Car show, 4 shots. What to work on?

[RealityCheck]

The stock AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G VR lens.

 

[lambertpix]

It looks like the stock Nikon hood is non-petal shaped, but quite short:

Amazon.com: Nikon HB-45 Lens Hood for 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens: Electronics

A petal-shaped hood like this should also work -- the petal shape is intended to avoid vignetting when you're shooting at wide focal lengths:

Amazon.com : Fotasy LHB45II Lens Hood for NIKON AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and Replaces NIKON HB-45II : Camera Lens Hoods : Electronics

 

[RealityCheck]

It looks like the stock Nikon hood is non-petal shaped, but quite short:

Amazon.com: Nikon HB-45 Lens Hood for 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens: Electronics

A petal-shaped hood like this should also work -- the petal shape is intended to avoid vignetting when you're shooting at wide focal lengths:

Amazon.com : Fotasy LHB45II Lens Hood for NIKON AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens and Replaces NIKON HB-45II : Camera Lens Hoods : Electronics

Maybe the rubber deforms too easily? It is collapsible to 3 different positions. I have the petal one but last time I used it, it did the same thing. Maybe I put it on wrong?

 

[lambertpix]

The rubber hood does look a bit long for a wide-angle lens, but the petal hood should be close. It should lock into place with the long bits on the top and bottom of the camera -- matching the aspect ratio of the sensor.

 

[Braineack]

with that lens it'll rotate with focus, right?

 

[RealityCheck]

with that lens it'll rotate with focus, right?

Yes it does. @Lambertpix I leave the rubber hood at the shortest position. You won't see the vignette look threw the view but I guess at certain angles it will appear. And I guess I did have the petal hood on correct. I matched up the arrow on the hood to the top of the body. I got it nearly perfect but you can put it on any degree.

 

[lambertpix]

with that lens it'll rotate with focus, right?

Yes it does. @Lambertpix I leave the rubber hood at the shortest position. You won't see the vignette look threw the view but I guess at certain angles it will appear. And I guess I did have the petal hood on correct. I matched up the arrow on the hood to the top of the body. I got it nearly perfect but you can put it on any degree.

If it rotates, that pretty much nixes the petal hood, and yes, it's possible you wouldn't see the vignetting in the VF. When they talk about 95% viewfinder coverage (for example), this is one of the areas where that can impact your shooting. Going back to your original shots, I think there's room to crop off the vignette in all of those shots, so it's not a killer issue, but something you'll want to keep in mind as you shoot. FWIW, I constantly have to remind myself to leave a little cropping room on my shots - not for vignetting, but in case I want to do any perspective or distortion correction, it's helpful to have just a bit of cropping room around the edges.

 

[RealityCheck]

with that lens it'll rotate with focus, right?

Yes it does. @Lambertpix I leave the rubber hood at the shortest position. You won't see the vignette look threw the view but I guess at certain angles it will appear. And I guess I did have the petal hood on correct. I matched up the arrow on the hood to the top of the body. I got it nearly perfect but you can put it on any degree.

If it rotates, that pretty much nixes the petal hood, and yes, it's possible you wouldn't see the vignetting in the VF. When they talk about 95% viewfinder coverage (for example), this is one of the areas where that can impact your shooting. Going back to your original shots, I think there's room to crop off the vignette in all of those shots, so it's not a killer issue, but something you'll want to keep in mind as you shoot. FWIW, I constantly have to remind myself to leave a little cropping room on my shots - not for vignetting, but in case I want to do any perspective or distortion correction, it's helpful to have just a bit of cropping room around the edges.

I found out that at 18mm it will show in the picture. If I go about a little more past it, then it goes away. I feel like regardless of the hard plastic or rubber hood it will still show. I will keep that in mind thanks.

 

[dsp921]

Aside from some of things already mentioned, work on angles. These have a "walk-up-and-shoot" feel to them. Get lower to give the cars a more aggressive look. Car shows are the worst place to get car photos, but you can still practice for when you have the chance to shoot when you have some control of the situation. Or treat it like you're covering an event instead of trying to make it look like a private shoot. If you don't have a circular polarizer you should consider getting one, the are a must for car shots.

 

[RealityCheck]

Aside from some of things already mentioned, work on angles. These have a "walk-up-and-shoot" feel to them. Get lower to give the cars a more aggressive look. Car shows are the worst place to get car photos, but you can still practice for when you have the chance to shoot when you have some control of the situation. Or treat it like you're covering an event instead of trying to make it look like a private shoot. If you don't have a circular polarizer you should consider getting one, the are a must for car shots.

I completely agree. I'd rather have the private session in a nice scenery area to capture it. I have a UV filter but I will look into a Polarizer as well. It comes out better from the comparison pictures of it.

 

[bogeyguy]

I didn't put the vignette effect in the corners on purpose. It was my lens hood. For an odd reason, it's the correct type of hood but interfered in the shot. Why is this? It's a round rubber hood, not a petal shaped one (which is worse).

I'm not sure if this floats your boat or not, but I sometimes find that car shows are a great place to shoot detail shots -- some of these cars have some great customizations that can be very distinctive & interesting, and they're a little easier to isolate when the car is in a crowded location.​

I was thinking about taking a close up detail shot of an engine but wasn't sure how to go about taking it. Never done that type of perspective before.

Wide angle lens. To wide for the hood. Next time remove it.

 

[v4forlife]

Try getting lower. Those are all shot from your normal, standing height. The eye is drawn to shots not normally seen, unique angles etc.
these 2 are simply taken from a knee, maybe crouched a little lower, and it makes for a more dynamic composition. Hope that helps.

Wilton Supercar Wakeup by Wil Collins, on Flickr
Wilton Supercar Wakeup. by Wil Collins, on Flickr