Hi everyone,
No car reviews today. But I would like to share with you how I take my photos. I've been asked by a few members in the forum on how do I photograph my cars. Well there is no secret actually. Just practice, research and try to mimic other photographer’s technique.
Well before you start taking your pics, you should decide where you want to take pics of your cars. Indoor or outdoor. If you take photos outdoor, you will have lots of natural lighting. This brings out the shine and details of your model. I don't really have experience taking photos outdoors, so I won't comment much about the outdoor technique.
I am planning to take my models outdoors for a photo shoot. And while I am at, I will experiment with the forced perspective technique.
Here is a good link for the
forced perspective technique.
For the time being, I just taking shots indoors.
If you are taking pics indoors, I recommend either buying or build yourself a light box. There are plenty of online tutorials for building your light box cheap.
Here is one
tutorial.
I bought mine. One thing I really like about my light box, is the fact it folds down easily for storage.
If you are going to take photos indoors, the type of lights that you use will make a big difference. I strongly recommend using white daylight bulbs (LED). These lights will eliminate the yellowish color you get from florescent bulbs.
Here is a shot of a model I took with my iphone at my office.
As you can see there is a yellowish tint caused by the florescent lighting at my office. This can be color corrected in Photoshop.
Here is a shot of the S30Z in placed in the light box using daylight bulbs.
As you can see there is no yellowish tint.
Next get a tripod. 
You can use a mini tripod and they are super compact. I also recommend that you invest in a smartphone tripod mount. Nowadays most smartphones have decent lenses that allows you to take good shots.
Cell phone camera or DSLR?
As mentioned, most cell phone cameras are decent and can take really nice photos. But I do find that they do have limitations.
Here is a shot of a DC2 i took with my cell phone camera.
Decent but lacking details.
Here is the same shot taken with DSLR.
I find the colors are not as harsh with a DSLR.
The good things that a DSLR has over a cell phone camera are:
1) You can adjust the F-Stop for depth of field.
2) You can adjust your shutter speeds
3) You can change the ISO settings
4) You can zoom into the subject without using digital zooms.
5) Multiple lenses at your disposal (Camera lenses are not cheap, and they hold their value when reselling).
6) You can shoot video at full frame with DSLR.
The crappy thing about DSLR's is that they are big for transporting.
I use an old Canon Rebel XS with the stock 15-55mm lens. For me this is sufficient for the time being. Later on, I would like to purchase a camera with a better crop sensor, and more settings.
My old Canon Rebel XS - 10.1 mega pixels with stock EF-S 18-55mm kit lens.
Manual mode or Automatic mode when shooting with DSLRs?
I use my camera’s manual mode for taking photos of my cars. I generally shoot with the F-Stop set at 20. This gives me a good depth of field, and everything is sharper.
Notices the subject here is more in focus...f/14, ISO-100, Exposure time 1/6sec.
If you set a low F-Stop, you will have a shallow depth of field.
Same shot different f-Stop setting (f/5.6, ISO100, SS 1/4 sec). Shallower depth of field.
I usually use a low f-stop for most interior shots. The low f-stop will make objects (such as the A and B-Pillars) closer to the camera more out of focus.
Interior shot of a AMG GT Prior Design f/11
I set the ISO setting to 200, which I find ideal for shooting indoors with a light box. There will be less grain.
Here is an example of a Low ISO vs High ISO.
I suggest that you play with the f-stop and ISO settings. A rule of thumb to remember is a higher f-stop setting the greater the depth of field, and a high ISO setting will produce more noise in your photos.
This image was shot in a dark room with only one light source. The light used was a Ikea desktop lamp with a LED daylight light bulb. The light was diffused out to reduce the harsh highlights. ISO-400, f/20, exposure time was 1/3 sec.
For this shot of this NA by Ignition Models, I used a single light source that was reflecting light off the ceiling. I turned the off all the lights in the dark room. I set the ISO to 100 to reduce grain. f/20, Exposure time 25 seconds.
Playing with lights
For this composition, I used three light sources. Two for the sides, and one for the top. As you can see in the first image the front A-Pillar and front fender of the Ruf Yellow Bird are lit up more, but the window is washed out more.
The second image - same shot and composition. But this time I turned the right side light off. But I brought the top light down closer to the subject and angled it so that the right passenger side still gets exposed, but the window is not washed out. I like the second image more IMO.
Use different camera angles
Low level shot
Eye Level shot.
High Angle shot
I recommend looking at online and see how magazines take pictures of cars, and try to mimic the shot with your camera. Remember to experiment and have fun.
If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask. And if you would like to share your photo techniques, please share.
Happy Collecting everyone!!
William
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!
The banners on the left side and below do not show for registered users!
