Rusted Chevrolet - Rainy Conditions - C&C Please

[Daf]

Hi all,

Got up this morning and it was rainy, I had really wanted to get out and shoot some motocross but the tracks were closed. I remembered I had been wanting to take some shots of this old rusted Chevy that sits on the side of the road near my house. I also needed some exposure practice and rainy was a challenge! So a plan was born.

I did some research on setting up the exposure settings and used that as basis - the rest is a little bit of trial and error. I culled out 4 shots I liked the best and processed (shot raw and used LR 3.5 for processing) them - including a "nostalgia" treatment. I am also posting, below those 4, the raw unprocessed files so you can see how the exposure clinic went. I would appreciate C&C on any or all - advice and suggestion are welcome.

All shots taken with D7000 and Nikon 50mm prime 1.8G - also used SB-600 for fill, set to TTL

Thanks! Daf

1)

2)

3)

4)

==========================
5) unprocessed

50mm f/2.0 1/250th ISO 250

6) unprocessed

50mm f/1.8 1/250th ISO 250

7) unprocessed

50mm f/2.0 1/250th ISO 250

8) unprocessed

50mm f/3.2 1/250th ISO 250

 

[GrantH]

I enjoy the license plate processed image, though the lower right corner could have been missed. I also like the gauge cluster image. It seems to tell a story as to what type of car it is in. The exterior photos, without speaking of composition, don't do much for me. I think they aren't dramatic enough for such a rough and beat up old car.

 

[dumpweed]

Unprocessed looks better imo, Natural colors look good.

 

[fsquare]

Black and white would work really well here

 

[BastiaanImages]

I like the license plate shot although I like the original better. I agree with fsquare that black/white would probably work better here.

 

[Pau1]

In the first photo, its hard to tell its a rusted car... it looks like a matte finish. More rust color would help.

 

[paulanton]

I like 4 processed and 3 unprocessed.

 

[Daf]

Thanks everyone! I was torn between B/W and natural - I chose both sort of. May work on them more today. That's a hard call isn't it, it isn't over when the camera goes back in the bag. Part of the fun!

So the exposure seemed okay?

Thanks again!
Daf

 

[Daf]

GrantH mentioned that the exterior shots were not dramatic - I don't disagree. Are there some guidelines or anyone have any suggestions on getting "dramatic" shots? Is it angle, light, etc....

Thanks!

 

[Demers18]

Those are really nice shots! Nice work!

I also agree that B/W would work really well with these shots

 

[Rephargotohp]

GrantH mentioned that the exterior shots were not dramatic - I don't disagree. Are there some guidelines or anyone have any suggestions on getting "dramatic" shots? Is it angle, light, etc....

Thanks!

The problem is everything but the plate shot was shot almost straight on. You can increase Drama and interest by using diagonals or diagonal lines. Shifting off to the side gives you diagonals in the perspective of the object. Those line lead you off into the background or across the field of view instead of creating a straight line which has little interest.

In the case of these photos, the rain was your saving grace, It actually gave you tons of tonality, where as a sunny day detail would have git lost to contrast.I like the images, but agree, they needed more interest that could have been created by better composition

 

[Daf]

Demers18 - thank you!
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/members/107789.html
Rephargotohp - thank you so much for the tips! Much appreciated!

 

[caughtmyeye]

I personally liked the first one. Mat black jumps out at you while the rusty looking grass gives it a fealing

 

[Daf]

Thanks, caughtmyeye!

 

[KenC]

A lot of them have some distracting out-of-focus stuff in the foreground. Cropping could help in one or two cases, but mostly it's a matter of using a much smaller aperture and focusing between the two areas so the depth of field extends to both - that or reframing to avoid the foreground objects. Numbers 3 and 7 are the most interesting, but I would go somewhere between the two. The processing in 3 has blown out some of the highlights in an unappealing way, although I like the crop and the darker mid-tones.