Leave convention at the roadside and start to think differently about how you take your pictures, you’ll be surprised with the results…
Life at eye level
We all go through life seeing it from eye level. Let’s face it, after a while, you simply accept that this is your view of the world. Then you jump on a bike, hit the throttle and lean into it. Suddenly everything takes on a different perspective, life feels different, visceral; you’re more alive and crazy ideas seem possible.
Screw convention
Riding a motorcycle and travelling is all about exhilaration, not accepting convention and seeing things from a new angle or a different perspective. So, approach your photography in the same way!
A different angle of dangle
That’s pretty much this issue’s class. Find a shot, a bike and a location that you want to photograph and then look for an angle to shoot from that’s a little different.
Put yourself in a location that provides the viewer a different perspective. That might mean you lie on the floor (yep, that’s how I got this shot of Lisa riding up this hillside in Cuba) or climb up high and shoot downwards. Think about kneeling to take the shot, or climbing something to gain an elevated position.
Don’t shoot flat
Why not shoot some photos with the camera at an angle, so that the horizon isn’t flat? This technique is also great to exaggerate an oddly cambered road and to emphasise a rider’s lean-angle as they take a fast bend.
Basically, shoot the photo in any way and however you want, just don’t stand with the camera at eye level and click the shutter button. This way you give the viewer a peek at your life as a rider, where convention is for other people and you make your own rules work. Be creative and have fun doing it. Remember, if you don’t like the result’s, DELETING IS FREE.
This shot of Lisa riding up a Cuban hillside was interesting. I had to lie in a steep gutter in the dirt and hope that passing vehicles would see me and wouldn’t run me over. One car actually stopped and the driver came over to check I was OK. It all worked out great and I got the shot and the angle I wanted. The world’s wonky, so don’t shoot it straight. Good luck and have fun.