Attending a indoor auto show.

[Aarmin]

Well, this is my first official post. I'm a complete amateur to photography; however, I have been (or at least trying to) reading about photography.

I will be using a Olympus E-520 DSLR with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens (honestly, I do not even know what all that means).

This weekend I am hoping to attend a car show, mainly consisting of almost 200 new cars, and some classic and race cars on the side! What are the opsticals I face? What should some of my settings be set to? I understand that the settings very well depend on the surroundings and the level of light available, but I would really appreciate some pointers.

I'm expecting the lighting to be shiny, lots of ceiling lights. Giving this, I'm worried that there may be a lot of reflections from the cars? Also, with my lense, will I be able to get up close? Hopefully this will reduce the number of people in my shots.

Looks like I may want to use a tripod?. I do not have a tripod, and would feel more comfortable shooting by hand; do you think my image stabilizer (camera has built-in IS) and a lot of shots could do the trick?

 

[Plato]

Well, this is my first official post. I'm a complete amateur to photography; however, I have been (or at least trying to) reading about photography.

I will be using a Olympus E-520 DSLR with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens (honestly, I do not even know what all that means).

This weekend I am hoping to attend a car show, mainly consisting of almost 200 new cars, and some classic and race cars on the side! What are the opsticals I face? What should some of my settings be set to? I understand that the settings very well depend on the surroundings and the level of light available, but I would really appreciate some pointers.

I'm expecting the lighting to be shiny, lots of ceiling lights. Giving this, I'm worried that there may be a lot of reflections from the cars? Also, with my lense, will I be able to get up close? Hopefully this will reduce the number of people in my shots.

Looks like I may want to use a tripod?. I do not have a tripod, and would feel more comfortable shooting by hand; do you think my image stabilizer (camera has built-in IS) and a lot of shots could do the trick?

A tripod will probably cause issues with the other spectators. A monopod is a compromise that may do the job for you.

 

[fokker]

Well, this is my first official post. I'm a complete amateur to photography; however, I have been (or at least trying to) reading about photography.

I will be using a Olympus E-520 DSLR with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens (honestly, I do not even know what all that means).

This weekend I am hoping to attend a car show, mainly consisting of almost 200 new cars, and some classic and race cars on the side! What are the opsticals I face? What should some of my settings be set to? I understand that the settings very well depend on the surroundings and the level of light available, but I would really appreciate some pointers.

I'm expecting the lighting to be shiny, lots of ceiling lights. Giving this, I'm worried that there may be a lot of reflections from the cars? Also, with my lense, will I be able to get up close? Hopefully this will reduce the number of people in my shots.

Looks like I may want to use a tripod?. I do not have a tripod, and would feel more comfortable shooting by hand; do you think my image stabilizer (camera has built-in IS) and a lot of shots could do the trick?

opsticals: optical obstacles?

Get a circular polarizing (CPL) filter for your lens, it will cut reflections in the cars' paint and glass.

I wouldn't worry about a tripod, you won't be needing a large depth of field so small f numbers will be okay, meaning you should be able to have fast enough shutter speeds to use handheld. you will appreciate the freedom more in any case.

 

[Derrel]

Car shows are really about hot-looking models in skimpy skirts and micro-shorts anyways, so use the pop-up flash and set the camera to ISO 400 and tilt the camera to vertical orientation for the girl shots.

White balance issues can cause some problems,since there are often mixed lighting sources. I'd forget about the polarizing filter--the reflections will add shape and definition to the cars and their sheet metal. And after all, car shows are about car models, aren't they,really?

Tripod? No. "We don't need no stinkin' tripods!" The image stabilizer will help a lot, and your camera's small 4/3 size sensor's capture size yields ample depth of field with most shorter focal length settings.

And remember--shoot "talls" on the car models.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Indoor lighting, you should probably shoot in aperture priority wide open(lowest f-stop number) to get an adequate shutter speed, otherwise you will end up with blurry photos.

use the pop-up flash

ARRAGH my eyes! I can't believe you just said that! Well, pop-up would be better than none if the lighting is that bad.

 

[phocus78]

No to the pop up flash

 

[RONDAL]

get ready for horrible white balance...indoor car show lighting is always tough
you'll need quick glass to deal with the low ambient
you will want a wide(r) angle lens. leave anything 50mm+ at home, car shows are busy and people will always be walking through your shots if you are trying to shoot from far away. It's always easier to get in tight with a wide angle, though too wide and distortion becomes an issue.

try and go on the off peak hours, there are less people, and this means more room to operate and less people in the way of your shots.'

pick your angles and watch your backgrounds. otherwise you can end up with some very weird things going on.