A link to : Car photography guide

[Dagwood56]

I thought this link might be helpful to people wanting to know how to photograph cars. After some long thought on the matter last evening I still plan to go to the car show I posted about yesterday afternoon. I'll try my best with what I have to work with and the time frame [lighting conditions] in which I'll have to work in. If I get even one decent photo I will be happy - 'cause I really, really want to go to this event. For me its more about just being there to see the cars, the whole experience....if I get a chance for some good photos then all the better- if not then I'll settle for just some memorable snap shots.Car Photography Guide

 

[KmH]

There is car photography, and there is car photography, but, there is also car photography.

Photograph Your Car - How To - Mopar Muscle Magazine

‪WDC Studio Car photography with the Nissan 370Z‬‏ - YouTube

http://youtu.be/AgCMsVqOWjg

http://youtu.be/6xTRRXnMt6Y

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I didn't read the text in the link you provided, shame on me. Just looked at the shots and noticed that there is not a single shot of an entire car. Just parts of cars which are much easier to shoot. I did however click on the Shelby hoping to see a larger version of the image. Got one and it shows a few problems but it is not bad overall. However, if you look under the enlarged Shelby image you see 2 typical car show shots with onlookers, bad reflections, etc.

With some patience (waiting for onlookers to get out of the way )if you stick to chunks of cars you should be able to get some decent shots. Whole cars are just about impossible at car shows.


KmH links:

1/ The photos are too small to really judge of their quality but they don't look too exciting and the few parts I read were really too basic to help a somewhat advance photog.

2/ Aside from the fact that it explains nothing... I love the turntable. Wish I could have one, lol. But the lighting is really not anything to talk about. It will work fine for some situations but the images I saw in that video would not be acceptable to my clients. Bad reflections, large chunks of the car needing more light, bad shadows on the background, etc.

3/ I find this one much more interesting although it still shows a lot of problems. Look at the roof of the car, it is a darker tone than the rest of it. And the interiror of the car is too dark. Among other things, in the overhead set up, it needs also some lights directed at the car. Overall it is not bad and shows well what can be done with limited equipment although the set up looks more like what I use on location than in the studio. I basically build a huge light tent around the car to control the reflections.

Enough said. Car photos are not easy but you can still get some decent shots by sticking to detail shots rather than overall shots. Have fun.

 

[Dagwood56]

KmH - I see what you're saying. I appreciated your response to my other post yesterday, but I will admit, it put a bit of a damper on my thoughts about going to this show;{ Awkscht Fescht in Macungie PA} yes, I had my expectations set way too high! After speaking to a friend earlier today who went to the Norcross Georgia show in May, I did some more searches on the subject which is how I stumbled onto the guide I posted the link for. Thats when I began to realize perhaps I should just focus on having fun and hope for the best.

Thanks c.cloudwalker for the feedback. The friend from Norcross also suggested doing just chunks of cars. I looked at her photos and decided that is probably the best way to go. I'm also going to use another persons suggestion from yesterday - wear a black shirt....he said it doesn't seem to cause as much of a problem reflecting in the chrome. Not sure if its true or not, but what have I got to lose!

Thank you both!