Doodlebug
20th July 2006, 15:01
Well i thought id post a little something to share some tips on exterior car photography, some of these tips will be the same for all genres of photography, even taking photos of Doris down the road or your other half with her kit off. ;) This is designed for peeps with just normal standard off the shelf cameras, i could go on all day about shutter priority, apertures, polorasing filters, but for now, this is just a quick start guide.
#1 - DO NOT - Take photos of your car in the middle of the day, you will get harsh shaddows and harsh glare, which will do no good for anyone. Take photos just after the sun rises or just before the sun sets. The colour of the light is soo much better this time of day.
#2 - CLEAN YOUR CAR! - Make use of Daryl's car cleaning thread and clean your car up good and proper, make sure its gleaming, make sure the windows and wheels are clean and that it looks the business, remember, photos last forever and you dont want a reputation for being a dirty boy/girl! lol When was the last time you saw a photograph in a car magazine with the car being dirty....never....well...there's a reason for it, its a BIG NO NO! Pay attention as well to your windows, dead bugs are not stylish! ;)
#3 - LOCATION - Pick a good location...think of your bug...its contemporary looking, funky, different, urban, young and fresh. So think of places that reflect this...multi-story car parks, industrial areas, urban streets etc...When at your location make sure the background is clean and there are no obstructions like trees, lamposts or elderly people in the way, if they are, move your car. Also keep an eye out of things like litter and other silly things on the floor next to your car as they may reflect off your paint. Dont be afraid to "change" things in your location, if there is a traffic cone in the way, move it (without causing death to fellow motorists obviously!), if there is rubbish on the floor, get rid of it, just make your location as good and clean as possible.
#4 - FRAMING - When you park your bug up, dont just get out of it and stand next to and snap a standard shot from in front of it looking down. Get down on your arse, tummy, side, back, head and get some new angles, experiment, sometimes strange angles work amazingly well. When your car is in location, dont be afraid to move it around a bit, if the sun has moved or a polar bear has come to get some action, just move your car a bit, dont be scared...it wont bite! And dont think you have to always get your whole car in the frame, cut some bits off...go on...be daring! :D :D
Also, make sure the sun is behind you, most of the time, shots look better with the sun coming from either behind or too the side of you....obviously this isnt the case all the time, but its up to you to experiment!
#5 - PATIENCE - Take your time, your not trying to break a speed record when shooting your car, look around for obstructions around your NB, check distracting elements, like trees or lamposts are not distracting or reflecting off your bug, check that your buggie is clean and experiment with different angles to shoot at, experiment with different times of day, just take lots of shots, it costs nothing with a digital camera to shoot 100 shots or 1, so take lots. Always keep your eyes open for locations, there are amazing photographic locations for cars everywhere. Move your bug around when on location, dont just dump it somewhere and take shots from the same place, move him/her around and get some new angles.
Well there you go, 5 tips which should get you better shots, as i say, i have kept it simple as i didnt want to bore you with technical dribble! :D :D
#1 - DO NOT - Take photos of your car in the middle of the day, you will get harsh shaddows and harsh glare, which will do no good for anyone. Take photos just after the sun rises or just before the sun sets. The colour of the light is soo much better this time of day.
#2 - CLEAN YOUR CAR! - Make use of Daryl's car cleaning thread and clean your car up good and proper, make sure its gleaming, make sure the windows and wheels are clean and that it looks the business, remember, photos last forever and you dont want a reputation for being a dirty boy/girl! lol When was the last time you saw a photograph in a car magazine with the car being dirty....never....well...there's a reason for it, its a BIG NO NO! Pay attention as well to your windows, dead bugs are not stylish! ;)
#3 - LOCATION - Pick a good location...think of your bug...its contemporary looking, funky, different, urban, young and fresh. So think of places that reflect this...multi-story car parks, industrial areas, urban streets etc...When at your location make sure the background is clean and there are no obstructions like trees, lamposts or elderly people in the way, if they are, move your car. Also keep an eye out of things like litter and other silly things on the floor next to your car as they may reflect off your paint. Dont be afraid to "change" things in your location, if there is a traffic cone in the way, move it (without causing death to fellow motorists obviously!), if there is rubbish on the floor, get rid of it, just make your location as good and clean as possible.
#4 - FRAMING - When you park your bug up, dont just get out of it and stand next to and snap a standard shot from in front of it looking down. Get down on your arse, tummy, side, back, head and get some new angles, experiment, sometimes strange angles work amazingly well. When your car is in location, dont be afraid to move it around a bit, if the sun has moved or a polar bear has come to get some action, just move your car a bit, dont be scared...it wont bite! And dont think you have to always get your whole car in the frame, cut some bits off...go on...be daring! :D :D
Also, make sure the sun is behind you, most of the time, shots look better with the sun coming from either behind or too the side of you....obviously this isnt the case all the time, but its up to you to experiment!
#5 - PATIENCE - Take your time, your not trying to break a speed record when shooting your car, look around for obstructions around your NB, check distracting elements, like trees or lamposts are not distracting or reflecting off your bug, check that your buggie is clean and experiment with different angles to shoot at, experiment with different times of day, just take lots of shots, it costs nothing with a digital camera to shoot 100 shots or 1, so take lots. Always keep your eyes open for locations, there are amazing photographic locations for cars everywhere. Move your bug around when on location, dont just dump it somewhere and take shots from the same place, move him/her around and get some new angles.
Well there you go, 5 tips which should get you better shots, as i say, i have kept it simple as i didnt want to bore you with technical dribble! :D :D