Mazda MX5 Sport Cabriolet.

modification done! Steve:)

modification done!

Steve

It's a mod, OK, but I'm not sure it looks right on a parked car! See what others think but rather too mch for my tastes. Jiust look wrong and blurred. Don't forget, the idea here is to show the car off, not attempt toreplicate speed. Paul

It's a mod, OK, but I'm not sure it looks right on a parked car! See what others think but rather too mch for my tastes. Jiust look wrong and blurred. Don't forget, the idea here is to show the car off, not attempt toreplicate speed.

Paul

Its a good demonstration for the recent uploads on a different approach.

Its a good demonstration for the recent uploads on a different approach.

Thanks, Paul - this shows the painstaking 'proper' way to shoot. The crucial thing is that the lighting pulls the car out from the background, and the dimness makes the suburban skyline lok mysterious (and maybe threatening). It's also instructive that you've used a tilt to make the car look poised and active. Interestingly, it also makes hte most of the lovely sweep of the sidelines of hte car - I hadn't noticed that up-down-up-down to the profile before, though I've seen a lot of them out on the road. (Mental note: get son to wash his car and go out in the Peak District for some piccies - he's got the engineer's Mazda, an RX8 - and hope for deep grey skies, water, and sunlight...) My one suggestion for improvement is to reduce the foreground. It would be interesting and instructive for those interested in doing similar shots to know how many flashes you used here, and somethign about hte triggering arrangements. I can see, I think, five different lit areas...

Thanks, Paul - this shows the painstaking 'proper' way to shoot.

The crucial thing is that the lighting pulls the car out from the background, and the dimness makes the suburban skyline lok mysterious (and maybe threatening).

It's also instructive that you've used a tilt to make the car look poised and active.

Interestingly, it also makes hte most of the lovely sweep of the sidelines of hte car - I hadn't noticed that up-down-up-down to the profile before, though I've seen a lot of them out on the road.

(Mental note: get son to wash his car and go out in the Peak District for some piccies - he's got the engineer's Mazda, an RX8 - and hope for deep grey skies, water, and sunlight...)

My one suggestion for improvement is to reduce the foreground.

It would be interesting and instructive for those interested in doing similar shots to know how many flashes you used here, and somethign about hte triggering arrangements. I can see, I think, five different lit areas...

Illustrates the point well Paul. Even the reduction of the prominence of the suburban background to something more of a supporting role, keeping attention on the car. In fact suburban drives are where you'd mostly see these so the hint of the location is sufficient. Only one minor niggle, the neighbour's van on the far left of the image. A couple of hefty guys needed to shove it out of the way.

Illustrates the point well Paul.
Even the reduction of the prominence of the suburban background to something more of a supporting role, keeping attention on the car. In fact suburban drives are where you'd mostly see these so the hint of the location is sufficient.

Only one minor niggle, the neighbour's van on the far left of the image. A couple of hefty guys needed to shove it out of the way.

Three flash units. There is a bright evening sun from the rear. Radio trigger from Ebay. Three units for the guns to sit on, one that goes on the camera hot shoe and triggers the guns. Cost About £30 from Hong Kong. You take a chance but it works perfectly. Aimed the guns and fired on manual, then adjusted flash power on each gun on manual to balance expose. Tried a few shots, making changes for each sequence. I think the answer is simply to experiment. The RX8 is an interesting car. By the engineers car, I assume you mean you need to be an engineer to keep it going. Abit like an Alfa! They are superb proving the twin rotor Wankel engine keeps going. Fast and smooth. They are quite cheap to buy because of the mechanical issues. The rotor tips wear away very quickly. Few engines exceed 25K without a rebuild and many hard used examples don't get that far! They are more spacious than the MX5 with passable rear seat as you know. My son prefers not to work on them due to the complexity. Back in the late 60's' when I was doing my Metallurgical degrre, we had several Wankel engines in the lab for tests due to extremely rapid rotor failures on early production engines. The work was to try and find suitable alloys for the tips that might last longer. Paul

Three flash units. There is a bright evening sun from the rear.

Radio trigger from Ebay. Three units for the guns to sit on, one that goes on the camera hot shoe and triggers the guns. Cost About £30 from Hong Kong. You take a chance but it works perfectly. Aimed the guns and fired on manual, then adjusted flash power on each gun on manual to balance expose. Tried a few shots, making changes for each sequence. I think the answer is simply to experiment.

The RX8 is an interesting car. By the engineers car, I assume you mean you need to be an engineer to keep it going. Abit like an Alfa! They are superb proving the twin rotor Wankel engine keeps going. Fast and smooth. They are quite cheap to buy because of the mechanical issues. The rotor tips wear away very quickly. Few engines exceed 25K without a rebuild and many hard used examples don't get that far!

They are more spacious than the MX5 with passable rear seat as you know. My son prefers not to work on them due to the complexity. Back in the late 60's' when I was doing my Metallurgical degrre, we had several Wankel engines in the lab for tests due to extremely rapid rotor failures on early production engines. The work was to try and find suitable alloys for the tips that might last longer.

Paul

THe van! Don't get me going on that one! He now hs a bigger van which he seems to use to make it difficult for everyone else to back out, yet most of the time he has an empty drive himself. My terinology for himcannot be written here but I would more than blow the bloody doors off!!!!!!!!! Paul

THe van! Don't get me going on that one! He now hs a bigger van which he seems to use to make it difficult for everyone else to back out, yet most of the time he has an empty drive himself. My terinology for himcannot be written here but I would more than blow the bloody doors off!!!!!!!!!

Paul

Thanks for the details, Paul. I must be suffering double vision... Engineer's car - actually, because it's both so interesting, in being different, and rather well done. And exceptionally rapid. He doesn't do that many miles, as he's a keen cyclist, so the horrendous fuel consumption isn't a big issue. I've driven it a couple of times, very enjoyably, and have trouble fitting: very low: so I'm not being tempted away from my diesel Impreza.

Thanks for the details, Paul. I must be suffering double vision...

Engineer's car - actually, because it's both so interesting, in being different, and rather well done. And exceptionally rapid. He doesn't do that many miles, as he's a keen cyclist, so the horrendous fuel consumption isn't a big issue.

I've driven it a couple of times, very enjoyably, and have trouble fitting: very low: so I'm not being tempted away from my diesel Impreza.

A car of ''eternal youth''. I still recall the advertising message of the first Miata (U.S. name) or MX5 (Europe). It said: ''Before the house, the spouse and the children you have one chance''. I am glad you had all these and the extra chance to enjoy such a nice car, a car that revived the old category of ''cabrio'' sports cars. I like how the lighting has been reflected by the body surface of the car. Taking of lighting [b]I would be also tempted to shoot it with the headlights turned on, making it look ready for night driving.[/b] And to be on the safe side I would also check the pressure on the front tyre(s) as I see the back tyre is sitting properly but the front either because of the shadow (created by lighting) or the engine weight seems to be needing some pumped air to make it stand properly. Kindly, pablophotographer

A car of ''eternal youth''. I still recall the advertising message of the first Miata (U.S. name) or MX5 (Europe).
It said: ''Before the house, the spouse and the children you have one chance''. I am glad you had all these and the extra chance to enjoy such a nice car, a car that revived the old category of ''cabrio'' sports cars. I like how the lighting has been reflected by the body surface of the car. Taking of lighting I would be also tempted to shoot it with the headlights turned on, making it look ready for night driving. And to be on the safe side I would also check the pressure on the front tyre(s) as I see the back tyre is sitting properly but the front either because of the shadow (created by lighting) or the engine weight seems to be needing some pumped air to make it stand properly.
Kindly,
pablophotographer