Vintage Indian Racer

I really like the way this image turned out. The bike is a work of art and has been lovingly restored. The young man riding it is probably half the bike’s age. I really like the juxtaposition of the vintage bike with the modern leathers and helmet. The reflection of the other participants in the face shield and the golden glow on it are part of why I chose this image.

As in yesterday’s post this image went through processing in Aperture 3 and Topaz Adjust. The noise in the image works for me; much as the film grain in Kodak Tri-X did when I shot B&W film years ago.

The motorcycle and rider fill the foreground in the composition yet they still allow the viewer’s eye to move on into the scene through the negative space of the salt flat into the distant mountains. The shadows on the left hint at unseen spectators that are waiting in anticipation of seeing him speed off down the race course in pursuit of a world record.

2 thoughts on “Vintage Indian Racer

  1. Subject fine, composition excellent, scene to be envied – why muck it up with that false grain? I thought it might look better at larger view, but no, still to much grain. The effect is not really like Tri-X grain, now is it? Maybe the SUV at back could be disapperaed to advantage too. It’s a beat image overall, but not one I’d judge for the winner’s table.

    1. I’ve learned a lot about preventing the grainy sky effect as I have further delved into Topaz Adjust. I din’t add the grain; it is an effect that the early Topaz Adjust / Spicify preset created. The latest version does not cause anything near as much noise. I agree that the effect of noise is not exactly as it was in Tri-X but it still doesn’t bother me. As I have said in other posts I’ve evolved my processing quite a bit from these earlier images. Maybe I’ll go back to it some day and even clone out the car. Thanks for your critique though; it’s nice to hear how others see the work.

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