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Car Photography

B

beingme

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 21, 2006
54
0
Well I told my friend that I was an awesome photographer and that I didn't need classes because I was naturally gifted:rolleyes:. However she called my bluff and now wants me to take some snap shots of her car. Any advice on how I should try to take the pictures... like what types of angles. I heard being low on the ground with a wide angle lens would help, not that I know what that means.
 
Wouldn't it be easier to tell her you were kidding?

You'd still look like a liar (deservedly so), but it would be slightly less embarrassing than taking crappy pictures first, and then looking like an idiot.
 
Well she knows I not a professional or anything of that sort but I would still want to try and take somewhat of a decent photo of her car.
 
beingme said:
Well I told my friend that I was an awesome photographer and that I didn't need classes because I was naturally gifted:rolleyes:. However she called my bluff and now wants me to take some snap shots of her car. Any advice on how I should try to take the pictures... like what types of angles. I heard being low on the ground with a wide angle lens would help, not that I know what that means.
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Go and practice on other cars first...

IF you have a digicam, it probably has a zoom. The wide angle is the opposite end of the range from the telephoto zoom. It's probably impractical or impossible to go and get a wider-than-35mm-equivalent lens at this point. Do the best you can with what you have. Look at some magazines and car web sites to see what people expect to see by way of car photos. Make sure the car is clean, preferably waxed to a high gloss, use some ArmorAll on the rubber parts to give them the 'wet look'. Try to find backgrounds that aren't too 'busy' and don't compete with the car as the centre of attention.

A cheap and easy effect for a couple of shots is to use the zoom to manipulate the depth of field. Do an extreme zoom on an individual feature (like the Mercedes star) and step back a bit to frame the shot. The object you are focussing on should be sharp and jumping out, and the background all soft and out of focus.

BTW, what part of low on the ground don't you understand? :p
After the bragging, and the bluff, comes the grovelling...:D
 
This reminds me of 90% of movie plots today, where the entire hour and a half is based on a lie Character A told Character B. And of course, everything could have been avoided if they had just confessed early and played it off well.

You're going to look like an ass either way, might as well not waste anyone's time. :rolleyes:
 
I read somewhere else on this forum that when the take pictures of cars they use different types and amounts of wax to accent/diffuse the shine in different parts of the car. (and of course if you clean and wax her car, she probably won't care how the pics turn out).
 
TheAnswer said:
I read somewhere else on this forum that when the take pictures of cars they use different types and amounts of wax to accent/diffuse the shine in different parts of the car. (and of course if you clean and wax her car, she probably won't care how the pics turn out).
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Yeah - going for that swooping, snake-like line of highlighting going across the paintwork. Plus supplementary lighting to get multiple highlights, tiny spotlights to create stars on the chromework and headlights, and don't forget the models in bikinis...


well....
 
and don't forget the models in bikinis...
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Since I'm already going to be grovelling for her to not to laugh at the pictures, I might as well push it so that maybe she would model in a bikini for me. :D
 
If she's like any of my girlfriends, just download a good image of a car that's the same colour from the interwebs. Hell, she probably won't even pick if it's a wagon instead of a ute. You just need to match the colour.
 
show up with a disposable camera from CVS. Make sure its the store brand and not a major brand
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hmmmmmm... I'm not suse if I'm ready for that kind of photography power. It's really just to much power in my hands.
 
mad jew said:
If she's like any of my girlfriends, just download a good image of a car that's the same colour from the interwebs. Hell, she probably won't even pick if it's a wagon instead of a ute. You just need to match the colour.
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If Women Ruled the World...
If_Women_Ruled_the_World_08.jpg
 
Cars look cool at almost-night, with a long exposure.

like this one...
 

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Thanks.

My brother positioned the camera (it's his car), I chose the settings and pressed the button.
 
I'm sorry, but you're screwed. :p


You know how some car photos are obviously taken indoors in a studio? They have complete control of the lighting on the car. There's 3 or 4 lights, and a rather standard position they place each one to get a standard effect. Then they tweak the individual lighting positions to suit the size and shape of the car.

I say you're screwed because even the outdoor photographs of cars are taken under somewhat controlled lighting.

If you take a photo in natural lighting, the sun is going to have to be at the perfect angle to make that car look beautiful. Also, I don't believe the background you use should have trees in the background. I mean the tree "stem/body" itself, not leaves. Leaves are cool.


And of course, if you want to get a decent shot of her car, you're going to have to clean and wax the outside for her. sucker :p
 
seenew said:
No, he probably just meant it was degrading to photography and is an unprofessional term. :\
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Yes my friend, that is exactly what I meant. The term snap is used to indicate a quick (non professional) photo. A Pro or semi-pro photographer would never use the term "snap"
I was not referring to Mmm eerrr that other thing :eek: :eek:

FJ
 
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