My Ducati - First night strobist

I was bored tonight, very very bored so I went out to my backyard where we park our bikes and started taking some pictures. I only have one flash(Sunpak 383) so I used my remote, started behind the bike, flashed once or twice with an orange gel, then walked in front of the bike, held the flash up high back by the rear wheel and flashed, then walked behind the camera over towards the front and flashed once more.

Dont think they turned out too bad for my first try shooting at night, only light available was from my flash.

1. Red gels, two or three flashes behind the bike, 3 non-gel flashes in front, 15sec exp.

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Good effort but your background is a light swallower...as there's really nothing for the light to hit but fence and darkness beyond.

I'd try this this way (since you have six flashes?)

-Two flashes at 45s left and right of camera (no gel) as fills (base exposure)
-Two flashes at 90s left and right of camera (colored gel) +2 stops over the fills (if you can manage it, barn door these into just vertical slashes of light. The rim lighting will add the color)
-One flash behind the bike pointed toward the camera to throw a shadow of the bike back toward the camera (try gelled and no gel) at +2 over the fills. Toss a stofen on this or a small soft box and you might get some nice wrap around edge lighting.

The angle of the bike to the camera will dictate how much of the colored side lights you actually see. Just be aware of reciprocal angles that throw direct reflections of the flashes as they'll cause hot spots.

I was just reading about this technique this morning from the Strobist email.

I wish my bike was that clean!

I think the idea was ok, but the background isn't very good.

Intereesting idea from Flying Photog, that will get your running around the bike.

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #6224040
Good effort but your background is a light swallower...as there's really nothing for the light to hit but fence and darkness beyond.

I'd try this this way (since you have six flashes?)

-Two flashes at 45s left and right of camera (no gel) as fills (base exposure)
-Two flashes at 90s left and right of camera (colored gel) +2 stops over the fills (if you can manage it, barn door these into just vertical slashes of light. The rim lighting will add the color)
-One flash behind the bike pointed toward the camera to throw a shadow of the bike back toward the camera (try gelled and no gel) at +2 over the fills. Toss a stofen on this or a small soft box and you might get some nice wrap around edge lighting.

The angle of the bike to the camera will dictate how much of the colored side lights you actually see. Just be aware of reciprocal angles that throw direct reflections of the flashes as they'll cause hot spots.

Thanks for the tips. I only have one flash though. I know the background isnt much, but it was just my backyard haha. I will take the bike somewhere tonight and try your suggestions

sethmo wrote in post #6225144
Thanks for the tips. I only have one flash though. I know the background isnt much, but it was just my backyard haha. I will take the bike somewhere tonight and try your suggestions

Very sorry, I totally misread your initial post.

I read "3 flashes..." to mean three physical flashes and not one flash three times...

Feel free to totally disregard...