Static Car Photography for beginners...

moodye

moodye

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G
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Help!

Noob 2 this forum! As you may or may not have read in my intro, my real interest in photography has stemmed from doing work on my car and once it's finished i want to take some good quality pics, not jus the phone snaps im doing just now to document progress.

anyways, i guess my question is as simple and as complicated as this: how do you do it?!

when i've been on car forums ive seen some really nice pics done by amatures/semi-pro/pro with i'm guessing dslr's, but i'm jus looking for some basic tips on how to acheive the style of photo.

i currently have access to a reasonably high-end compact, but i'm hoping to get a shot of my old mans dslr, if he'll let me!!

these are the type of picture i'd like to be able to create...

DSC_5899.jpg


DSC_5852.jpg


So yeah, the basics would be good - i'm sure to some degree these could be acheived with a compact? but obviously a dlsr produces much better shots?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

cheers

g
 
I would start with a polariser ;) and a tripod

Other than that, just find some good locations and get practising....
 
how does it look so 'rich' is that the polarizer that does that?
 
its all the components

a very sharp photo
the "right" lighting
right composition
and good post production
 
i guess thats my query really, how do you create such a sharp photo? and what kind of p-p would you do, is it a case of trial and error, until you find the right method?

also, would increasing the exposure time help?

sorry to ask what may seem obvious questions
 
moodye said:
how does it look so 'rich' is that the polarizer that does that?
Click to expand...

Would say neither of those shots you posted used a polariser. Richness - I don't really think they're great examples tbh, just using your word - comes from shooting with the correct exposure in the first instance to give you most latitude for contrast & saturation changes.
 
As mentioned, neither shot was with a polariser hence the large reflections on the glass. That's OK if that's what you intend.

Both shots have been processed from the original shot. The blacks have been pulled up, colours enriched by large saturation changes (blue sky in the first shot is an example) and a vignette added.

No reason why you couldn't produce the same with a reasonable compact and the right editing.
 
Can't help you with the photography, my car pics are boring. If you are not already on it look at detailing world forum. Excellent car cleaning forum with a keen photographic section and some amazing pictures to inspire you. I always rated Polished Bliss for their pics. They are based in Aberdeen and do some amazing work which features in Detailing World. Check out their website for amazing pictures. Their website pics were done by Ambient Life. An automotive photographer whose work is inspirational.
 
ok cool, cheers for the input guys! i know there prob not the best examples of what i was wanting to show, but its all i could find when i was writing the post! doh!

and vixmix, i'll definately check out that forum. i've been doing some research on polishing etc so it might help with that too.

cheers


g
 
Polished Bliss (y)

bought a fair few things from them, have to agree about DW, you see some very nice shots of cars, some of the befores and after are amazing :clap:
 
Moodye, before you start worrying about equipment, think about the photos you like, and think about what it is you like about them. The composition, the surroundings/background, the light (lots of light, just a little, where is the light source?), what is it you're shooting - I take pictures of lots of cars I work on, and when you start to see the shapes and how light works on those shapes, it can help you to capture nice shots.

To my eyes, neither of those are nice photographs. Composition poor on the first, the processing is OTT, and the Honda just looks lost. It would have been a bit better if a polariser had been used to knock out reflections in the screen and retain some definition to it. I don't know about bokeh, the whole front end looks rather softly focused to me.

The pictures Tim Wallace has taken for Polished Bliss are beautiful and inspiring, definitely a good place to start. There is also a photography section on www.detailingparadise.com where there have been some fantastic images captured (not just of cars).
 
just hijacking the post here ive similar questions as im relativly new to slr photography and my boyfriend would like some pictures of his car(his baby) do you find that certain times throught the day that light is better, or more forgiving? i find i get a lot of reflection off the car in brighter light, but in lower light the colour isnt as crisp.. would a polariser help sort out this reflective light issue? sorry if i sound a bit silly :p
 
It's not a silly question at all, and yes, a polariser would help in that situation. Personally, I like the light just after sunset, it seems to give everything a 'glow', but it will depend what your fella wants to achieve.
 
he could try some light painting at night.. when its pretty dark with a tripod and long exposure + a torch or flash. im pretty new aswell and trying to figure this out still.. there are a couple of posts on the forum regarding it

Pete : )
 
There is a book on the topic I quite enjoyed - imaginatively titled 'How to Photograph Cars' by James Mann
 
Pistonheads.com run photography sessions through the year at Teddington Studios (LAT) which are really really worth the money. You learn so much in 1 day.
 
Matt_B said:
Pistonheads.com run photography sessions through the year at Teddington Studios (LAT) which are really really worth the money. You learn so much in 1 day.
Click to expand...

They do look good and get good feedback. I might go this year, I assume you have been on one already ?
 
Yep did one last year and tempted to try a 'technical' session this year. Money well spent.
 
Focus on composition and location, this comes with experience so just go out there and shoot. You can make nice top of the range cars look plain if you don't have a nice location or composition.

Read books or internet articles on the basics on getting a correct exposure.

Sorry but I don't think those pics are good examples but everyone has their opinions. To me the contrast is too high, the sky is blown and the shadow has lost all details and the saturation is too high. It's like someone ran a Lomo preset on it with a saturation bump. The reflections on the S2000's bonnet is way too distracting for my liking, it strains the eye and takes attention away from the main subject.
 
I like the second one too, but then I'm biased towards the S2k.
 
Shine On said:
Moodye, before you start worrying about equipment, think about the photos you like, and think about what it is you like about them. The composition, the surroundings/background, the light (lots of light, just a little, where is the light source?), what is it you're shooting - I take pictures of lots of cars I work on, and when you start to see the shapes and how light works on those shapes, it can help you to capture nice shots.

To my eyes, neither of those are nice photographs. Composition poor on the first, the processing is OTT, and the Honda just looks lost. It would have been a bit better if a polariser had been used to knock out reflections in the screen and retain some definition to it. I don't know about bokeh, the whole front end looks rather softly focused to me.

The pictures Tim Wallace has taken for Polished Bliss are beautiful and inspiring, definitely a good place to start. There is also a photography section on www.detailingparadise.com where there have been some fantastic images captured (not just of cars).
Click to expand...

mcc49 said:
Focus on composition and location, this comes with experience so just go out there and shoot. You can make nice top of the range cars look plain if you don't have a nice location or composition.

Read books or internet articles on the basics on getting a correct exposure.

Sorry but I don't think those pics are good examples but everyone has their opinions. To me the contrast is too high, the sky is blown and the shadow has lost all details and the saturation is too high. It's like someone ran a Lomo preset on it with a saturation bump. The reflections on the S2000's bonnet is way too distracting for my liking, it strains the eye and takes attention away from the main subject.
Click to expand...

thanks for your responses and advice, much appreciated.

with regards to the quality of the sample pics, i appreciate there not the best examples, but it gives the kind of idea of what i was after, whilst possibly not being technically the best, but when i was composing the post i couldnt find any others!!

also, since i posted, the wife has treated me to a new compact, with some pretty flexible settings, so i'm content with playing around with that and Gimp, which i downloaded. i'm going to take on board all of the advice given and play a lot!!

thanks
 
If you go to the supercar prints on the polished bliss website

the first picture with the porsche - would that be post processing or is the car moving?

I've done something similar via photoshop on a standing car and it came out quite nice

but would that actually be a moving car with the tog alongside a moving car?
 
mani said:
If you go to the supercar prints on the polished bliss website

the first picture with the porsche - would that be post processing or is the car moving?

I've done something similar via photoshop on a standing car and it came out quite nice

but would that actually be a moving car with the tog alongside a moving car?
Click to expand...

thats most likely a rig shot.

i.e. a camera on a pole attached to the car by suckers, a long exposure and a slight push of the car at walking pace so there is no vibration through the rig. the rig is then photoshopped out.

the road may have been a little shopped also to give the enhanced streaks.
 
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yeah i've seen the rigs used by gf williams. his set up is quite impressive.

my mate's brother deals in high performance mitsubushi's - he had a lovely white evo III parked outside his place - going to ask him to allow it for a togging session.

the detail on the car was really nice and it is one of the higher spec models with the carbon fiber bonnet etc.
 
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