Image critique: car shots

[alex.krebiehl]

I love cars. And I love photography. However, I'm having a hard time combining them. I just cant seem to get my composition right.


My friend and I got bored tonight and decided to go do a quick photo shoot just as the sun was setting. We didn't have too much time, so I wasnt expecting anything great, but they turned out a little worse then expected. Really, I only came home with one shot that I actually liked, and that was pretty much because the whole car wasnt in the photo


Both were taken with a 50D with the EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS attached





This is the one I actually like. 105mm f/5.6 1/200 sec ISO 250


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Dont mind the nasty trees in the background. We didnt have much time and I was just wanting to practice car-camera composition (I put a saturation layer on the background to help hide the distracting trees).


I cant seem to get that "power" feel of the car through the picture. (I didn't think the rear shot below was too bad, but I am definitely disappointed with the front shot). Tips on better camera angles etc would be greatly appreciated


44mm f/5.6 1/60 sec ISO 100


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33mm f/4 1/400 sec ISO 400


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[MattG]

Hi Alex,


I'm no pro but I might suggest a wider lens so you can get closer, capture more of the car, and less off the background. Try some different angles to capture the lines of the car. I would also try and capture some of the light reflections. I would also search some car sites to get some other ideas.


I would try and figure out a way to darken the windows as well. Maybe hang a black sheet inside?


Last suggestion - shine up those tires![]


Otherwise, these are pretty good and I think they are some classic car "poses". Nice car BTW.


MattG

[ddt0725]

I really like your car & I like your first and last photo best. I went to the Milwaukee Car Show in Feb. and took lots of car photos shot at numerous angles and the ones I ended up liking the best were the ones angled like your last shot. My only problem was all the peopleWANTING to be in my photosby standingin the way and the enormous amount of lights reflecting off the cars. I guess these two guys thought they were going to be famous or something!

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[Brendan7]

Alex, #s 2 and 3 are just awesome. I love the angle you shot them at.

y only problem was all the peopleWANTING to be in my photosby standingin the way and the enormous amount of lights reflecting off the cars. I guess these two guys thought they were going to be famous or something!

They probably saw you with that camera and huge flash and thought you were a pro for the Newspaper or something like that. Shot-poopers!


I am traveling to Boca Raton Florida in 4 days and will try some cars there, it's completely unbelievable what you'll see day to day in the streets. Last time I went the count was something like this:


2 Audi R8s


1 Lamborghini Murcielago


3 Ferrari F430s


1 Dodge Viper


1 Cadillac CTS-V


2 Maserati Quattroporte


1 BMW 7 series


and so forth....

[Sheiky]

Hey Alex!

I love cars. And I love photography. However, I'm having a hard time combining them. I just cant seem to get my composition right.

I know it...got to a carshow last year and came back with....nothing at all [:P]

This is the one I actually like. 105mm f/5.6 1/200 sec ISO 250

I think it is the best as well. One thing I can say about this is...you might want to get some of your lines straight. At least what I would have done is take the line above the "Z2B" and level the picture to this line. I don't know if it works for you, but I think I would have done that.

I cant seem to get that "power" feel of the car through the picture. (I didn't think the rear shot below was too bad, but I am definitely disappointed with the front shot). Tips on better camera angles etc would be greatly appreciated

To be honest I think you went too low for this shot. Personally I'm not really interested in what's happening below the car. Also a little bit more from the side would have made it stronger and it would have made the spoiler/rear lights "pop out" a little more.


The 3rd shot is not bad, but a little bit boring. I'm not sure if it is the desaturation, but your car doesn't have a lot of color and the image gets a bit dull.


****enough comments****


I think a full frontal shot of the car from very low (yes the front can have a low angle) can be quite strong and goodlooking.


Also show a little bit more foreground, more asphalt/concrete can be good and less background.


Bascially put your car elsewhere in your composition, not in the center, but more to the top or the sides. Crop a little


Also try some HDR or bracketing. I'm not talking about heavy saturation per se, but It will make your tones a lot stronger as well and it might even give you a strong background/foreground difference.


I hope my comments help a little. I might post some carshots myself this weeek, so you might want to check mine out and comment on me. That would be great! Good luck next time Alex, I'm sure it will be much better!


For instance a little less of the distracting background:






See what you like! Good luck!


Jan

[Sean Setters]

If you're shooting an aggressively styled car, using a wide angle lens close to the ground works well. Also, if you use a circular polarizer, the windows (typically) will look better because the CPL lessens glare.


Besides taking a few photos of my own car, this is the only time I've shot for someone else. It was basically an impromptu shoot (otherwise I would have chosen a less cluttered background). Although the day was overcast, Iused 3 or 4 flashes to make the vehicle "pop." It isn't perfect, by all means, but it's not bad for a quick setup.