Tips needed

[cmr076]

hey guys and gals, I have been playing around with the camera I have at work and am less than thrilled with the way the pictures are turning out.

I am using a D80 and used the setting andrew G. said would be best (flash off, F 3.5, ISO auto) I didnt use a bi-pod and only had natural lighting to work with. Here are a few off the camera with no editing (haha i have NO idea how to edit, that may be something worth looking into)

anyways, here are the pics (I did my best to focus on NOT having things growing out of the car, etc)


1.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/050.jpg

2.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/030.jpg

3.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/041.jpg

4.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/019.jpg

5.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/018.jpg

6. (i think this ones dark)
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/070.jpg

7.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/013.jpg

8.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/061.jpg

9.
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/057.jpg

10. (I thought the reflection in this one was cool)
http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/006.jpg





**feel free to be mean, but if you are at least leave some constructive, mean feedback :) ) Thanks in advance **

[Renegade_]

Some are a touch under exposed but nothing terrible. Expected in auto modes.

When shooting cars watch how the light falls on the body lines - when you look at #1 you can see the diffuse light spreading across the hood thus highlighting the hood and the curves. Then look at #2 and you see there is a bit less diffuse light and more harsh highlights, plus the side of the car isn't completely illuminated and a bunch of it clips to true unidentifiable black. There is nice light on the rear wheel arch and engine cover, but in the front it is not as nicely lit. Its just a matter of moving the car around and watching how the light falls on the car. I personally would move up to full manual if I were you ASAP and buy a polarizer if you are going to be shooting cars.

On that camera, shutter speed should be a minimum of 1/(focal length x 1.5), dont stop lenses down past F/8 for the most part, dont be afraid of raising the iso, shoot raw.

[PAFirefighter11]

I'm on a thin client here at work - AKA it's a POS and I can't see the full quality of the photos. My favorite is number 5. You need to lose the busy backgrounds. Position the cars somewhere with a background that doesn't take your eyes away from the subject. I'd highly suggest investing in a 70-300 VR (or similar) or other super zoom lens. This will help blur the background, providing a better perspective and make the car your subject:
http://pafirefighter11.smugmug.com/Automotive/1998-Pontiac-Trans-Am/i-NVnkc3x/0/XL/BCM4398-XL.jpg

If you have a decent background then keep it in focus, but make sure it's something worth looking at WITH the car:
http://pafirefighter11.smugmug.com/Automotive/Trans-Am-in-MontCo/i-83fkT6h/0/XL/BCM4988-E-XL.jpg

[cmr076]

thanks for the tips guys, andrew edited #9 for me:

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr145/gvautosport/057-1.jpg

[i like rice]

Invest in a circular polarizer. It'll remove/reduce the glare on a portion of the car (ie windshield/hood or side of car) and it'll also increase saturation. In the images below, without a CPL, you would see reflections of the rocks on the lower portion of the car and you would also get a slight haze on the glass. With the CPL, you can see into the interior and you don't see the reflections of the ground on the paint.

Natural lighting wasn't in your favor due to the overcast skies. This is what gives the flat colors in your images. Partly sunny days are best when shooting with natural light.

Other random thoughts -
- Roll up the windows
- If you have the space to use and there isn't a good back drop, shoot at longer focal lengths to get compression (more car, less background due to a more narrow angle of view)

Here's an example of using a longer focal length so that the image is focused on the car. The background is simple and doesn't take away from the image:
http://www.asianguywithacamera.com/images/2011events/111811_Joshua_Seevers/images/01.jpg

Here's a wide angle shot to incorporate the 'angry skies' into the image:
http://www.asianguywithacamera.com/images/2011events/111811_Joshua_Seevers/images/02.jpg

The key is to look at the car, it's position and the relation to the background before you take the image. Some people just fire away and hope they get a decent shot. It's better to get the set up right before you start taking photos. When I'm shooting cars, I'm constantly shifting myself and also the car to get the right positioning.

[Saab93Aero]

dave, saw these posted in the exotic spotted thread.:inlove: if you guys are down at the new shop or ever just wanna snap pics, hit me up, I'm right in the area. joey's got my number or i can PM you it.

as for the pics, just whats mentioned above and the more pictures you take the more you can learn off the crappy ones, so just keep shooting and trying out different settings. thats they great thing about digital, you can take a ton of pics and just delete the ones you don't like.

[cmr076]

thanks everyone! all the info is great (a little hard for me to decipher though :) )

here is one from last night that I thought turned out good, a little dark maybe but I was happy with how they turned out!

http://i44.tinypic.com/k0hv88.jpg

[i like rice]

thanks everyone! all the info is great (a little hard for me to decipher though :) )

here is one from last night that I thought turned out good, a little dark maybe but I was happy with how they turned out!

http://i44.tinypic.com/k0hv88.jpg

Camera Maker: Canon
Camera Model: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Image Date: 2011-12-31 05:53:13 (no TZ)
Focal Length: 55.0mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure Time: 0.200 s (1/5)
ISO equiv: 400
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: Manual
Exposure Mode: Manual
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: No (enforced)
Orientation: Normal
Color Space: sRGB


There is camera shake on the image due to the 1/5 shutter speed. Bump up the ISO to 800 or 1600 to get the shutter speed to something more hand-holdable. Generally, you want your shutter speed to be 1/focal length, so in this case, try and get the shutter speed to 1/30 to 1/60. You're limited due to the f/5.6 at 55mm on the lens, which is why you'll eventually upgrade to a faster lens (either a prime or a fixed aperture lens).

[cmr076]

that makes more sense, I was slowing the shutter speed WAY down (1/5) so I could keep the ISO lower (i found when it was higher with the shutter speed faster the pictures were getting really washed out looking on the display when in a room like the hotel with REALLY bright lights in one room [bathroom] and soft lighting everywhere else) I do want to get a faster lense as well. This canon is my brothers I took it to make sure I like shooting before I drop a g+ on camera gear.

[gtsiawd96]

I like Rice knows what hes talking about. Shooting indoors anytime even with a Fast prime sometimes is still hard and the ISO is going to have be bumped up. That's when quality of the camera body really comes into play. My old D60 looked like crap anything over ISO 400, my new D7000 at ISO 2500 and looks terrific

[cmr076]

yea, he takes great pics and is always helpful, is this canon i am using not a good body? I know he paid a decent amount when it was new. I really want to buy myself a D90 like I use at work.

[Renegade_]

According to your picture info, your shooting with a Nikon.

There really is no such thing as a bad body as long as you can use it well and that just takes time - no real tricks to it. I could take similar pictures with my old rebel XT as I do with my 7D... a 300 dollar body vs a 1300 dollar body. I just wanted the FPS and video which is why I upgraded.

Hold a canon in your hand and hold a nikon in your hand - whichever one feels better and more natural, go for it. Now that you already shot with Nikon, you will probably go with Nikon. You invest in lenses, not in bodies as the lenses will all outlast the bodies you will own in your life.