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5 Tips to take Pictures of Cars
When you take shots of a car it’s like taking pictures of anything: if you like cars, you will probably do better. A car lover will see these details and lines, a simple photo technician will just not get a grip on. It’s a bit like focusing on Cindy Crawford’s eyes and neglecting all the other eye-tearing shapes. Which brings us right to the subject of tonight’s Ycademy call.
Look at the subject from different angles
Maserati 8CTF Indianapolis 1939
Maserati 1939 Indianapolis
Search for the design elements which make the car unique. In a time when all cars tend to look the same and where the best picture of a new Chevy looks as annoying as a Tata, we need to search for the highlights in the design. The mass produced Japanese, European and American cars are frankly no fun and there is not much to take pictures of that will knock you off the driver’s seat. The best you can do with them is to use them for further treatment and as a base for interesting trash graphics.
I have never understood why the masses have to drive such ugly cars and why the car companies reserve good design to the high end production, if at all.
So, sneak around your car, bend and stretch and find the best angles to shoot some flattering shots, sensual shots, aggressive shots, shots with a soul and a body: don’t forget, the car has also a rear, which may be as so often, the better part of the model.
Look for interesting Details
The excitement is where there is beauty, great design, interesting shapes and details. Sports Cars are still a great playground, at least on the higher end, and then of course classic cars. But on most any car you will find some detail of interest and be it just the most ugly heck spoiler on a Japanese Ferrari imitation from the 80s (remember that Honda, huh?).
Indi Maserati 1939
Create Focus with your Camera Settings
I like to shoot with priority on Aperture to work with depth of field in order to create focus; you can try as well to use macro settings for small details, namely on a small model car as featured here. It’s a matter of taking several shots and then selecting the best result. But in general, you should do better getting off the A and P modes on your Digital Camera.
The first picture above was zoomed, the two underneath work with depth of field.
Create Focus by Post-Editing
The result is better but not satisfactory: more focus can be added, first by taking better shots (you have to become a better photographer …) or by creating focus when post-editing. There is nothing wrong with post-editing, in fact, it enables you to make up for the lack of your camera’s quality (the best excuse) or for your lack of photographic knowledge (much less flattering for you and therefore not recommended …).
Now that we have established that the Nikons,Canons, Sonys and Leicas out there are not as brilliant products as marketing lead us to believe when the sales rep pulled us over the table, we breathe better and can now look for Companies which make money out of the technical failures of the Camera Manufacturers: Adobe has set industry standards in this field and their survival depends largely on the lousy camera quality (as I said, it’s the best excuse!).
The problem with Adobe, and Photoshop in particular is it’s low tech interface which requires a compass and a world map to find your way through the forest of settings nobody can learn in one lifetime (… Hinduism is a viable option). So finally here are your choices: become a Hindu Guru or learn how to take better pictures.
We cannot take better pictures, since the camera manufacturers do a lousy job. Hinduism is a difficult option for a Steak Tartar freak.
What else is there?
Luckily there are many more photography aficionados in the same case as you (and I) and they were there before us. These smart spirits have overcome the problem by creating things called Photoshop Actions and Plug-ins, Filters and Presets for Lightroom.
These guys of whom nobody knows the names, deserve highest respect and esteem, if not a legacy like the unknown soldier. These are the heroes who make our lives easier and due to whom our religious integrity is no longer threatened by Adobe and indirectly by the negligent Camera Manufacturers.
Let’s add some Creative Blur, Zoom or Pane effects to our masterpiece. A difficult job with a low end digital camera but a piece of cake for a good PS Action!
Maserati Detail
Your imagination is the limit and you will have to decide how far you want to push the tweaking; however, you should know that in fashion photography the most outrageous morphing is stretching Cindy’s legs and worse on better parts. So, don’t be ashamed to express your dream world as do the pros (the dream being most of the time the cash in the kitty called the fruit of empathy, huh.).
Indi 1939 Marerati
By the way… instead of blurring the car you could use spinning blur on the wheels while keeping the car in focus – the feel of motion.
Narrow Framing
Namely for details, frame as close as you can to obtain the highest amount of data possible; it will make your post-editing easier. If you take a pic of a car in its natural environment, make sure that the viewer’s eye is not sidetracked by the background or other distracting or dominant items:
Maserati BW
Maserati bb
I hope these 5 tips will help to get better results. I will share with those present my PS Blur Action at tonight’s Ycademy Workshop at 8 pm London Time.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
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Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics.
