How to take
Great Bike Photos
Increase your bike rentals with stellar photography
Photos are the first thing that a potential Rider sees. Bikes with better photos reach more riders and receive more bookings - so take some time to make them shine! Draw the Riders' attention, highlight what’s amazing, and set the right expectations. In this guide we will give you some tips on improving your bike rental photography by using light, setting the scene, using perspectives and knowing what to show!
Natural light is your best friend
- Natural light always looks the best, so take your bike photos outside during the day. Early morning or late afternoon often look the best.
- Try to avoid direct sunlight in your photos. This can make the rest of the photo look very dark, or give unwanted light effects that will take attention away from the bike.
- If you do need to shoot the photo indoors, try to use the light from the windows and turn on all lights inside. Using a camera flash is not recommended.
Set the scene
- Keep your background as simple as possible, without distractions in frame. A plain wall works well, especially with a light color. Look through your camera screen to check how the photo will look, and clean up any clutter as much as possible before taking the photo.
- Place the bike away from the background, at least 1 meter. This will help to create a contrast to your bicycle and make your photos look more professional.
- A clean bike means clean pictures. Try to make your bike look as attractive as you can. Small efforts can make a big difference, like wiping off some mud, placing the pedals in line with the frame, and setting your handlebars straight.
Perspective
- Show different angles of the bike, to give your potential Riders a good idea of what they are renting.
- Take your photos in landscape format: vertical photos won’t showcase your bicycle as well.
- Always take the main photo from an angle that is parallel to the bike.
- Give space around the edges of the bike. You can use lines in your background to make sure that you are taking a straight photo.
- Resolution matters: take photos that are at least 1500 x 1000 pixels. When in doubt, a bigger photo is better.
What to shoot?
- Start with one clear picture, usually from the right-hand side of the bike. This will be the first picture that your Riders will see, so it should give a clear and professional impression of the bike that you have to offer.
- For the remaining 5 photos: highlight what’s amazing. It is not required that the whole bicycle is shown on all photos, rather shoot some details of what you think makes this bike special. Let pictures get the message across.
Your bike listing will look something like this!
