How the Bike Industry Takes Bike Photos
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Have you ever wondered why photos of bikes you see on a website or in a magazine look so damn good? Is it the camera? Is it the fact that it’s a professional athlete’s finely tuned race bike, or is it simply brand new? Maybe it was photographed in a studio? Photoshopped? Maybe…While it surely could and very well may be one or a combination of several of those factors, in reality, it’s usually more about the rules. Yes, the rules.
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9:31 "I think we nailed it!"
proceeds to show random picture with bottles left on
😂😂😂
Bottles on, logos not lined up, wrong gear, dropper post slammed... Yup, nailed it.
Absolutely 🤣 and he can claim it's his sense of humour
True!
That was a repeat of when he explained the 1-2-3 method, @ around 2:46 - after which he proceeds to say that everything about that shot was wrong 😂
Don't know why he didn't show the "correct" picture - he probably missed the timing and didn't want to drop his bike again 😅
I used to shoot bike photos for a company within the industry and I can tell you everything here is 100% true! I actually used to go so far as carrying the bike up trails to avoid getting any dirt on the tires and to keep it as clean as possible when shooting photos. Great video Seth.
He left out a lot more. He didn't discuss camera settings, tripods or even lighting.
@@kanukster those arethe basics in photography not only for bikes, no need
🤣🤣
I knew most of these just from reading mountain biking publications for years, but I never noticed the halfway extended droppers on trail bikes!
But still…in the “pro-picture” he took he still forgot his dropper post as he said it should be, his back wheel aligned with it’s front wheel, both bottles were there, and that gear was not in the 4th counting up. 😂😅
When I flip bikes I follow these rules for photographing cover photos. It makes a huge difference and I can usually sell a bike within a week while others are sitting months before they sell.
The number of marketplace listing I see where the first pic is just the front wheel. I swear you could flip bikes just by taking a good picture and airing up the tires
@@wertacus sometimes I wonder
Could you make a tutorial on how to flip bikes on marketplace and giving tips ?
@elias8981 you're not gonna believe this but there's an entire flip bike series on this channel. The hardest part IMHO is tactfully sending out lowball offers and watching the market like a hawk
It goes back to the old “no pic no click” principle,
that’s what people used to say on mod forums when you’d post one without a good thumbnail 😂
You cannot hide your theater acting background. That is what gave you and will always give you the edge over the other "just enthusiastic mtb youtubers". You look at the world as an artist. Good for you.
In addition, I would go further back but use a longer focal length. It reduced the perspective distortion. So the handlebars don’t look like they flare upwards, and the wheels appear perfectly circular
After all that, the final image had wheels out of line, bottle cages included and seat post slammed. Still an entertaining video though 😊
Yeah I think he somehow mixed it up and didn't notice it 😅
@@schninzent8914 you can see in on the camera screen the bike was set up properly for the real shot, but it never made it in.
Those pesky cages photobombed your final draft. Thanks Seth, I really enjoy your outside/inside industry pov.
The wheel logos were in different positions too
Woo hoo! That's my Giant Yukon 2 in Hope, Alaska in the montage! Thanks, Seth!
thats a sweet whip dude! and cool photo
Seth please make MTB ride videos more often. I love to see you ride the trails and build new things.
he made a video a little while ago about why he doesn't really do those anymore. It basically boils down to weather constraints and the pressure to perform well for a video causing him to get hurt a lot in those videos. Also I don't think that style gets enough views anymore which is also probably a big reason why he doesn't do them anymore. I also really miss his trail building videos but he said that they don't get enough views to justify the cost/effort
I have been watching since berm creek and even earlier, and never does it get boring
He could just talk about the things they do when photographing, but he actually went all the way to de-adjust his set-up. That is dedication!
4th gear from the largest gear is a new one for me, I haven't heard that one before, but I'm still learning. I have to agree that telling the story is the most important part.
I always thought the jockey wheels need to be vertical aligned. Supposedly that is in the 4th gear.
@@zonoskar I guess it's like Seth said, it depends on what kind of bike you're currently on. 4th gear on my 2020 Trek Marlin 5 vs my 2022 Santa Cruz Hightower C 4th gear aren't close at all. I'm going to see if I can get some shots for better bike Thumbnails. A few years ago I didn't know about the drive side out thing. LOL!!!
I found this immensely entertaining. I knew a few of the basics but had never thought about most. I laughed out loud three times which is the mark of a good video!
- [00:00] 📸 Pictures of mountain bikes in natural environments offer personality and story.
- [02:00] 🏔 Choosing an appropriate environment for bike photography enhances authenticity.
- [03:00] 🚲 The "one, two, three" method is recommended for pro-style bike setup.
- [04:00] 🚴♂ Product photos should focus on the bike, not personalizations like bottle cages.
- [05:00] 🧼 Cleanliness is key for product photos; bikes should be spotless.
- [06:00] ⚙ Gears, cranks, and pedals should be set in neutral positions for comparison.
- [07:00] 🛠 Dropper seat posts should be adjusted appropriately for bike type and user.
- [08:00] 🔍 Attention to detail: sag indicators, wheel alignment, and quick-release levers.
- [09:00] 🔄 Tire logos should align with valve stems for professional presentation.
- [10:00] 📷 Capturing bike photos should reflect the authenticity of the riding experience.
- [11:00] 🤝 Joining the Substack community offers early access and additional content.
Omg the gumshoe music during the photoshoot... The editing on this channel is so underrated
Glad you're back and didn't just vanish like several other bicycle related channels that I was subscribed to.
Seth says 'guidelines' many times, but a better word might be 'conventions'. Very fun video! Actually might help some people take a super nice photo when they want to sell their bike as used.
As someone who works in the industry you absolutely nailed it Seth! Lots to consider when going on a bike shoot lol
Same, my job was to take photos for Specialized in Brazil, it was such a great job taking the bikes to cool places and also having the experience to ride many models
Amazing that Seth has been at the top of the genre for years now, and continue to create original content. Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did ... I can stare at his bike for hours!!
Protip I picked up from Doddy when he was at GMBN: use acrylic rod for a stand. It's nearly invisible/easy to edit out.
It’s like you read my mind! I just noticed some of the items media photos do and I was thinking 🤔 that would make a great video. Thanks for making this and sharing it with us. 👍🏼
I line up the valve with the max pressure label for what always seems like a good reason.
I needed this video for selling my old bike. Thank you!!!
Your pic had the shadow of your head visible on the ground. That's a no-no in professional photography. Also, the lighting had too many shadows, in general, because of the position of the sun relative to the bike. If you don't care, that's cool. I'm just passing on information that's been given to me by really good, pro photographers.
My road bike pics are all wrong....kickstand,wrong side,turned bars,tires not aligned,....but hey,they're mine 😎
😂 Bottles and cages are in the photo. I hear the GCN folks talking about "Shadow Stands" a lot when reviewing reader bike photos.
Seth you absolute nerd, you have changed my life with your videos, I appreciate every video you have done back to messing around in Florida. Thank you for your creativity and killer storytelling. I hope you take a sec to read this comment and appreciate how far you have come. You have come so far and create nearly perfect content (as you know, duh.) LOL (lots of love) keep it up bro.
I've always thought it was a bit ridiculous how channels like GCN critique bike photos and point out the "imperfections" of crank position and gear selection. Thank you for highlighting this silliness and snobbery.
10:12 My bike is featured in Seth's video! My life is complete
🤣🤣🤣
Nice
It's immortal now.🎉
That's pretty awesome
I think you're right in your description of the photo orthodoxy, except for the valve position. I've seen valves at 12 o'clock (as you described), but also 6 o'clock. Personally I like 6 o'clock better because it looks like the tires are ready to be inflated, and also looks gravitationally stable. Though I appreciate that 12 o'clock (in conjunction with tire logos aligned to valves) makes the tire logos legible.
Sometimes I'll run my logos opposite of the stem, I like the asymmetry on certain setups and for this particular reason.
I really like this particular bike you built. I saw Alex's video of you two going for a ride where you were getting used to your clips a few days ago and I'm sat here thinking... You love building bikes and have a lot in your parts bin. Alex hasn't got a 29er hardtail. You do flip bike and so on...build Alex a hardtail and go on a few rides together. It's magic whenever the two of you get out to ride together. Could get a mini series out of the build and rides,maybe even make Alex build it under supervision and instruction.
The 123 method is what Mountain Bike Magazine uses for their product photos where the bike looks like it’s standing in place. They have an assistant holding the front tire then letting go for a second to get the shot.
It never occurred to me that this is how it is done. I always assumed they had a stand cleverly hidden behind the frame and wheels.
As someone who mostly just uses a bicycle to get around and is interested in photography in general, some of thart stuff seems just insane. Well... Now I know why many of those photos look so much alike.
It needs Schwalbe - Bronze Brown - tyres. They have them in many profiles and widths. I use a Hans Dampf version 2.4, 2.6, and 2.8 etc. They come in multiple compound versions, from harder to softer to sticky and so onward. And blaze like razors. The color...is always either full black, or bronze black. Try them!
Hey seth! just wanted to say I rode the bentonville Berm Creek Sunday! it was absolutely incredible. So glad you inspired that! also did the Bush Push!
This is really good advice for those of us that are selling our bikes and needing to post pictures. Thanks Seth!!
Seth, you should consider making a video where you purchase a modern rigid mt bike and bikepack for a few days and make a longer video, i believe this would potentially attract a different audience which may lead to increased views, and if you brought alex along, it would provide him with a video too! Similar to the road biking trip with him to the florida keys, but on an mtb!
9:37 it bothers me the logo isn't aligned, especially since it was mentioned in the video
It was a joke. Most of the things are wrong on that photo.
If you’ve seen enough of Seth’s videos, one thing he says tongue in cheek is “I think we nailed it!” when he obviously and purposely didn’t 😂
Would also help to center the seat post head on the seat rails.
The best way to get a better photo of your bike, which was not mentioned, is to not use the normal or wide focal length of your phone or camera, most of these shots are taken with a 70-200 lens to compress the background and make the bike look more as the human eye sees it, so try the telephoto lens on your phone.
Is this in the settings?
I understand it's different if you are jumping or racing, but for everyday riding it's sure nice to have a kickstand. It would be nice if the industry would innovate something like a universal kickstand mount under the bottom bracket or chainstay.
I have to say, I use to miss kickstands but I've gotten so use to not having one that I can easily find places to prop my bike up. Even when I ride through the city it's pretty easy.
All in all, I think it's the kind of thing you just get use to not having. Now I really have 0 desire to ever have one again. It's just extra weight and one more thing that could go wrong to cause a crash.
Depends on the bike. Many cross country bikes have holes for attaching a kickstand. Trail bikes typically don't.
What would be a cool innovation is a quick release kickstand that you could easily attach and remove as needed, but I imagine that would a niche market.
@@Durwood71 it seems to me it would be common but I guess not. I have a good fitness bike and a steel frame MTB both over 10 years old and I use the kickstands on both all the time, including out riding and just taking a break on a long ride. Also helps a lot with doing basic mechanical work on them without needing a bike repair stand which I don't really need. I'd lose my mind adjusting v-brakes without a kickstand to hold the bike up.
One point to add: back up and use the longest (telephoto) lens you have. this compresses the field, keeps things more parallel, increases background blur, etc.
Try it: compare with a wide angle photo standing close to your bike...I bet you won't like the results as much (but hey, as is the point of this video, your mileage may vary!)
This felt like one of the old seth's bike hack videos and I loved it so much...
As a photographer, thanks for this tip, now I know how to make better photos of my mtb, as it always lacked something. And if I incorporate it into nice storytelling, there is nothing that can stop me :D
The media "rules" are pretty stupid for dropper posts... if buying a bike i want to know that i can slam the dropper post without a bottle boss or weld obstructing it, and want to see how long the extension on the dropper looks.
Hey Seth, I'd love a video on how to maintain your MTB, from beginner to advanced and the frequency you should do them
I used to take a lot of photos of my bike and curate it in such way that it will look cool on Instagram. Now I don't even care to take photos anymore at all. I just enjoy my time on the bike while I'm outside. Lol
GCN mocked YTers for not taking pictures correctly. Katie Kookaburra did an angry vlog back at them. I very much approved. GCN is so sponsored that they are basically ARE the bike industry. I love your down to earth coverage, followed you from the very earliest days!
PS. It's possible GCN were semi joking. But with them it's so hard to tell. They pretend to joke while also being snobbish about bikes and actually half meaning much of the "joke" lol ! Anyway I don't watch them much b/c of it. On with life!
9:34 I think thats as close that we can get, proceeds to show the first picture he took at 2:46 classic Seth XD
One thing, that i am doing every time, is turning handlebar few degrees to the right, so the legs of the fork will be on the one line, from point of view
Wrist watch industry is the same. Analog watches are always set to 10 minutes after 10 for pictures. Cool video Seth.
And the second hand is always at seven.
should have done a bike photo contest in honour of the last statement! would have been cool for the community to see it!
Today on "Seth and the mysteriously appearing and disappearing bottle cages", perfectly captured with mystery music below it LOL
I follow all of these rules to a tee when taking photos except for the raised seatpost part I keep that shit slammed always no xc rides here
I only take pics of my bikes or friends bikes, so it doesn't matter all that much to keep it neutral (it's more of a bike check anyway), but I still keep to most of these guidelines. Stuff like drive side, pedals level at 9 and 3, logos aligned, stems pointing down (up is also acceptable), all those actually make the pictures more pleasant to see and my inner bike nerd can compare bikes easier that way.
Didn’t nail it. Look at the still shot. Maxxis logos are at 7 o’clock on the rear and 1 o’clock on the front tire. 😮😂
I noticed that too. Then I saw the bottle cages. Still a good photo in my opinion.
@@01f4irider oh yeah. Better than what I could have done. Could have set the camera into burst mode and one of the pics would have turned out well on the 1-2-3 method.
Classic Seth humor 😂
Love these but when will Riding videos come out, or a second channel for raw footage, these are fine for the masses and I like them, can’t wait for them to come out, but I miss those old berm peak videos of riding or doing something interesting on the trail… just a thought
Seth's custom titanium is the nicest looking bike I've ever seen.
Knew all this info from some roadie roots back in the day (hardcore roadies are taught these traditions early on! Ha.).
However with the saddle height on the dropper - I'll generally have it fully extended when selling a bike so people can see how much drop there is (don't want people thinking I've specced a 125mm dropper on an XL enduro bike for example).
The fact that my mountain bike is to media spec in my room, by accident, is hilarious. LOL I have a good eye for aesthetics.
Great video as always, Seth! You continue to be my favorite TH-camr by far! I could listen to you talk about absolutely anything. I love all those montage pics, like the one with the bike just tossed on the ground! All of these "rules" for taking bike photos are another example of the elitist side of bking. I belive people should ride what and how they like and put their own experiences into their photos. The elitist attitude is a substantial barrier to the growrh and sustainability of the sport/industry.
Seth just wanted a video purely to show off that bike………I approve also as always learned things I didn’t k ow I needed to know thanks again Seth
I “liked” the video to help the algorithm for you, but it’s not my cup of tea.
It was a high quality video for those interested. Over all, love your content!
People align the logo to the stem on a wheel but I think it is better to align the part indicating tire pressure to the stem.
It bugs me when the GMBN gang gives somebody flack in the bike vault for not showing their bike on the drive side. Thanks for cheering for the real pictures of our bikes!
for gears, on MTB i always did biggest cog. for road, it's supposed to be "biggie smalls" fastest gear.
i follow some of the rules, if and when i feel like it, for ride snapshots. i usually don't change gear, sometimes set wheels properly, usually set cranks level (or at like 2 o'clock). if i'm taking a pic of a side, it's drive side, but there are other cool angles too.
I have a trail bike, but I prefer to see and photograph it with the seat up.
True for every marketing photo shoot. What appears to be natural and spontaneous is often hours of work and calculated manipulation.
Cheers
GCN show this perfectly in their bike vault segment of their tech show
100% setup the bike for photos of bikes I sell ...That's what I've done on photos I take of my builds (if possible).
It's the difference between a picture of a dog at a dog show and the same dog in the woods running around covered in mud and leaves. One just seems...happier...I also like the way you pointed out, like in fight club, "we don't use kickstands". Things got very serious for a second there...:)
I guess as a photographer and a bike nut I don't know how to photo my bike. I don't want it to fall down and scratch or do any damage to it. I just want the on looker to know I actually ride and not just take photos of my bike. I try to get stuff that I think my viewer needs to see. Thanks for the lesson Seth. Your never to old to learn something.
One more thing: telephotos. Typically 200mm equivalent at least, putting you twenty feet from the bike. Keeps the perspective distortion from making the proportions wonky.
“Don’t want anodized pink pedals or something…” *awkwardly stares at my anodized purple RaceFace pedals* 😮
Wheels: (1) Rim manufacture must center align logo with valve stem. (2) Tire logo must be center aligned with rim logo. (3) In picture, valves must be at six o’clock.
it's funny about the cranks being level, as historically "the rules" say drive side crank is supposed to be inline with the down tube which puts the non drive side pedal behind the back tyre.
This is perfect. Hahaha I have just finished custom painting a frame, fork, handlebars, and crank set. This helped. Thanks Seth
I go non drive side just to piss people off
I work adjacent to bike media (I have some published work) and the major thing I disagree with here is the 1,2,3. I don't know anyone that does that. You can use any variety of stick or hardware store rods to prop the bike up and edit it out later. Doesn't take much skill, you won't damage your bike by intentionally throwing it on the floor, and you can appropriately focus the picture.
In addition to that, I think a lot of what you said is true for a tried and true industry (product) side. But you don't need to follow those rules to get a nice photo of your bike. Any random person with a modern iPhone just needs to step back, zoom in (use the non-digital lens zoom. ((so instead of anything that isn't artificially zoomed in, just keep it to whatever the phone camera maxes out at. Iphone 14 is 3x. you do this to tone down the focal length distortion aka the bike looks more flat)) and practice framing. That's all you need to have a half decent bike pic. Oh and lighting. But that takes a learned eye. You'll figure it out!
As a photographer, very cool video. Love all the details for an advertisement photo. I would add a little off camera flash to make the bike "pop" and you could photoshop out a small stand or stick. Thanks for the video.
Oh no, every time I see a media shot of a bike I'm going to check all these points now 😅
People who want the same bikes as Seth
Great video! BTW this is the first time I am seeing AI generated video summary from TH-cam below the description. After watching the entire video I would say it did a great job summing up the video. Wild times to be alive!
Another great video, thanks!
And the colors are incredible! Any chance of sharing what filming equipment you're using?
It's magic! When he let the bike go for the picture the bottles and bosses where off the bike. And on foto they magically appeared.😮
I have, use and love kick stands. My bike photo's will always be with the kick stand in use. I'm not going to throw my multi thousand dollar bike onto the ground and I'm not going to scuff it up propping it up against a rock or tree while looking around for a stick. Hop off, kick, take photos. Usually of scenery, but sometimes of the bike as well. My kind of MTB adventure.
Dude. You are completely bike media!!
The best bike media
a friend bought a nice camera, some nice lenses and decided to take landscape photos.
the first year was the most annoying period in our relationship, by far.
he would quote some instagram or youtube video on how a photo should be taken... 1000 rules.
regardless, his photos were not that good and it got boring very quick talking about his 'best ones'.
it took him a few years to get it: there are no rules. 1000 rules don't make a great photo.
we only need the rules to help us when we don't understand what we're doing.
I love how maxxis uses drive-side specific model/psi/size logos so that it's impossible to mount in the wrong orientation.....
The saddle is too far forward 😂
Nice video, and surprisingly interesting topic. I realize I almost never intentionally take pictures of my bike nor anybody’s bikes. When we go out with friends we picture people only. One can see we’re biking because of our gear.
"The saddle is too far forward"
Also, it's a seat. That's why the thing you mount it on is called a seat post, and the thing you insert the seat post into is called the seat tube, and the things that connect the top of the seat tube with the rear dropouts are called the seat stays.
Saddles are for animals such as horses, regardless of how many times GCN and the hoity-toity manufacturers call a bicycle seat a "saddle."
One other thing I would have adjusted is that the seat was slammed forward on the rails... I would have had it more neutral👍
hiding your gearset or blindly forgetting to show it in a photo should be illegal. I saw that rockbros minipump, it's great!
One of the bike picture was of a bike on top of Copper Harbor. That was nice
I really hate gate keeping. Thanks for pointing it out
9:34 that was the wrong picture. XD
Also go 90 - 100mm lens for minimal distortion, at f-stop 8 or more :)
Thank you for explaining these (absurd) media standards!
I had taken some (wrong) pictures of my bike and didn't know what was wrong with them until I saw this video.
Yeah, I get the need to be able to compare, but sod it, I'm on your side, the picture needs to be genuine, as it was when I rode it. 😎
I once shared a New Bike Day picture to the bicycling Reddit and i got some negative reactions for these very things.
My old bike was destroyed by a car while commuting home and my first ride on the new bike happened to be my first commute to my company's upgraded office at a new location. When I arrived at work and saw the company logo glowing at the entrance, I took a photo to remember that maiden voyage. Then I decided that it was a cool story and people were sharing NBD posts all the time, so it would be worth sharing with that community.
They did not seem interested in the personal nature of the post. The text description explaining that my old bike had been totaled actually got downvoted to the point that it was hidden... I did not continue engaging with that community.
I too am guilty of bumbling around with my bike photos. Thanks for the Pro tips! :D
I use a clear acrylic rod as a prop stick, then use Photoshop to make the stick disappear.