[Sloeye]

Weird question, I know, but this afternoon a friend is receiving a surprise 50th birthday present - a Ducati - and I have been asked to 'capture the moment'!

The bike will be in the garage and I will either have to be on the open tread stairs leading up to the office above on the rear wall (it's a barn type job) or in the opposite corner by a cupboard. Either way I will be shooting towards the open door and the light as he enters...any tips would be gratefully received!

[Dave]

Fill in flash for sure , plus spot metering on the subject. My 2p worth

[Dabhand16]

You could set up and try a few shots of the inside of the closed doors before the event. Chance are that those settings would work for the main event.

I agree with Dave that fill flash would be best to get a balanced exposure.

[Rob Barron]

Yup, use flash to avoid silhouettes with the open door behind the subject and dial in +1 on the EV dial in order to make the camera deliberately over-expose (as it will under-expose with that door in the shot) and thus balance the shot better.

One other little trick.... stick a light on a table or stand nearby before the actual event so that you have some extra light on his face

Hope he enjoys the surprise. If he doesn't enjoy a Ducati as a surprise, kill him and be done with it! And then send me the Ducati

Cheers,
Rob

[Sloeye]

Thanks all! They didn't turn out as great shots - just a man looking blankly at a shiny red bike for about two minutes, but hey, it takes a while to sink in, especially when it's not actually his birthday

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

Hope he enjoys the surprise. If he doesn't enjoy a Ducati as a surprise, kill him and be done with it! And then send me the Ducati

Cheers,
Rob

Thanks for the suggestion but I think I would have to prise the key from his cold dead fingers first

[the_frog]

Originally Posted by Sloeye

...I think I would have to prise the key from his cold dead fingers first

For a Ducati, that could be arranged!