Steve'sDigicams

Sullysdetailing · Jun 21, 2009, 8:50 PM

I use my D40x to take pictures of cars. I take photos during the evening and morning time. So right after sunrise and before sunset. I alos love taking night photos but I can never get the setting just right. Help would be great

TCav · Jun 21, 2009, 9:22 PM

Can you post some examples?

Sullysdetailing · Jun 21, 2009, 9:25 PM

www.sullysdetailing.com All my photos are on there

DAHRAZIEL · Jul 5, 2009, 6:26 PM

The positions of the cars vs. the light seem to be backwards in a lot of them and if you have a tripod go for a longer exposure in addition to letting the natural light do the work for you. Also you might want to watch where you are standing because I can see your reflection in a good handful of the pics. At least overall you have the angles down for the most part but maybe if you could find better spots to take your pictures would help capture a better photo. I like the firebird pic where it is in the street the most. J

StevieDgpt · Jul 6, 2009, 10:15 PM

Hope I am not too harsh.

Backgrounds (and foregrounds) are too busy or distract from the goal of showcasing the vehicle.

Take the VW GTI against the rail car. Sure, showing the car against the junk rail car has artistic benefits.... but you are trying to showcase the car not showing the car in an art photo. There is a difference. Shooting with a larger aperature (opening up the lens) to decrease the depth of field might help to make the car POP against the bland rail car. So would repositioning the car so that there is more distance between the car and the background. Sometimes just a foot or two can make a world of difference. Also watching the background elements (in the second photo the rear of the car can be barely distinguished from the background) to keep distractions out of view or from interferring with the car. In that same second GTI shot there is way too much foreground which distracts from the purpose of the photo... especially because of the quality of the foreground. If that car was reshot on a beautiful manicured golf course a lot of grass in the foreground might be technically and artistically correct.

The last two photos (which I assume to be the same GTI), the photos are too dark, such that I can not discern the color of the vehicle. the color could be charcoal or chocolate for all I know. +0.3EV expsoure might have helped. Or adding a simple reflector to your arsenal of equipment (I just read about somebody using a car's windshield heat shield/reflector to add light to a scene).

The photo above the GTI photos (car unknown to me) is a great concept photo... just ???? If that much roof/ceiling is shown, shouldn't more of the wall to the right should have been seen as well? Don't know. I think a small change of angle could have resulted in a pretty snazzy photo, and it might not have taken much change. Much of the concept of the photo is to showcase the car versus the architecture... so show more brickwork. Also a little PP to remove the flood light in the right background would have helped.

Speaking of PP. IF (a big IF), if you must PP the license plates then do so in a less distracting manner. My suggestion? Match the intensity of the black on the vehicle and block in the plate. Block in... meaning a nice neat square leaving none of the plate visable and not interferring with the body of the car. On the Mustang I would have used a charcoal color to match the nearly black license plate frame rather than pure black.

The good pics? Oh for sure the Firebird. The low to the ground shot is conceptually great. But the background is too well defined/focused and the sky is washed out. A little more light on the Firebird would have helped define the car and prevented the washed out sky.

OH, and one final comment. Some distractions are good. You want the cars to look so shiny that people know your detail job is great. Which also means you want some ambient reflections. Curbs, houses etc are good. Just make sure the reflection does distract such that people are trying to determine the "what" of the relection.

Sorry if I was too rough. Just one man's opinion.

Jun 21, 2009, 8:50 PM	#1
Sullysdetailing Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 4	Car shots help!!!! I use my D40x to take pictures of cars. I take photos during the evening and morning time. So right after sunrise and before sunset. I alos love taking night photos but I can never get the setting just right. Help would be great

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Jun 21, 2009, 9:22 PM	#2
TCav Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Washington, DC, Metro Area, Maryland Posts: 6,694	Can you post some examples?

Jun 21, 2009, 9:25 PM	#3
Sullysdetailing Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: South Florida Posts: 4	www.sullysdetailing.com All my photos are on there

Jul 5, 2009, 6:26 PM	#4
DAHRAZIEL Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 9	The positions of the cars vs. the light seem to be backwards in a lot of them and if you have a tripod go for a longer exposure in addition to letting the natural light do the work for you. Also you might want to watch where you are standing because I can see your reflection in a good handful of the pics. At least overall you have the angles down for the most part but maybe if you could find better spots to take your pictures would help capture a better photo. I like the firebird pic where it is in the street the most. J

Jul 6, 2009, 10:15 PM	#5
StevieDgpt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 324	Hope I am not too harsh. Backgrounds (and foregrounds) are too busy or distract from the goal of showcasing the vehicle. Take the VW GTI against the rail car. Sure, showing the car against the junk rail car has artistic benefits.... but you are trying to showcase the car not showing the car in an art photo. There is a difference. Shooting with a larger aperature (opening up the lens) to decrease the depth of field might help to make the car POP against the bland rail car. So would repositioning the car so that there is more distance between the car and the background. Sometimes just a foot or two can make a world of difference. Also watching the background elements (in the second photo the rear of the car can be barely distinguished from the background) to keep distractions out of view or from interferring with the car. In that same second GTI shot there is way too much foreground which distracts from the purpose of the photo... especially because of the quality of the foreground. If that car was reshot on a beautiful manicured golf course a lot of grass in the foreground might be technically and artistically correct. The last two photos (which I assume to be the same GTI), the photos are too dark, such that I can not discern the color of the vehicle. the color could be charcoal or chocolate for all I know. +0.3EV expsoure might have helped. Or adding a simple reflector to your arsenal of equipment (I just read about somebody using a car's windshield heat shield/reflector to add light to a scene). The photo above the GTI photos (car unknown to me) is a great concept photo... just ???? If that much roof/ceiling is shown, shouldn't more of the wall to the right should have been seen as well? Don't know. I think a small change of angle could have resulted in a pretty snazzy photo, and it might not have taken much change. Much of the concept of the photo is to showcase the car versus the architecture... so show more brickwork. Also a little PP to remove the flood light in the right background would have helped. Speaking of PP. IF (a big IF), if you must PP the license plates then do so in a less distracting manner. My suggestion? Match the intensity of the black on the vehicle and block in the plate. Block in... meaning a nice neat square leaving none of the plate visable and not interferring with the body of the car. On the Mustang I would have used a charcoal color to match the nearly black license plate frame rather than pure black. The good pics? Oh for sure the Firebird. The low to the ground shot is conceptually great. But the background is too well defined/focused and the sky is washed out. A little more light on the Firebird would have helped define the car and prevented the washed out sky. OH, and one final comment. Some distractions are good. You want the cars to look so shiny that people know your detail job is great. Which also means you want some ambient reflections. Curbs, houses etc are good. Just make sure the reflection does distract such that people are trying to determine the "what" of the relection. Sorry if I was too rough. Just one man's opinion.