Photography tips
10-29-2010, 03:14 PM
#1
3rd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Nevada
Posts: 544
Photography tips
Okay, I'm not a photographer, and I don't have an ultra fancy camera. I've read a lot of websites about how to shoot cars...
How about some basic tips for the basic point and shooter.
Some suggestions I'm looking for would be:
Lighting/time of day
Backdrop
angle of car
composition
wide shots
close-ups
Again, please keep the advice geared toward someone with a fairly basic 14mp camera, and minimal photography knowledge.
Thanks in advance. So many of you have AWESOME photos and I'm jealous!
How about some basic tips for the basic point and shooter.
Some suggestions I'm looking for would be:
Lighting/time of day
Backdrop
angle of car
composition
wide shots
close-ups
Again, please keep the advice geared toward someone with a fairly basic 14mp camera, and minimal photography knowledge.
Thanks in advance. So many of you have AWESOME photos and I'm jealous!
10-29-2010, 05:55 PM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,486
Camera film is cheap these days, just experiment...I find early morning the best. Use the FLASH!
http://www.cobracountry.com/fototips/
http://www.cobracountry.com/fototips/
10-30-2010, 08:56 AM
#6
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Southeast Virginia
Posts: 6,409
Sunrise, Sunset or a cloudy day are best IMO. However, night shots at a place where there are a lot of lights make nice photos too. For example a parking garage or a well lite parking lot.
When you take pictures at noon on a sunny bright day, it washes out the true color spectrum.
You can pick up a digital camera these days for next to nothing. Best thing about them, you don't ever have to buy film again. Plus if you don't like the shot, just delete it.
When you take pictures at noon on a sunny bright day, it washes out the true color spectrum.
You can pick up a digital camera these days for next to nothing. Best thing about them, you don't ever have to buy film again. Plus if you don't like the shot, just delete it.
10-30-2010, 09:10 AM
#7
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: CA
Posts: 386
Clean car.
Do not take the picture while you are standing straight up.
Take the picture from a height that is not 5-6' off the ground.
Backgrounds are important but will not be seen in most of your potential sig pics.
Take lots and have fun with it.
Do not take the picture while you are standing straight up.
Take the picture from a height that is not 5-6' off the ground.
Backgrounds are important but will not be seen in most of your potential sig pics.
Take lots and have fun with it.
10-30-2010, 09:57 AM
#8
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 1,269
Stay away from busy backgrounds, dont use chain link fences in background as they are usually pretty ugly, keep in mind rule of 3rds..do not make the car dead center and do a super tight crop on the car. Give it room in front to give the feeling of motion forward. Stay low when taking pics..also DO NOT take those goofy sideways or tilted shots of the car. 99% of the time they do NOT work and look totally wrong and just make it look like the car is going to fall off the road. Unless your on a race track with a crazy bank do not do the tilted pics. Ohhh we drive street cars..as in dont take pics of your car in the grass or on dirt roads. it does not work we as the car is not an off road vehicle. Road covered in leaves from fall is ok though.
Another thing MP dont mean CRAP..it is more important on the quality of the sensor over the amount of MP..I have 10MP but my camera is also a Canon 1D Mark III. its image quality will be far superior to anything some point and shoot will be with much higher MP. The more important things are the camera ability to control noise in images, dynamic range, and detail. having more MP does not mean you will get any of that..sorry that is a pet peeve of mine when people compare cameras to how many MP they have.
a few Example shots I have taken
Another thing MP dont mean CRAP..it is more important on the quality of the sensor over the amount of MP..I have 10MP but my camera is also a Canon 1D Mark III. its image quality will be far superior to anything some point and shoot will be with much higher MP. The more important things are the camera ability to control noise in images, dynamic range, and detail. having more MP does not mean you will get any of that..sorry that is a pet peeve of mine when people compare cameras to how many MP they have.
a few Example shots I have taken
Last edited by 05xrunner; 10-30-2010 at 10:07 AM.
10-30-2010, 10:08 AM
#9
Cut & Paste Expert
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 13,322
Just before sunset when the sky is red before/after a hard rain.
This will bring out colors you didnt even know existed.
Light to your sides or directly behind you.
A steady rest is helpful. Also a ladder for the above perspective shots.
Also laying on the ground shooting upwards is a nice rarely unused angle.
Front corner shots like the mags use on their covers look good.
Turn the parking/headlights/fogs on as the day darkens and turns into night.
The top level of a brighly lit parking garage at night with the skyline behind
you works well.
Most camera stores have a class on the proper use of a 14MP camera.
And Photoshop can work wonders after the daily photoshoot is over.
I like the old school 35MM film because all the exposure settings are
available to you and a longer exposure time at dusk really brings
out the fine grain details only true film can. Digital is just that, digital.
I dont like my music digital, either. Death to MP3s. Rant...
My eyes are analog, my ears are analog....
NEVER USE THE S197s AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AS THE BACKDROP.
An old school defunct mom/pop gas station with the old signage works well...
Just dont get carjacked while taking the pictures...
This will bring out colors you didnt even know existed.
Light to your sides or directly behind you.
A steady rest is helpful. Also a ladder for the above perspective shots.
Also laying on the ground shooting upwards is a nice rarely unused angle.
Front corner shots like the mags use on their covers look good.
Turn the parking/headlights/fogs on as the day darkens and turns into night.
The top level of a brighly lit parking garage at night with the skyline behind
you works well.
Most camera stores have a class on the proper use of a 14MP camera.
And Photoshop can work wonders after the daily photoshoot is over.
I like the old school 35MM film because all the exposure settings are
available to you and a longer exposure time at dusk really brings
out the fine grain details only true film can. Digital is just that, digital.
I dont like my music digital, either. Death to MP3s. Rant...
My eyes are analog, my ears are analog....
NEVER USE THE S197s AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AS THE BACKDROP.
An old school defunct mom/pop gas station with the old signage works well...
Just dont get carjacked while taking the pictures...
Last edited by 157dB; 10-30-2010 at 10:18 AM.
10-30-2010, 10:15 AM
#10
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 1,269
Just before sunset when the sky is red before/after a hard rain.
This will bring out colors you didnt even know existed.
Light to your sides or directly behind you.
A steady rest is helpful. Also a ladder for the above perspective shots.
Also laying on the ground shooting upwards is a nice rarely unused angle.
Front corner shots like the mags use on their covers look good.
Turn the parking/headlights/fogs on as the day darkens and turns into night.
The top level of a brighly lit parking garage at night with the skyline behind
you works well.
Most camera stores have a class on the proper use of a 14MP camera.
This will bring out colors you didnt even know existed.
Light to your sides or directly behind you.
A steady rest is helpful. Also a ladder for the above perspective shots.
Also laying on the ground shooting upwards is a nice rarely unused angle.
Front corner shots like the mags use on their covers look good.
Turn the parking/headlights/fogs on as the day darkens and turns into night.
The top level of a brighly lit parking garage at night with the skyline behind
you works well.
Most camera stores have a class on the proper use of a 14MP camera.
