Practice with Automotive shots + 2 Nature.

[RealityCheck]

My car is obviously not nice looking, but today I went out and took some practice "stance" shots, along with 2 nature shots. (All edited in PS.) The weather was nice, but cold.

 

[tirediron]

The "stance" is fine, but the exposure and location don't work well. In the first (In future please number images, it makes critique much easier) has the car too dark, and the subject almost appears to be the paneling. The second (UR), again, the care is too dark, and the eye is pulled too the brighter background. #3 (LL)the car is really lost among all the detail of the surroundings. A simpler location and much less DoF would have helped. #4 (LR)would be much stronger had you used at least one light low left to illuminate the front clip/grill area.

The picnic table shots would be much stronger IMO, without the buildings and light standards in the background.

 

[RealityCheck]

Thanks for response. I know the car is very dark for the pictures but I tried to add some contrast to it. I just need some gloss painted car haha. I am aware of the environment though. Not the best area to take shots. The concrete is a little grungy and the background isn't so great but the area was quiet.

 

[tirediron]

Grungy isn't always bad; for a car like this it could work well, in fact a back alley somewhere with litter and graffiti all around would be a great setting, as long as you used an appropriate DoF... rattle-can job?

 

[RealityCheck]

You have a point. Wasn't exactly rattle canned. I used a gallon of house paint and a legitimate spray gun. Didn't come out too bad.

 

[12sndsgood]

I agree with Tired on most of it. second shot isn't to bad. I would have tried to get down just a tad bit lower myself and don't add so much contrast that you start losing your subject. On automotive shots I will generally raise the contrast. but i'll watch the blacks to make sure im not losing the detail.