Calling all Oppo Photographers

"ModerateSloth" (moderatesloth) 06/10/2014 at 23:31 • Filed to: PHOTOGRAPHY

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I went out today and took some photos with my buddy's GTI and my GLI. After uploading them to my computer it seemed like something was missing. I really want to get into automotive photography but I need some constructive criticism from those who know what they're doing. Is there here on oppo who can help me out?

The Tunnel > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:32

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Its Oppographers.

Dsscats > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:33

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I know what's missing

Needs moar low :p

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:35

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Well, that second one is now my desktop background, so I'd say they're pretty good.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:36

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Photos look good, but I feel they could use a bit of shadow.

PheeNoIVI > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:41

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The second one is best. It's all angles. And make sure the background is distracting. Just experiment. Look at a bunch of photos and try to mimic them

ZiptieMcBumper > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:44

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You want to know what's wrong with them? Your prejudices about what "good car shots" should look like. Stop mentally comparing your shots to those who abuse HDR and contrast to a degree that warrants a call to the authorities.

They're good shots. Keep working.

That FF Cobra will be a beast, BTW.

D > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:46

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I mean, if your truly looking for advice I'd just recommend more flattering angles. For example, I never like the angle used in the first pic because it makes one spot on the car huge and everything else tiny. With cars I typically do a low-down 3/4 shot that shows a little more of the side of the car than the front/rear.

I like the second one, in terms of both composition and exposure

Last two are a wash IMO, I'm not too into detail pictures.

Really just keep shooting, try everything until you get a good recipe down.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:51

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They are very well framed, but the colors are kinda flat. May I suggest some light color editing in aperture or photoshop/fireworks?, Or I can do it to show what I mean, if your ok with that, I mean They are your photos, I dont wanna edit them without your permission

ttyymmnn > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:55

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I don't take many car pictures (none, actually), but I do take lots of pictures of airplanes, static displays, and other things. Take a look at the first two photos. The first one: meh, ground out to the pitcher. The second one: much better, a solid double to left. What is the main difference? The angle. In my experience, lower is better in many cases. Try to get an angle that people don't often see something from. The lower angle makes the cars look more aggressive, more intimidating. You've got a lot of road at the bottom of the shot. Experiment with more sky. Not to say that sky is more interesting, but try framing your shot in different ways. Experiment with different apertures. Lie on the ground. Stand on a ladder. Just try really hard not to take pictures from the standing POV that everybody sees from every day. Try really hard to find interesting backgrounds. The foreground is the subject, but the background can make or break a photo. And above all, find photos you like that were taken by pros and study the hell out of them. Look at all the things I mentioned above. Ask yourself why you like them, what is good about them. Try to recreate the ones you really like, and you'll learn the process of setting up a successful shot. And above all, take shitloads of pictures. I like to say I learn with every click of the shutter.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > ModerateSloth 06/10/2014 at 23:55

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While the car is important in the photo, a really good photograph will have a nice backdrop or something to go along with it. Glass is important too, even though it sucks forking over money for a piece of fast glass, it does make your photos look better.

Also just keep shooting stuff, go look at blogs with good photography and learn. Speedhunters does segments once in awhile about shooting automotive photography.

ModerateSloth > ttyymmnn 06/10/2014 at 23:59

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Very very helpful, thanks for taking the time to type that out

ttyymmnn > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 00:00

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My pleasure. One a teacher, always a teacher, I suppose. Good luck, and have fun!

ModerateSloth > E30Joe drives a Subaru 06/11/2014 at 00:00

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A nice backdrop seems to be the thing that I'm lacking with these...thanks for the info and pics

E30Joe drives a Subaru > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 00:04

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Yep any time, I love going out and shooting. Find an interesting place to take a photo without a car, then put a car there. Abandoned buildings, cool bridges, twisty wooded roads with lots of fall colors, lakes, rivers, whatever. Just add cars!

ttyymmnn > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 00:06

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Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but I definitely had a plan when I shot this. My family was in DC the last few days, and our first day we were at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial close to nightfall. I set my camera (Canon 20D, Tamron 17-50 f/2.8) on aperture priority at f/2.8 and held the camera against the wall—I knew it was going to be a long exposure because it was getting dark. But I held the camera low, maybe one foot off the ground and aimed it by dead reckoning. My son was walking by and had stopped to look at the wall—that was the luck part. But the shot would have been nowhere near as effective if I had taken it from six feet off the ground.

ModerateSloth > ttyymmnn 06/11/2014 at 00:12

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I'm definitely seeing that the height is crucial. You also have a unique angle there and that seems to make a huge difference, as you mentioned earlier. Absolutely beautiful shot!

ttyymmnn > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 00:33

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Thanks. And remember, it's not just low. It's just different. You can see some of my aviation stuff here:

http://ttyymmnn.kinja.com/air-power-expo…

It was a crappy day for photography, what with the sun position and that damned hazy Texas sky. I'm on the road, so I don't have access to my static display stuff. But as far as framing goes, you'll see how I like to put the planes in the sky generally off-center. I feel this gives them more of sense of motion.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 00:35

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Hope you don't mind but I did it anyway, couldn't resist. Please dont hurt me

Toby F., Manager > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 01:04

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so far, so good!

Advice: just keep messing around with your camera/lens(es) & editing software. Know your camera inside and out. What each button does, how settings work and react, etc.

Play around with the concept of "rule of thirds" & just keep playing with your angles.

When it comes to editing, less of of the "presets," preset knobs and dials and less of the saturation feature.

The only real editing I ever do are color corrections in photoshop. (I also love and focus on "candids" people and things in their natural environments. I compose and take the shot before the person(s) can even say "cheese," literally. There's a special and different essence to capture the natural moment vs "fully posed)."

Lastly, have fun, make mistakes, make your art, enjoy, youtube, make sure your screen is color calibrated, print some (or all) of your work from a quality printer/printer service (there's a really awesome feeling when you have a tangible poece of you work you can admire and share)! Also, as another aside, don't be too fixed in capturing the moments... Enjoy the moment too!

Hope that helps! If there's any more, ask, I may be able to help. :)

Former photo major & "teacher" in high school.

AthomSfere > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 07:32

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That first shot, the colors are washed out IMO.

What were you metering off of?

Tstanisch > ModerateSloth 06/11/2014 at 08:18

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Not bad, I tried a few times before, dont think I got it to do full time, but still fun.

quarterlifecrisis > ttyymmnn 06/11/2014 at 12:23

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Not sure if you use LR or anything like that, but I've found a good trick for cropping. (Sidenote: I'm a big believer of cropping to what the photo calls for, BUT...sometimes it can be hard to tell what the photo actually calls for.) I set the crop to 1.618x1 (the Golden Ratio). The use a crop overlay of the golden ratio or golden spiral, putting the focal point of the photo on one of the intersecting lines. Works wonders.

ttyymmnn > quarterlifecrisis 06/11/2014 at 14:17

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Thanks for the tip. I'm a strong believer in cropping, though I know that there are others who are staunchly opposed to it. This photo is uncropped, and actually, unprocessed. Right out of the camera. I do a fair amount of sports and aviation photography, and I can't imagine doing those photos without cropping. I use PS Elements, btw.

ttyymmnn > ModerateSloth 06/25/2014 at 14:26

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I saw this photo today and it reminded me of our conversation regarding angle. This is exactly what I was talking about. Check this out, how low the camera is, and how the image has been tilted (either when it was taken, or in post processing). It's an ugly car, but it's a great photo. Note the slight turn of the wheel. With the heavier back end of the car, the tilt of the frame, the turned wheels, it's got tons of potential energy stored up in it. It looks as if it's ready to spring like a cat.