what do you think about these pics?

[Diddiyo]

hi all,

this morning i was playing around with the camera settings and a polarizer but i am not sure what to think of the results. i'm interested to know what you guys think (sharpness, brightness, overall picture quality etc). all comments are welcome, thanks in advance!

 

[Diddiyo]

 

[wheezy]

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They look a lot like snapshots, to be honest. Car shows are loaded with awesome subjects, but generally the surrounding area is way too distracting. I think you could have gotten some better photos doing more telephoto shots on specific pieces of the cars, not really sure what benefit the polarizer had.

 

[Diddiyo]

They look a lot like snapshots, to be honest. [...] not really sure what benefit the polarizer had.

that's what i was thinking too! especially with multiple cars in one shot. i don't like them. for example this pic is just horrible. not sure if i used the polarizer on that one, but the colors of the tree are weak and it looks like a ****** cellphone picture. i'm shooting in 8M with a canon t2i. lenses used: kit lens 18-55 with a circular polarizer (sometimes) and a canon 50mm fixed lens.

i used the polarizer in some of the pics to play with windows and to use the exterior paint as mirrors. this one for example.

 

[emorydunn]

The things that stands out the most for me is the lack of a level horizon. Unless you're consciously choosing to use a Dutch angle then you should ensure your horizon is level.

With these photos it looks like it may have been a choice to make the photos more dynamic but it really doesn't work, they just look crooked.

What you need to do is to find the dynamic angles of the cars, not just tilt the frame in hopes it makes the photo better.

 

[peeaanuut]

shooting car shows especially in the morning is tough. Lots of people, close quarters and generally a drab background. As others have suggested, focus on parts of cars or say a row of ferraris but only showing the front bumpers. Stuff like that. Also, a faster lens such as a f2.8 or so would help that as well. Not sure what equipment you are using though, so that might not be a possibility. Also if you can isolate a car or find one that is already isolated then that could help as well.

As far as the angled shots, that has become a very popular technique that just doesnt work. Maybe for a movement (rolling) shot it can work, but just at a show it doesnt always work. But it is common in magazines and other online publications. It gets annoying like someone that always shoots in instamatic mode.

But I say keep going with it and you will improve.