Klunks Bicycles & Repair

Karl Kimbel, the owner of Klunk Bicycles & Repair, adjusts the derailleurs on a customer’s bike in his shop. Kimbel says business has been coming and going in spurts as the spring weather fluctuates between 60-degree days and snowstorms.

The last week of class has been a lesson in how horrible fluorescent lights are for photography. I shot in a few spots around town but the final photo I've selected from the week is from Klunks bike shop near downtown Columbia. Great shop. Nice people. Good bikes. Friendly service. Horrible photo lighting. The shop was lit by a combination of different types of fluorescent bulbs as well as a few windows.

I also discovered how tough it is to place a flash in a bike shop. Every little piece of the bikes has potential to cast strange shadows, especially when someone is working on the bike just inches from their face. I was also attempting to shoot up underneath the brim of Karl's hat in order to get some detail in his face. This all took place in an area with dark walls that had few options for bouncing the light. The image above turned out OK with a little additional adjustment to the levels and colors in photoshop.

Lighting diagram