How Do You Photograph Cars Well?

"hethoughtofcars" (hethoughtofcars) 01/28/2014 at 17:18 • Filed to: photography, oppositelock

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On January 6th the auto show finally comes to Portland. I'm sure I'll want to take a ton of pictures. My mother-in-law loaned me an old DSLR but I promptly lost the battery cover and batteries for it. In any case, these will likely be smartphone pics. I have a Galaxy Note 2 if that is important in any way. Any tips for taking good pictures? Other than the 'rule of thirds' assume I know basically nothing. How do you approach taking car pics? Are there any apps that are helpful? Can I still take decent pics with the kind of industrial fluorescent lighting you get at the convention center?

Nibby > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:20

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Don't use a phone camera :P

mycarneverruns87 > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:21

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SpeedHunters has great articles on "How to shoot cars" that are very in depth. Check them out. I posted a single article below but there are many more.

http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/01/how-to…

Brian Silvestro > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:27

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Woooo Galaxy Note 2 friends

CobraJoe > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:31

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Here are my best tips:

Try things. Try a weird angle, try getting really low, try getting close and zooming out, try stepping back and zooming in, try a flash, try without a flash, try whatever you think might be cool. After all, it costs nothing to take a picture.

Get some detail shots. Take an emblem pic, take a sticker pic, take some of the wheels, exhaust tips, chips in the paint, shifter, headlights, or whatever. After all, the standard front 3/4 view from standing height gets boring to look at after a while.

Don't be afraid to look stupid, no one will remember you anyways, so crawl on the ground to get that perfect shot.

Be patient, you'll constantly have people walking in and out of your shot, sometimes you just have to wait them out to get a clear view.

And most importantly, have fun. Don't spend all the time trying to get pictures, crawl all around the cars too, look under the hoods, see if you can fit in the back seat of an iQ, see how many people can fit in the trunk... Do stuff that you wouldn't do around a dealer. That's the best part about an auto show.

Audi For Life > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:33

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Last year, I took photos at the show using my Leica M9, which is known to be pretty lousy at getting white balance right under harsh lighting. Overall, my biggest issue was getting decent shutter speed and deep depth of field without getting blurry shots. I was able to correct most of it using Lightroom, but it's not 100% perfect.

I will be out shooting with my D800 this time and limp along with my 35mm 1.8 DX and a RX100 as a backup.

CobraJoe > Brian Silvestro 01/28/2014 at 17:33

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Me too guys!

Battery Tender Unnecessary > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:36

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Decent glass is key. As is learning about white balance, ISO, etc.

You can still take decent pics with industrial fluorescent lighting :)

Mainly, experiment and keep track of what works. I have a friend that is good enough to knock the socks off a couple's wedding without thinking about it now. But when he was just starting with photography he carried around a pen and pad. He would take 5-6 pictures from the same angle and position, changing the settings and keeping track, then reviewed what worked best when he got home.

camaroboy68ss > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 17:37

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Biggest pain is getting a clear shot. People will always run in front as you snap it.

Audi For Life > Audi For Life 01/28/2014 at 17:37

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That said, with a smartphone, take advantage of the wider FOV and try to have fun with shooting from interesting angles (low to ground, shooting from above, etc.). Rules of Thirds can help, but don't let that constrain you.

I haven't used too many Android photo apps, so I'm not sure I can be too big of a help other than maybe try Flickr or another photo app that gives you a wee bit more control over the shot.

Audi For Life > Battery Tender Unnecessary 01/28/2014 at 17:38

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Yep, it was a bit painful to shoot with a nearly all-manual camera, but it sure did make it interesting and (eventually) fun.

Supreme Kiwi Zorro > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 18:07

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Good lighting, timing, location, and interesting angle will do the trick. Experiment with manual mode (if your mobile has it). More importantly, practise! :)

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > hethoughtofcars 01/28/2014 at 18:22

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A good photographer can take good shots with ANY camera.