Alright im not saying im the authority on this so if you wanna add stuff go ahead. First thing you need to do is figure out a spot to take pics. If you can't figure out what type of place to go, pick up a car magazine or a couple websites to get ideas. Its better to start out by basing your idea off of others to get yourself into a personal style. Second thing you need to do is figure out which direction you are gonna be shooting and plan your photoshoot based on the where the sun rises or sets, or when theres gonna be or not be a crowd. After that you need to look at weather…..clouds are good, no clouds are bland, rain will make your car dirty. After you got yourself a place, time, and good weather you can clean your car. Pay special attention to the wheels, tires, and wheel wells as those tend to stand out and if they are clean they will make your car look 10x cleaner and newer. When you arrive on site, make sure you park so that things like trees and flag poles are not behind the car. You want the car to stand out and have some distance between your background and your car to create depth. Also make sure to take pics of the front, back, sides, corners etc etc. Also make sure you either crouch or shoot from a ladder. Taking pics from your normal height makes for boring pictures. Theres not one trick for taking interesting pictures, you just gotta do alot of little things and it adds up making some good pictures.
wow man thanks for the tips, im sure there are a few others that will post up great tips as well.... since quite a few of you guys take some damn nice pics
i might be a little old fashioned (read: "having to get the shot almost perfect on the spot like on film"), so if it looks bad on your camera, it will look worse on your computer. sure you can edit, but you can only polish a turd so much lol. having said that...for all you slr and p&s manual mode users alike, don't forget to exposure bracket (and focus bracket if you're super anal. i do this out of necessity :/ ). that means take a shot that looks ok to you, take one that is light and one that is dark. that way, if they were too dark, you have 2 pictures to work with, and one will be significantly easier to post process dont forget your tripod, even on sunny days. dont take pics while its dark unless your camera is meant to do it with long shutter speeds. dont use the flash to illuminate the front corner only...just wait till daylight. great start so far danny
Tripod is a must...very impt. to get good pictures...keeps from having blury shots. Bogen manfrotto ftw...
i'll add a couple more tips: 1. sunset is the best time for photoshoots... u'll normally get abt 30 mins of good lighting during sunset, so make preparations before sunset! 2. always shoot with the sun behind u 3. good places/ backdrops for photoshoots: - garages - mountain roads - construction sites (or newly developed areas) 4. JDM style shots are cool, but 45 degree shots are too much imo..
.when taking pics of your car...if you aren't showcasing a particular part on the car....make sure you get the whole car in the picture
Another tip is to use objects and scenery focus attention on the car. Whether pointing at it or surrounding it, but not behind it. Ex: trees, buildings, flag/light poles. I also bring a squirt bottle with water and a microfiber cloth for quick touch-ups.
Garages CAN be good with the proper lighting, but they're also pretty over-used. Loading docks are also pretty over-used. 1. Carry an extra battery/card 2. Take multiples of the same shot to eliminate lens shake 3. Don't forget the rule of thirds 4. Gaudy/thick borders do NOT flatter the image I'll leave those for now
