Post your best toy photos

[Richard Lane]

Hey Bryan,


Great concept taking the toy truck to the next level by putting it in motion.


I like the "concept" of the 2nd image better, but I like the "execution" of the first image better.


I like the 1st photo better, because it is so much sharper with better lighting and contrast. The truck pops more and the sky looks more golden. I also like the reflections on the front window and the reflections on the rear bed of the truck.


Unfortunately, in the 2nd image, you're also losing the front grill, drivers side tire and the rear bed/tailgate portion of the truck , in the shadows and/or background.


This definitely looks like a 2 person job.


Regardless, I love the 1st image and if you can figure out some way to retain the qualities of the 1st image and capture the motion of the 2nd image then I think you'll have another contest winning photo on your hands!


Rich

[freelanceshots]

Thanks guys, by the time I started doing the wheel spin capture is was already getting to dark and the sun was dropping below the horizon. Maybe I

[William]

Wow, that

[Richard Lane]

Bryan,


Please tell me that you touched up or replaced the action photo, because I can now see the grill, tailgate and drivers side netting. The contrast, highlights, and saturation look better now too! I hope I'm not losing my mind!! [^o)]


If you do ever try this again, I was thinking that you may want to try to tie the truck down from the rear to a fixed point (with string) to prevent it from lurching forward as you try to capture the shot. It also may reduce the motion blur of the truck, while still blurring the wheels.





Rich

[freelanceshots]

Yes I'm sure you could do it with the items you mentioned. Ultimately I'd like to use my alienbee strobes but since I don't have a power source yet for remote locations I was stuck with my one 580EX. I seem to always catch myself thinking about the possibilities of the future and the generator would be a nice one because of the additional uses that it can do beside just powering strobes. The honda generators are by far the best and are very reliable, quiet and can last a lifetime. The alienbee battery unit is a good option but I'm just thinking if I spent 200 to 300 on it I could apply that money to the generator and then power my small fridge with drinks in it at the photoshoot. I found a Opteka RC-4 wireless remote just now that works with the 5D2 and it is 13 bucks. I don't usually buy anything beside Canon equipment but this is a nobrainer where it could end up breaking down the road and I would not be at a big loss for 13 dollars. The remote control to fire the camera in the situations that I like to do would be a big help. At this point in my life I don't have anybody who is interested in doing the kind of things that I like to do so anything I can do to make my job easier is good. In the end the bugs in the evening time are so bad that I had to ask myself what I was doing out there let along asking someone else to do it.

[freelanceshots]

Richard the smaller photo that I had uploaded just did not look right so I uploaded one of the additional photos that I had to flickr and linked to it. The previous image was one of the very dark ones. Sorry for confusing you. Still shows the blur from the front of the truck like I was going in reverse which really bugs me and was the reason why I was trying to use a faster shutter above 1/100.


Anchoring it down would be such a helpful option as it was a huge pain to have to climb around the camera gear through the sand with it sticking to every part of my body and then reposition the truck and then refocusing. I most likely won't be trying this again as my projects always turn out to be much more work then I imagine while I'm falling asleep.

[William]

The reason why you're out their being bitten by bugs and wondering 'what the heck am I doing this for', is because you are a true photographer. Photographers will do all sorts of crazy stuff for the shot. You don't get photos like these just by sitting the truck on the kitchen bench.

Some suggestions (and I'm mindful that I'm an amateur talking to a pro):

The 2nd curtain issue. Annoying, that's what it is, but I've found a work around. I soldered an infrared transistor to a mini-phone jack. I then tape this to my pop-up flash and connect it to my remote trigger. The only problem for you is that you would need a camera body with pop-up flash. But it works and it works well.


Timing. You could try a micro switch under the tire. This would fire the camera at just the right time upon launch. Allowing you to get predictable and repeatable results.


Alternately you could create motion by composing the truck more or less front on and zoom the lens as you fire. Do this in conjunction with the previous suggestion to anchor the vehicle and you've got spinning wheels, flicking sand, motion and sharp focus. (sharpness depends on zoom technique).


Here's a zooming shot I did while running backwards down a hill: www.flickr.com/photos/williamsphotoze/5844548191/


I'm sure you could get better results in a controlled environment with a tripod.

[freelanceshots]

Thanks William. You sound more knowledgeable then me when it comes to finding alternative ways to do things. I would have no idea how, what, when and where to do the transistor thing you mention. I bet you like the Mythbusters tv show as those two main guys can come up with many ways to accomplish specific tasks almost like MacGyver. Trying to hook/come up some kind of switch that would synchronize the flash to the throttle is also probably beyond my ability. I just have to rely on the old adage keep doing it until you get it right. That's what I did with this shot which was no easy task to synchronize but I had a helper to push the shutter at least to activate the self timer. It took 50 rounds to nail the shot I wanted.


The three things I will invest in next: a shutter release (one that you can use on bulb setting as well), 14mm L ultra wide lens, and most likely the AlienBees Vagabond mini battery.



Self Portrait by freelanceshots, on Flickr