The Background thread
 

This may of been done before...Everyone knows the "garage door" background, but I don't have a garage so I'm always looking for a good background for shooting my bikes. Recently I noticed the polished granite walls of our local civic center, so I used it:
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...84758897_n.jpg

A few years ago I was riding down the beach road in Kitty Hawk, NC, and noticed an empty beach house - I had to stop:
http://velospace.org/files/79raleightrack.JPG

Lets see those backgrounds!

Here are a couple of the best background photos I've shot stone wall autom light with leaves. 58 Royal Crown not much of a bike but it took a great photo.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...n/DSC00249.jpg

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/...n/DSC00251.jpg

Game on.

Wide open spaces

http://i1035.photobucket.com/albums/...0/6edc1edb.jpg

Took this in the backyard today after I finished my build:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7135/6...148ed540_c.jpg

And took this a few weeks ago of a bike I was selling (the happy plant life makes a big difference!):

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/6...02d43d36_c.jpg

Not my bike
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...sterbike11.jpg

My bike and my 12 foot high rhododendrons,
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/...s/Frejus44.jpg

Are MTBs allowed?

http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/...418_123731.jpg

At my place I always have the brick wall on the patio
Brick wall on the lawn, wood fence on the lawn, garage door and then the occasional jaunt out into the countryside. No good photos though
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=245915http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=245916http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=245917http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=245918

The back of a skateboard ramp at the local park. Not very photogenic on its own, but it doesn't distract from the bike and the painted floor is nice.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q...s800/HS_09.jpg

This one IS fairly distracting, but I like it anyway - a giant Nordberg radial engine:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R...s800/rh_19.jpg

An old weathered shack that once was a home for some of my city's early settlers (I didn't notice that the white balance was off until later...)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z...00/VSP_008.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6133/5...6353ec8d_z.jpg

Real places sometimes make pretty terrific backgrounds.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5109/5...2f7269ba_z.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6188/6...b7030c9e_z.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6...f228b5d9_z.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6051/6...50494790_z.jpg

Sometimes I like to borrow other people's yards. This one has bentgrass - looks like a green at Augusta, only more flat.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5076/6...58ecff22_z.jpg
This was in Chelsea, MI. I thought the wall was cool and it helped me find my way.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5460/6...f47e3496_z.jpg

My local park in the autumn...
[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3095/3...0a80909daf.jpg
1950 Hetchins Magnum Opus - Yoyogi Park, Tokyo. by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Ooh! Great idea. I don't have a garage door but I just got a white minivan that's almost as exciting. Back when I lived in Maine there were some great backgrounds. Now I live on the NY/NJ border. Not so much. Here's a few from the archives;
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_3285.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_0995.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_3332.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_0997.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/IMG_3293.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...s/IMG_6272.jpg
Here's a background you can fotoshop your bike onto;
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_0985.jpg
Not mine but I do love it;
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...can/003403.jpg

A bar in Tokyo at night.
[IMG]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3147/3...abfa6cb72c.jpg
1950 Thanet Silverlight / Jay Van De Velde by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

A field of raype in Devon...
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/7...fdeafc7df1.jpg
photo by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Vending machines on a night ride in Tokyo...
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/7...96401dd0ae.jpg
IMG_5649.JPG by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Uh...what's that for?
Hey, it reminds me of this....Darn it. I can't find it. There's this great old powerstation over in piermont and all that's left is a giant iron wheel and a huge piston and a great big bent connecting rod and my old bike in front of it.
Well, here's a couple of old Schwinns instead. Sorry.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...IMG_8123-1.jpghttp://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_4357.jpg

Very nice and compliments the machine...

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/...rldshots12.jpg

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/...1/P3140004.jpg

Oh yeah, and this one is nice. At the Peabody Museum in Essex, MA they have a traditional Chinese house brought over piece by piece. This was in the courtyard. You're not supposed to take pictures so don't tell, ok?
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/l...n/IMG_3791.jpg

These are the 3 backgrounds I use most. All are borrowed from neighbours :)

The rich neighbour's garage door:
[IMG]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7...ed1882e872.jpg
IMG_7216 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Another rich neighbor's wall - at the right time of day this is the best for showing the cycle:
[IMG]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2787/5...42b62672eb.jpg
IMG_6173 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

And another - this is the easiest as it's right opposite the entrance to my block of flats:
[IMG]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5258/5...8a24b534bc.jpg
IMG_5594 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Your basic tree:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/6...82c270ee_c.jpg
P4210486 by galoot_loves_tools, on Flickr

It powered a flood control pump on Lake Okeechobee, there are several of them on display at John Stretch park. This 11 cylinder unit produced about 1600 hp at 400 rpm :)

amazing shot; love it

Only if photo's?