# Bicycle Pinups



## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

My original idea and work in progress...


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## ShaneF (Sep 16, 2013)

holly watermark batman!!!


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## tirediron (Sep 16, 2013)

I don't think your watermark is quite large enough; some of the image is still visible!

There's some serious potential here, but to be honest, I don't really get "pinup" from these, I think because her clothing doesn't really fit at least my idea of 'pin up'.


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## Ilovemycam (Sep 16, 2013)

They have tons of them on the MTB forum. Better than yours and with no WM. Now, yours are OK, but the WM ruins what little thay have going for them.


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## Gavjenks (Sep 16, 2013)

Yes, the watermark here is absolutely ridiculous. Taking up more space than the entire subject and/or distracting so much that you can't even imagine what the picture might be without it are both inexcusable IMO. This does both.


As for the images:
#1) Why so much grass on the left. That's not even the direction she's looking. This feels awkward. It looks almost like you left that much grass space just to fit the watermark, lol.  If the empty grass were on the right side of her, it would make much more sense.

#2) I would make it less tilty to the left, but otherwise a pretty good shot.



I don't think either of these qualifies as "pinup" at all, by the way.


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## Gavjenks (Sep 16, 2013)

The last one is slightly more pinup-y.  Unlike the first two, the pose is pinup, but the clothing still is not.

She seems a little weirdly distorted from using such a wide lens close up, I'm not sure that adds to the goal of the image. I would have suggested using a longer lens from further back (on a ladder or wall or tree if necessary for the angle)


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

Thank you, the grass on the left was a texture I was experimenting with, and also very convenient for a large emblematic watermark.


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## Murray Bloom (Sep 16, 2013)

The last is almost porn, but still not a pinup to me. Most pinups I've seen show the model's face, often with an alluring expression. Your model looks a bit bored.  The clothes are wrong, too.


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

View attachment 55765


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## Gavjenks (Sep 16, 2013)

It would be helpful if you actually mentioned why you were posting new images instead of just posting more.  Are these intended to be examples of something more pinup? Or do you just want more critique in general?  Or what?

Both of the last two look really badly out of proportion, again from using a wide lens from too close.  In this case, since the lens it very low, it makes her look like she has freakishly huge thick legs, which is very unflattering.

Same technical advice as before: longer lens, further away. A wide lens CAN be really great for portraiture, but only if it is used very cleverly to exaggerate features in a way that still flatters.  Which is not happening here.

Also, like many people, I find it very distracting when something that we know is very straight (like bricks or pillars) are not straight. If there's a good artistic reason to draw somebody's attention to that, then great. But I don't think there is such a good reason here. The bricks/pillars just sort of make me pay less attention to the model.  Again, can be addressed with a longer lens, further away, and from a more eye-level height.

(Can't stress enough that that's not the only "right" way to do portraiture.  I'm just repeatedly suggesting it for YOU in particular, because you seem to be choosing dramatic focal lengths and angles mostly for their own sake and not in ways that clearly further the image, so I'd step away from those drama-makers for awhile and practice the fundamentals more)


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

What is the MTB Forum? I would like to take a look myself. 



Ilovemycam said:


> They have tons of them on the MTB forum. Better than yours and with no WM. Now, yours are OK, but the WM ruins what little thay have going for them.


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## Murray Bloom (Sep 16, 2013)

Pinups are, by definition, sexy.  These don't get there for me.  Since you're showing so much leg, you need to show more of the calf rather than her shins. The lens also distorts too much.


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

I appreciate the critique and comments on my amateur project. I enjoy vintage bicycles and am surrounded by wonderful girls who wish to model with them. By allowing my first wave of work to be critiqued i will grow as a photographer and produce better art! Again, I appreciate your comments and I wish to grow the aesthetic value of my work.


Thanks for this: "_*(Can't stress enough that that's not the only "right" way to do portraiture. I'm just repeatedly suggesting it for YOU in particular, because you seem to be choosing dramatic focal lengths and angles mostly for their own sake and not in ways that clearly further the image, so I'd step away from those drama-makers for awhile and practice the fundamentals more)"*_



Gavjenks said:


> It would be helpful if you actually mentioned why you were posting new images instead of just posting more.  Are these intended to be examples of something more pinup? Or do you just want more critique in general?  Or what?
> 
> Both of the last two look really badly out of proportion, again from using a wide lens from too close.  In this case, since the lens it very low, it makes her look like she has freakishly huge thick legs, which is very unflattering.
> 
> ...


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## Gavjenks (Sep 16, 2013)

Hm. No offense if I'm wrong, but are you sure you're a real human being, not a chat robot of some sort?

1) Forum name that matches the first thread seems a little impractical/odd.
2) Generic sort of text in the OP that could apply to just about anything
3) Then a bunch of photos with no comments or responses to anything anybody said.
4) Then another generic canned-sounding response that could also apply to anything anybody had said.

I'd be happy to look at and comment on additional photos, but not if they are just being catalogued in an automatic database somewhere to generate content for filler blog articles for profit or something.


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

It would be good if you read post #17

Thank you for the forum and allowing me to continue to post my original work, which is intended to be bicycle pinups, or photos of cute girls with vintage bikes, to receive professional criticism so I may improve my photography techniques and appreciate further the aesthetic value of this subject.

Kindest Regards, 

Dave (bicyclepinups)

PS- nice to meet you jenks



Gavjenks said:


> Hm. No offense if I'm wrong, but are you sure you're a real human being, not a chat robot of some sort?
> 
> 1) Forum name that matches the first thread seems a little impractical/odd.
> 2) Generic sort of text in the OP that could apply to just about anything
> ...


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

View attachment 55772


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

As the bicycle season dies down I have time to look through my photos and see what the results are. Thank you all for your keen eyes and words of encouragement. 

Dave


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)




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## nycphotography (Sep 16, 2013)

Bicyclepinups said:


> What is the MTB Forum? I would like to take a look myself.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Here's a motorcycle version  Bikes n Babes


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

These are photos I've taken of my vintage bicycles with models this spring and summer of 2013. I have enjoyed the time it's taken to produce them, and I'm presenting them to the forum to gleen information on how to be a better photographer. I have sensed I can use my time more wisely if i frame the shots differently and use more fundamental perspectives as jenks has already pointed out. It would be helpful if you could give photgraphic examples either of your own or others as a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. I have taken very literally 5000 photos of girls with a variety of vintage bicycles this summer. I have posted a few artistic favorites off the tip of my artistic iceberg.

Thank you for the tips, I am not interested in being challenged as to my authenticity as a human being, my photos speak for themselves, they are my personal photos, and of the limited time I have to post here I wish to make the most of it and absorb valuable information on being a better photographer. Every breath is precious and I wish to make the most of each one. 

Kindest Regards,

Dave (bicyclepinups)


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## astroNikon (Sep 16, 2013)

Being a cyclist myself since the 70's I have seen alot of the pinups throughout the years.  Including the infamous naked Cinelli lady riding through a brick wall .. or something like that.   At least parts of it are still burnt into my mind several decades later.

I have to agree about the proportions on the pictures.  The wide angle lens just causes problems. 

But there are websites out there showing alot of bicycle pinups.
Most of them are to fuel the imagination of the viewer, not necessarily to identify 100% that they are cyclinst, pretend to be cyclist or even know what a bicycle is or how it functions.

You get some pretty weird things like
Wow Girls on Bikes
Bike Girl Pinups | Sexy Girls on Sexy Bikes

some vintage t-shirt items such as
Velo-Retro: Vintage T-Shirts: Pinups

I just can't seem to find the one website I'm thinking of which has alot of vintage cycling pinup pictures.  It's from a vintage bicycle place but not here though they do have some VeloArt  Velo Art


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## Bicyclepinups (Sep 16, 2013)

Thanks! Appreciate that!



nycphotography said:


> Bicyclepinups said:
> 
> 
> > What is the MTB Forum? I would like to take a look myself.
> ...


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## astroNikon (Sep 16, 2013)

here's that vintage Cinelli poster I was thinking of
Cinelli Only: Cinelli's Most Famous Poster

though I guess my mind was more vivid than that ...


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## nycphotography (Sep 16, 2013)

Bicyclepinups said:


> These are photos I've taken of my vintage bicycles with models this spring and summer of 2013. I have enjoyed the time it's taken to produce them, and I'm presenting them to the forum to gleen information on how to be a better photographer. I have sensed I can use my time more wisely if i frame the shots differently and use more fundamental perspectives as jenks has already pointed out.



In this spirit, I'd suggest posting ONE AT A TIME for C&C and then see what you can learn.  Be sure to focus on "how would I achieve that" when reading the C&C.  If you don't know how to achieve it, ask.  People will give guidance.


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## Derrel (Sep 16, 2013)

I TOTALLY "get" these!!! I agree, this is a great idea, totally. The first few seem to have some focus/sharpness issues on the model, and then you move into some other shots that have a somewhat different feeling to them...I think there's a huge potential here. The unifying item is of course, the vintage bicycle in all shots...that's pretty cool. I'm not a fan of the horizontal shot where she's riding to the left--in that shot the camera's vantage point is too high up. I say keep at this, keep working on it. There's A LOT of potential in this concept.


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