Wheel Balancing

[ashish]

I noticed these men at a small shop in Mumbai refurbishing used bicycles. They assemble bicycles manually with hand tools. Here is a picture of one of them balancing the wheel.

C&C welcome!

[mknittle]

Nice capture and conversion Ashish,

[rpcrowe]

Ashish... I liked this image as soon as I saw it but, wondered if a closer crop, eliminating the sack to the rear of the main subject and a slight vignette of the corners to reduce the impact of the rear subject and to add emphasis to the spinning wheel would also be nice.
Here is what I ended up with...

[Manfred M]

I agree with John; a very well done image. I think that the B&W conversion works well, as does the motion blurr in the image, it really gives your image an extra dynamic. The man sitting at the right back also adds nicely; it shows a small, but busy shop. I also like the light background that really gets the man doing the wheel adjustment to pop right out.

Nicely done!

Just as an aside, I prefer your original version to Richard's crop.

[ashcroft]

Very good motion effect on the wheel. A good shot. Suits the BW treatment.

I tried balancing a bike wheel once - made a horrible mess of it. I kept forgetting which way to turn the adjusters!

[deetheturk]

Great shot Ashish, I think Richard's crop really makes it!

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[Stagecoach]

Very good Ashish and you captured that movement just right.

My preference would be to not add a vignette as Richard has done as it has almost obliterated the man at work at the back, an important part showing the cramped repair shop working style conditions.

[IzzieK]

Very nice Ashish...+1 to Mark's comment.

[thegman]

Very nice and atmospheric shot Ashish, :-D

[thegman]

Very nice and atmospheric shot Ashish, :-D

[ashish]

Ashish... I liked this image as soon as I saw it but, wondered if a closer crop, eliminating the sack to the rear of the main subject and a slight vignette of the corners to reduce the impact of the rear subject and to add emphasis to the spinning wheel would also be nice.
Here is what I ended up with...

Thanks Richard...My thought was to bring more of the surroundings into play to give more context to the activity and showcase the environment in which they work.

[Manfred M]

Thanks Richard...My thought was to bring more of the surroundings into play to give more context to the activity and showcase the environment in which they work.

That's rather what I thought you were doing. Your shot is really an environmental portrait, so the view of the environment is important to the overall structure of the image.

[Cananeer]

Thanks Richard...My thought was to bring more of the surroundings into play to give more context to the activity and showcase the environment in which they work.

And this is exactly how you've captured the men in their element working in the repair and rebuilding of the bicycles. Ashish I wouldn't change anything as everything in the photo "tells the story". Excellent capture!!

[GBO25]

I really like it Ashish. The high contrast black and white, the motion in the wheel, the concentration, it's all there. I prefer your original uncropped version as well with it showing the other worker in the background. Great shot.

[FootLoose]

Good environmental portrait, Ashish. I wouldn't crop it, or add a vignette as I see the fellow in the background as an integral part of the composition. The whites in the bottom left corner - the sack, the hammer, and the seat - could possibly be toned down a bit, but they don't really bother me.

[Rebel]

Really nice shot, works really well in black and white.

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I really like your photo as you posted it. I would only change one thing if it were mine and I were to post it elsewhere, and that would be the title. I believe this is more correctly called wheel truing, not balancing, as he is making sure it runs true, without wobbles, but that does not necessarily mean it is balanced. If he were really balancing it, he'd be adding weights to it.
Again, nice capture of what is a lost art in other parts of the world.

[GeoBonsai]

Nice shot! I like the photo as you posted it. Reminds me that I need to take my bicycle in to my local bicycle repair shop for repairs; I'll definitely bring my camera with me to the shop and look for photo ops there!