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I have no problem with shots of cars, I do alot. My son owns a garge. However, if you are that proud, you need to take a bit more trouble. You need a decent background. Open fields, woodland, parkland or something pleasant that does not demand attention. You need a tripod, sall aperture to get depth of field and spot on exposure.
I often set up several flash guns on a radio trigger and under expose ambient a touch using the flash to supply much of the light. Go for a bit of drama with lighting and, unless you want pure record, low or high viewpoints with wide angle.
Paul
I often set up several flash guns on a radio trigger and under expose ambient a touch using the flash to supply much of the light. Go for a bit of drama with lighting and, unless you want pure record, low or high viewpoints with wide angle.
Paul
Its a decent shot. Pity you can minimise the reflections, but you can, if you want, cut out the car and replace the background. Good feedback from Paul too.
I have loaded a rough example, took about 20 minutes. There are lots of video tutorials on this.
W
I have loaded a rough example, took about 20 minutes. There are lots of video tutorials on this.
W
I'm with you on the natural look, impressive as Willie's result is. The two approaches are very differnet, and for different ends.
A few thoughts about this, though. The background isn't ideal: I'd be tempted to go out i nthe country, and look for a raised position to park the car, so that you can avoid having distracting stuff behind it - clouds, hills... The natural environment for car-lovers is the open road, not the gravelled drive, I feel. (I share your enthusiasm for cars, I admit!)
Lighting helps. You don't have to arrange it all, though that's definitely how the pros do it. An alternative is to pick days where nature lends a hand - see my shot from a couple of years back HERE. So does excluding the background, though it means you can't show an overall view - you have to pick on details that illuminate character.
I'd suggest going even closer, and filling the frame at your widest zoom setting, and going as low as you can (I note that you may have limited mobility). Also, raise the ISO and stop down the lens a bit, while keeping hte shutter speed above 1/60 second - moving from Program mode to Aperture priority is definitely the way to go for this sort of shot. As you would probably not want an automatic gearbox keeping you in top going onto a corner, and would change down (having chosen a manual box), so with a camera. Control is the name of the game!
A few thoughts about this, though. The background isn't ideal: I'd be tempted to go out i nthe country, and look for a raised position to park the car, so that you can avoid having distracting stuff behind it - clouds, hills... The natural environment for car-lovers is the open road, not the gravelled drive, I feel. (I share your enthusiasm for cars, I admit!)
Lighting helps. You don't have to arrange it all, though that's definitely how the pros do it. An alternative is to pick days where nature lends a hand - see my shot from a couple of years back HERE. So does excluding the background, though it means you can't show an overall view - you have to pick on details that illuminate character.
I'd suggest going even closer, and filling the frame at your widest zoom setting, and going as low as you can (I note that you may have limited mobility). Also, raise the ISO and stop down the lens a bit, while keeping hte shutter speed above 1/60 second - moving from Program mode to Aperture priority is definitely the way to go for this sort of shot. As you would probably not want an automatic gearbox keeping you in top going onto a corner, and would change down (having chosen a manual box), so with a camera. Control is the name of the game!
It was simply a suggestion! An alternate way to show off the car. Its completely natural, the subject car has not been modified in any way at all! The background can be a field, a beach, etc.
Learning to do something quite simple like this opens up loads of therapy options, as PS can be very worthwhile for someone in your position!
Learning to do something quite simple like this opens up loads of therapy options, as PS can be very worthwhile for someone in your position!
Natural settings do look good, but so would other locations appropriate for a performance car. Garages, modern architecture, urban streets, airfields, spring to mind. Of course if you're private ground you will need permission, ok if they're in the background and you're on public land.
However, you may draw unwanted attention, such as in an urban sidestreet looking for that edgy shot or moody look in a multi storey car park. Not so good if you have a disability as you may not feel safe. Your safety comes first. i mention those types of locations just as ideas and for anyone else reading this.
Overcast light is best, as contrast and reflections will be easier to control, not to mention control of lighting as Paul describes.
Take a look at this guy for some tips and ideas.
I'm sure you may have thought of it, but taking your car on location is fine until the weather turns (ironically a good time to get dramatic and/or moody lighting) so keeping some cleaning stuff in the boot would be handy.
However, you may draw unwanted attention, such as in an urban sidestreet looking for that edgy shot or moody look in a multi storey car park. Not so good if you have a disability as you may not feel safe. Your safety comes first. i mention those types of locations just as ideas and for anyone else reading this.
Overcast light is best, as contrast and reflections will be easier to control, not to mention control of lighting as Paul describes.
Take a look at this guy for some tips and ideas.
I'm sure you may have thought of it, but taking your car on location is fine until the weather turns (ironically a good time to get dramatic and/or moody lighting) so keeping some cleaning stuff in the boot would be handy.
