How is this done?

[TylerF]

So, a manager at work asked me to do a shoot for his car. I have never done any automotive photos and was on youtube looking for any tips. I came across this guy and thought they were really cool shots. But I am still unclear as to how he does it.

American Pride And Passion - The Photography of Eric Curry

also, any tips on car photos would be awesome

thanks

 

[Fedaykin]

Like the one with the 56' truck, other than that not loving the effect...

 

[rokclmb]

To me they look like HDR that has been very over-done, but I really don't know much.

 

[Eventer]

Are they not just fairly extreme HDRs??

 

[FattyMcJ]

Looks like clever posing by models and a pretty good PhotoChop job. The most obvious is, IMO, the jet in front of the building, but the monster truck is a give away too...

Interesting shots though.

 

[TylerF]

i tried watching some tutorials he has, he says it's done with about 800 separate images. he does it in complete darkness and paints with lights. idk lol

 

[fokker]

Well, its hard to say exactly what he's done, but basically they have been extensively post-processed. A lot of them look like HDR's.

Basically, if you've never shot any cars before then you don't have a hope in hell of producing anything that looks remotely anything like this. You have to start small and work your way up.

 

[TylerF]

oh no, i wasn't asking how I could do this, I was just wondering how he did it lol. I don't plan on attempting anything like this. I might try one hdr but thats it

 

[DerekSalem]

oh no, i wasn't asking how I could do this, I was just wondering how he did it lol. I don't plan on attempting anything like this. I might try one hdr but thats it

Well basically there are 2 steps in what he does:

1) He paints with light. This means he sets a pretty long exposure (at least a few seconds but up to 30 at a time) and then grabs a flashlight. He traces over various parts of the car (usually the contours or certain parts) and then does the same thing kind of randomly on the ground.

2) PP. First he combines them into an HDR image. It's not technically HDR but it's basically what he's doing because he's combining a lot of different ranges into one photograph. At this point he takes it to an extreme and heightens the saturation through the roof. This plus a few filters just to mess with the colors.

That's pretty much it. Oh, and it looks ridiculous for anything other than pure art.

 

[KmH]

So, a manager at work asked me to do a shoot for his car. I have never done any automotive photos and was on youtube looking for any tips. I came across this guy and thought they were really cool shots. But I am still unclear as to how he does it.

American Pride And Passion - The Photography of Eric Curry

also, any tips on car photos would be awesome

thanks

The key is to think about and plan the shoot well before you attempt it.

A little searching "how to photograph cars" on the Internet will yield some helpful pages.

How many lights, stands and reflectors do you have?

Use a CPL filter to help control reflections and specular highlights.

Make the images in the first hour or last hour of daylight. You'll have to already be setup and ready to go and you'll have to work fast during that hour, so have a shot list prepared.

If the car is on a hard surface, wet it. Not just dampen it, wet it.

Use a tripod and enough DOF so the front and back of the car are in focus.

To do that and still get a nice OOF background you need the car well away from any background elements (a couple of hundred feet or more) so shoot location selection is critical. Best is with the car on a rise or hill top so the sky is the only thing in the background.

 

[TylerF]

thank you for the tips. So if i am in a parking lot, spray the ground with a hose?

also, his car is about 3 inches off the ground so he is a bit weary about driving into fields and stuff.

I was thinking about behind where we work (best buy) we have 2 garage doors with for the auto install bay. I thought it might be cool to have the car outside with the 2 open doors in the background.

As of right now, I only have one sb600 with an umbrella and one reflector

 

[Alan92RTTT]

Check this out How to photograph cars - 3SI Wiki

It was written several years ago by a guy that shoots for several of the large car mags. Its got come great tips for capturing awesome shots.

 

[KmH]

thank you for the tips. So if i am in a parking lot, spray the ground with a hose?

also, his car is about 3 inches off the ground so he is a bit weary about driving into fields and stuff.

I was thinking about behind where we work (best buy) we have 2 garage doors with for the auto install bay. I thought it might be cool to have the car outside with the 2 open doors in the background.

As of right now, I only have one sb600 with an umbrella and one reflector

You're the one taking the photo, but the doors, open or closed will take attention away from the car and make for a weaker image.

Yes, wet the pavement with a hose. You'll have to keep re-wetting over the course of an hour, more often with a late day shoot than a morning shoot.

Does someone have a California Duster California Car Duster Company - The Original California Car Duster and some chamois cloth or soft, very absorbent towels?