be rigged using Clancy Clamps and speedrail.

Love the location.
 
Minor point, but the right rigging can make a big difference. Vs. a regular stand, setting up a crossbar to hold your M18 directly over the bike can let you get your light much closer to the bike while still keeping the frame clear for your wide angle. Takes time to set up, but usually not too expensive to rent the necessary grip.
 
Perhaps shooting hdrx on the widest shoot to have more options.
 
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