Noob to photography. Please critize my first attempts

[Slick 87]

So Im trying to learn how to take those sick pics everyone seems to post up.

I have access to a camera that can do it I believe, but not the skills.

Please look at my first pictures and give me some advice to help me grow as a photographer and to learn my camera. Just refrain from calling my car a 4x4, I already know it is, and Im working on it.

What I know so far about shooting cars:
1. Overcast days are good days to shoot
2. Dont cut off the ends of the car
3. Low angles are best

Thats it. All pics were taken with a D80, idk the lense on it.

[jspek]

no extreme angles...good
composition...not bad, watch for thoes trees that are growing out of the roof

if its your camera, id suggest getting a cp filter for what ever lens you are using. itll take the glare and reflections off the car.

[Slick 87]

good point about the trees in the two pics. thanks.

what is a cp filter? can the same effect be done through photoshop?

[grimm]

CP= CIRCULAR POLARIZATION no photoshop can not due that.
think of polarized sunglasses and how they will kill the glare/reflection on water or cars. same principle but on a camera lens.

[sisforsurfing]

Not a bad first try at all! It looks like you have a good start on building an eye for composition. #4 is good.

One rule of thumb I have for shooting cars is that unless it's for some wide-angle effect, I get as far away from the car as possible and use as much lens (zoom) as I can. Cars are big, so shooting close to them makes it hard to "separate" them from the background.

The only other real tip is worry most about good light. If it's nice golden light, usually after dawn or at dusk, go shoot. Don't expect much if the light is bad, everythign will look flat.

Word of warning that shooting black cars is harder than shooting light cars since they absorb more light, but that'll just make it easier when you shoot a buddy's silver car. Take lots of pictures!

[Slick 87]

Thanks guys. I realize too that the tree shadows ruined the 4 and 3rd pics. I will have a better location next time.

Ill keep in mind the zoom idea.

so how much does a decent cp filter cost about?

[97TurboDSM]

$100+

[sisforsurfing]

Originally Posted by 97TurboDSM

$100+

No wayyy, only for the baller ones in big sizes. If he's using a kit lens they're like $20. Even for a 77mm they're like $60 for the reasonable ones.

http://www.amazon.com/Tiffen-52CP-52.../dp/B00004ZCAU

[abrok99]

those are really good for your first try man.

[grimm]

you can use dodge and burn in photoshop to lighten and darken some areas. ie the shadow from the trees in #4

[grimm]

my 52mm tiffen cp is crap. makes my shots have a soft focus. i need to invest in a B&W oddly enough my 77mm tiffen cp doesn't impead on the quality as far as I can tell.

[97TurboDSM]

i bought crap CPL's before and they made absolutely no difference to my photos. There's no use in spending half the money for a crap filter.

[JoeyMas]

Originally Posted by 97TurboDSM

i bought crap CPL's before and they made absolutely no difference to my photos. There's no use in spending half the money for a crap filter.

Helps to know how to use it. For the CP to work, the sun needs to be at a 90 Degree Ang to the subject...

[BlackTypeR]

Originally Posted by JoeyMas

Helps to know how to use it. For the CP to work, the sun needs to be at a 90 Degree Ang to the subject...

Not entirely true. How about when your using it to take the glare off the windshield of a car?


This was shot directly in to the sun..

[grimm]

I think the new photos are a nice improvement. FWIW the car looks great, the background is what is lacking. Try AV mode and lower your fstop, you'll be able to get better separation between your car and the background. I think with some bokeh you'll have some really nice shots.

Originally Posted by JoeyMas

Helps to know how to use it. For the CP to work, the sun needs to be at a 90 Degree Ang to the subject...

There are many situations where you should use a CP filter for various reasons and they do not all follow the same principle that you state.
90 degrees to the sun is especially good for deepening the color of the sky. if you have a wide angle lens it will only deepen part of the sky.
I use a CP filter to remove images from LCD's for my interior shots, also to reduce the glare off windows.

[sisforsurfing]

Really? That's no good.

Hoyas are the same price, I've made quite nice 20x30" prints from lenses using my Hoya 52mm
http://www.amazon.com/HOYA-52MM-Circ...dp/B00006HOAN/

Sorry to go off topic. Just proof to the original poster that this 'photography' stuff sucks you in like quicksand, haha. Try and avoid the gear talk as long as you can, just go take lots of pictures.

[97TurboDSM]

yea it was awful. i'd recommend b&w or hoya for filters. even a 58mm bw filter is $60

[jspek]

i rec. hoya or bw also. i screwed myself once when i sold a lens, i sold my hoya cp filter instead of my quantacrap one lol.

btw this is what we're talking about haha

mainly without

and with

[97TurboDSM]

bahaha lulz

[Slick 87]

hmmm thread seems to be derailed.

should I be leaving the auto focus on while im still practicing or what?

My lense is 18-135mmm 1:3.5-5.6G???

Should i start trying to adjust for light and f-stop myself yet with that or just keep taking pics?