CAR photography...lets discuss

[Tony]

Lately i have really developed a serious passion for car photography. i've watched countless videos, read countless write ups etc. still not where i wanna be with it though.

heres a discussion i'm having at the moment with a guy. sound like good tips? i know there are some serious photo guys on this forum. the photography thread shows that.

BEGIN DISCUSSION:

Ok now before I start..Just be clear that I am not bashing you or claiming to be master photographer. This is just things I see and would avoid, if your trying to become serious. Photography takes time to learn and master. You have to practice and study a bit too know what makes a great image. Try looking at promotional images that are from a professional photographer, you will notice car postion, backgrounds and reflections, time of day, filter useage, height of camera,..etc. Study the picture you think are super nice. Why do they stand out? then compare to yours, think about how you could have done better. Sure an SLR will be awesome, but if you can't afford that now, then you have to make due with what you have, and you can still make killer photos with the camera you have. Just need to know your camera limtations.

Ok now for the picture...I kinda wrote over you images to show you better than just talking in a large paragraph. Thanks for letting me critique you, as sometimes it can be hard to swallow, when some say anything with a negitive output. My job is to help you and not to hurt you.

3....2....1...

and hers some shots i took really trying to get better at it

lemme know what i shoulda done differently. no feelings hurt promise. and no, not trying to whore out my car some more haha!

[Solar]

I do not know squat on photography aside of picking out what is good or not. But, I can tell you are on the right track. Sorry I can't help on actual advice.

[Blackmage]

Im no expert either but i really like this pic

[mygreengt]

I don't have any tips. I just go out and take 200+ pics and usually 3-4 turn out decent. lol

[blwnbyu]

I always like my pictures more when you catch an angle, like these.. I'm not a fan of just straight on, or straight side shots...

Quick, impromptu shoot..

In the second shot, it would have definitely been better had I pulled the car forward to get distractions away from the roof line.

Low F by BLWNBYU, on Flickr

FR BW 1 by BLWNBYU, on Flickr

[330CubeGt]

I don't have any tips. I just go out and take 200+ pics and usually 3-4 turn out decent. lol

Same here!!! Then I instagram them hahaha

[Brian]

Make sure the sun is to your back at all times. I'll give more info later.

[Schiffy]

I don't have any tips. I just go out and take 200+ pics and usually 3-4 turn out decent. lol

Sounds like me

[Tony]

Make sure the sun is to your back at all times. I'll give more info later.

cool..thanks man

[Steve@CJPP]

Rules of third, if sun is out to your back, overcast days give you the best natural lighting, and if possible stand as far from the car as possible and zoom in on the shot to prevent any shadow or reflections. Took Photography at the Art College in Portsmouth VA for 2 years.

[D3vst8r96gt]

Make sure the sun is to your back at all times. I'll give more info later.

Blwnbyu does a great job of breaking this rule

The D3V

[Tony]

Rules of third, if sun is out to your back, overcast days give you the best natural lighting, and if possible stand as far from the car as possible and zoom in on the shot to prevent any shadow or reflections. Took Photography at the Art College in Portsmouth VA for 2 years.

hmmm, so the purpose of taking shots at a distance is to avoid reflections...but would that cause the pic to be blury or grainy (my worst enemy..i fuckin hate grainy pics) from having to zoom?

[Psychorugby]

hmmm, so the purpose of taking shots at a distance is to avoid reflections...but would that cause the pic to be blury or grainy (my worst enemy..i fuckin hate grainy pics) from having to zoom?

Shouldn't be grainy unless you get to the digital zoom.

[Steve@CJPP]

hmmm, so the purpose of taking shots at a distance is to avoid reflections...but would that cause the pic to be blury or grainy (my worst enemy..i fuckin hate grainy pics) from having to zoom?

if you ever see a photoshoot for the mags they are never right up on the car unless it's a shot that requires such. If you are using a good equipment, no an iPhone 5 doesn't count I don't care what Apple tells you, then this can be done with a variety of lens.

This photo was taken on the other side of the parking lot lol.

This is a unedited photo but I took this probably standing 20 ft or so away from the car and Juliet.

Edit: ok uploading straight to site loses some quality, I can post full size ones if you want to see them.

[Tony]

i def see what ya mean steve. you think i can pull off sick shots using just a decent camera? i've seen guys shoot some car pics that are amazing...i ask what camera an they say "nikkon cool pix" lolol. i have a camera slightly better than that but not very expensive at all.

so i guess i'm asking if a simple 14 mp camera with some average functions like exposure, iso, shutter speed settings can grab awesome shots...ya think so or do i really need to get serious about a more expensive camera..cause i'll never see results from an inexpensive one???

dude i appreciate your replies, lol. i know it's kinda deep and hard to tutor someone online on photography, lol.

[Slykin]

While an expensive camera is definitely beneficial, you can get great pictures without one. All of these pictures were supposedly taken with cell phones.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1659623@N23/pool/

I'd definitely agree with all of the advice at the top.. mostly to keep the car out of the center of the picture. That drives me crazy.

[Steve@CJPP]

i def see what ya mean steve. you think i can pull off sick shots using just a decent camera? i've seen guys shoot some car pics that are amazing...i ask what camera an they say "nikkon cool pix" lolol. i have a camera slightly better than that but not very expensive at all.

so i guess i'm asking if a simple 14 mp camera with some average functions like exposure, iso, shutter speed settings can grab awesome shots...ya think so or do i really need to get serious about a more expensive camera..cause i'll never see results from an inexpensive one???

dude i appreciate your replies, lol. i know it's kinda deep and hard to tutor someone online on photography, lol.

yeah for sure some of the point and shoot cameras can take nice shots but that's where PS comes in to edit them and make them better. Obvisoulsly you won't be able to stand waay back but some of these new cameras like the Nikkon One can take great photos and be amazing with some processing. What it boils down to is what you really want to accomplish. If you are looking to be the next John Fore III then you need to step the game up and the equiptment but if you are the car photographer then you can work with P-n-S or entry level DSLR's.

Some of my older work with my First Gen Rebel DSLR when I first got into photography hard, I need to get back in the game. I am a perfectionist and being that make it hard for me to be the artist I should be. I have given up a lot of opportunities because I am my own worse critic. Had to change my name too as you wouldn't believe how many SJR Photography guys there are.

[Tony]

i seen a couple pics of yours on cjpony's site, lol. good shots! i love that yellow s197 shot with the kinda black and white background!

ok so the rule of 3rd's i hear sooo much about. heres some shot's i simply just cropped trying to follow this rule...is this kinda what it means?

here is my original:

here is my crops:

lol, why do i like it better centered? just something i need to wrap my head around...STOP trying to perfectly center the car..right?

[Slykin]

I personally would've moved it to the bottom right corner. With it in the bottom left, it looks like you're focusing behind the car, which is kind of odd. In my mind, cars are meant to be moving and flowing forward so leaving space in front of the car just opens up the picture to me. I don't know, this is hard to explain haha. I just always leave the space in front of the car, not behind it.

Edit: I guess it's kind of like taking a picture of someone staring off into the distance, except that you crop out the view and show what's behind their head. It just flows wrong.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Slykin

[Tony]

i see what you're saying. i agree...looks weird focused on what's behind the car, lol. i see that now.

so is empty space really an issue? like you said...bottom right corner..that would prolly be a better spot, but then i would get a big empty wall, lol. which to me is fine but is that a bad idea or good to leave some empty space?

[Steve@CJPP]

Here is a better way to understand it. Oh and if you really are into this find a school around you, i.e community college or art school that allows you to take a class or two, you will be surprised on how much you will learn from just one or two classes.

http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

The yellow Roush is a buddies dad, and I am almost willing to bet any of my VA guys in the VA beach/Chesapeake area has seen this car at shows before.

[Tony]

the link was cool..thanks steve. if i were to try and make a career out of photography i would def take some classes. just wanna make thi my little hobby i guess you could say, lol. soaking up all the tips i can from folks that know shit about it.

[Steve@CJPP]

I went to school to make a profession out of it and look where I am at, lol. The classes are good no matter what your intent is. Trust me one class will open your eyes to all the things you are missing and make shooting that much more fun. Hands on with an instructor that can show you and explain to you in person what this does and what that does is a world of difference.

PS i haven't shot seriously in probably 2-3 years if not longer.

[blwnbyu]

Blwnbyu does a great job of breaking this rule

The D3V

Every single shoot

I don't like the shadows cast when shooting the sun to my back...

As a matter of fact, even when I shoot portraits, I shoot into the sun, overexposed about 3 stops... Pics turn out epic..

Honestly, a $2000 Alien Bees light setup is the optimal way to go...

This dude Raymond is a GOD, and he took most of his pics on a Shitty T1i... It's his lights that make him so good...

I really want lights, but don't shoot many cars.. Usually just my own, so it would be hard to justify, but damn...

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/pics-videos-buffet-149/910541-raymond-neice-photography.html

[Slykin]

I'm not a huge fan of the over saturated and over exposed stuff honestly. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.

[Tony]

I went to school to make a profession out of it and look where I am at, lol. The classes are good no matter what your intent is. Trust me one class will open your eyes to all the things you are missing and make shooting that much more fun. Hands on with an instructor that can show you and explain to you in person what this does and what that does is a world of difference.

PS i haven't shot seriously in probably 2-3 years if not longer.

get back into it dude! now dammit, lol. i would consider some classes. just as long as i can afford them haha. i could see 1 class changing my whole perspective on taking pictures, def could see that.

Every single shoot

I don't like the shadows cast when shooting the sun to my back...

As a matter of fact, even when I shoot portraits, I shoot into the sun, overexposed about 3 stops... Pics turn out epic..

Honestly, a $2000 Alien Bees light setup is the optimal way to go...

This dude Raymond is a GOD, and he took most of his pics on a Shitty T1i... It's his lights that make him so good...

I really want lights, but don't shoot many cars.. Usually just my own, so it would be hard to justify, but damn...

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/pics-videos-buffet-149/910541-raymond-neice-photography.html

i dont like overly edited pictures but i will say that link had some awesome pics!! location plays a huge part in cool car pics too i'm learning, lol. behind walmart just aint workin out.

[Tony]

think this is a good shot? i kinda like the lack of color in it.

[Tony]

eehhh, it looks like shit, lolol. i think i'm over thinking shit at this point. i tried for hours to get sick shots and it was just not happening, lol!

[PurrdGT]

eehhh, it looks like shit, lolol. i think i'm over thinking shit at this point. i tried for hours to get sick shots and it was just not happening, lol!

It's all in what you want to achieve for a photo. What you want the focus to be. Most of my own shots focus on one specific spot, either car or model.

Like in this photo, you can tell she's naked, but it's not the focus:

And in this one, my focus is on the first kustom:

Or if you're trying to get a full frame photo of the car like this one:

My focus is on the car, but you can obviously tell it's an autocross action photo

[PurrdGT]

think this is a good shot? i kinda like the lack of color in it.

personally, I like this shot. Only change I would do to it would be to pop out the blue more on the car and not the sky. And that comes with working with layers in photoshop.

[SonicBlue]

Another option would be to take all the color out of everything but the car - also with photoshop.

Try taking at least 3 shots of every scene you're most interested in - one normal, one underexposed and one overexposed.

[Tony]

i actually toned down the blue a tad in that shot to give it a sorta cold look...if that makes any sense, lol. i appreciate these tips. i see what you mean purdd...with just focusing on something and the background kinda goes away. i love pics like that!

with this rule of thirds that i'm stuck on this is what i kinda came up with:

[PurrdGT]

Don't let the "Rule of Thirds" rule your picture taking.

The ROT is to give natural viewing to a photo. Meaning when you break it up into thirds, you will naturally look at an intersecting point of the photo. A main focus so to say.

[Tony]

lol, it actually is too..haha! kinda f'd up my whole shoot today. trying to take all the shots with all the shit i read about it haha!

[Tony]

the focus on the wheel in this shot's kinda cool

[Slykin]

I really like that one...

[PurrdGT]

a good read on "how to make great photographs"

8.) THERE ARE NO RULES

There is no right and no wrong. The rule of thirds is not a rule and rules are for idiots. Just go make good photos. A good photo is one you or someone else likes. There are no formulas or grades or scores.

www.kenrockwell.com/tech/howto.htm rest of article.

That shot of your rear tire is killer! The rim is crisp and clean! Tho I think I would've maybe tilted it a bit, it looks like you're on a hill.

[Tony]

awesome rule, lol! fuuuk rules, lol. i like that better!

it's just aired up in the back...why it looks like it's on a hill.

thanks slykin

[Det_Riot]

aside from the last two, these photos do a good job of giving the truck somewhere to go and "rule of thirds" but i basically just wanted to share these pics without making a new thread for them =]

[Tony]

aside from the last two, these photos do a good job of giving the truck somewhere to go and "rule of thirds" but i basically just wanted to share these pics without making a new thread for them =]

mmm, sexy!!! def cool shots!