Photography guide
Discussion
Does anyone know of a decent guide to help me pick up my photography skills a bit?
I’m pretty aware of the basics, understand how to get my depth of focus, capture fast action, keep noise to a minimum, frame things well etc, but it seems like I could do with a set of tips for where to start from in settings to start taking the sort of thing that I’d like to put on a wall.
I took a load of pictures of my car to sell last week, and just used the pretty decent camera on my iPhone, and they did the job fine, but were flat, and uninteresting. They showed a buyer what they were getting, but that’s all.
The other night, when I arrived home in the new one, the sun was getting low, and the light had a lovely quality, but I knew that by time I got my nice SLR out and then fancied around with it it’d be dark.
Are there any flash-cards or similar that will just lay out some ideas?
For example,
“Photographing your car like what Evo does...
Wide prime lens, 35m or wider
Shoot from 5-10m away
Shoot wide and then crop
Take bracketed shots over 3-5 apertures
Use a vivid setting if you don’t want to post-process
Sun at right angles to shooting angle”
I’m pretty aware of the basics, understand how to get my depth of focus, capture fast action, keep noise to a minimum, frame things well etc, but it seems like I could do with a set of tips for where to start from in settings to start taking the sort of thing that I’d like to put on a wall.
I took a load of pictures of my car to sell last week, and just used the pretty decent camera on my iPhone, and they did the job fine, but were flat, and uninteresting. They showed a buyer what they were getting, but that’s all.
The other night, when I arrived home in the new one, the sun was getting low, and the light had a lovely quality, but I knew that by time I got my nice SLR out and then fancied around with it it’d be dark.
Are there any flash-cards or similar that will just lay out some ideas?
For example,
“Photographing your car like what Evo does...
Wide prime lens, 35m or wider
Shoot from 5-10m away
Shoot wide and then crop
Take bracketed shots over 3-5 apertures
Use a vivid setting if you don’t want to post-process
Sun at right angles to shooting angle”
The key is in (a) deciding what you want to achieve, then (b) using the tools available to try to achieve it.
By tools I mean not only the kit per se, but knowing the options/controls and thinking them through.
Under all the marketing clutter they like to throw at you, a camera is very, very simple: it's a box with a hole in the front. Strap the other layers as you go. Try not to copy what others do, learn to think from first principles.
By tools I mean not only the kit per se, but knowing the options/controls and thinking them through.
Under all the marketing clutter they like to throw at you, a camera is very, very simple: it's a box with a hole in the front. Strap the other layers as you go. Try not to copy what others do, learn to think from first principles.
If you want to speed up your learning process, it's difficult to beat some actual tuition. I would generally always recommend technical learning rather than creative - as mentioned above, it will give you the skillset to achieve the things you want to, rather than trying to replicate something you've seen.
Self-learning can get you where you want to be, but it will take time as you need to build up a base of knowledge in order to know what you need to learn next.
Self-learning can get you where you want to be, but it will take time as you need to build up a base of knowledge in order to know what you need to learn next.
A big difference between what you take and what we see in publications is the amount of work that goes in after the photograph has been taken. It's about creating an image, not necessarily what it actually looks like.
Even if you don't go down the photoshop route, I think it's still worth watching a few videos on YouTube to see what is/can be done.
Even if you don't go down the photoshop route, I think it's still worth watching a few videos on YouTube to see what is/can be done.
To get Evo style photos an iphone snap wont cut it in any way, you think how much they are paying to get that result, car photography is an art in itself
However, the easiest way to make your photos pop for selling , or wall hanging, i would say is just drive to a place with a decent background, often urban graffiti wall or run down industrial site it seems these days, or a field if you prefer, but not on the drive way or road side with houses outside.
Then take photos early morning/ late evening for decent light, and also use a telephoto lens (or the most tele you have) on your SLR fully open (F2.8 or what ever you can go down to) to blur the back ground.
if you have a polariser on your set up all the better to remove window relfections
Look at the pictures you would like your car to be look like and mimic the angles
Finally, use Photoshop to remove blemishes and lightly enhance colors as well as deepen blacks , lower highlights and open some shadows.
At that point it should 'pop' better than iphone shooting car on driveway type photo
The next step i would imagine is adding lighting, but then it becomes rather serious at that point.
important to note, i know nothing about car photography, just thinking in general how photos are made!!! so take the above with a pinch of salt and listen to real pros who im sure will pipe up soon!!
However, the easiest way to make your photos pop for selling , or wall hanging, i would say is just drive to a place with a decent background, often urban graffiti wall or run down industrial site it seems these days, or a field if you prefer, but not on the drive way or road side with houses outside.
Then take photos early morning/ late evening for decent light, and also use a telephoto lens (or the most tele you have) on your SLR fully open (F2.8 or what ever you can go down to) to blur the back ground.
if you have a polariser on your set up all the better to remove window relfections
Look at the pictures you would like your car to be look like and mimic the angles
Finally, use Photoshop to remove blemishes and lightly enhance colors as well as deepen blacks , lower highlights and open some shadows.
At that point it should 'pop' better than iphone shooting car on driveway type photo
The next step i would imagine is adding lighting, but then it becomes rather serious at that point.
important to note, i know nothing about car photography, just thinking in general how photos are made!!! so take the above with a pinch of salt and listen to real pros who im sure will pipe up soon!!
satans worm said:
To get Evo style photos an iphone snap wont cut it in any way, you think how much they are paying to get that result, car photography is an art in itself
However, the easiest way to make your photos pop for selling , or wall hanging, i would say is just drive to a place with a decent background, often urban graffiti wall or run down industrial site it seems these days, or a field if you prefer, but not on the drive way or road side with houses outside.
Then take photos early morning/ late evening for decent light, and also use a telephoto lens (or the most tele you have) on your SLR fully open (F2.8 or what ever you can go down to) to blur the back ground.
if you have a polariser on your set up all the better to remove window relfections
Look at the pictures you would like your car to be look like and mimic the angles
Finally, use Photoshop to remove blemishes and lightly enhance colors as well as deepen blacks , lower highlights and open some shadows.
At that point it should 'pop' better than iphone shooting car on driveway type photo
The next step i would imagine is adding lighting, but then it becomes rather serious at that point.
important to note, i know nothing about car photography, just thinking in general how photos are made!!! so take the above with a pinch of salt and listen to real pros who im sure will pipe up soon!!
Thanks. Long lens to stop the fisheye / distortion from shooting closer?However, the easiest way to make your photos pop for selling , or wall hanging, i would say is just drive to a place with a decent background, often urban graffiti wall or run down industrial site it seems these days, or a field if you prefer, but not on the drive way or road side with houses outside.
Then take photos early morning/ late evening for decent light, and also use a telephoto lens (or the most tele you have) on your SLR fully open (F2.8 or what ever you can go down to) to blur the back ground.
if you have a polariser on your set up all the better to remove window relfections
Look at the pictures you would like your car to be look like and mimic the angles
Finally, use Photoshop to remove blemishes and lightly enhance colors as well as deepen blacks , lower highlights and open some shadows.
At that point it should 'pop' better than iphone shooting car on driveway type photo
The next step i would imagine is adding lighting, but then it becomes rather serious at that point.
important to note, i know nothing about car photography, just thinking in general how photos are made!!! so take the above with a pinch of salt and listen to real pros who im sure will pipe up soon!!
I did a report on an Evo photoshoot for a club magazine.
Their systems and methods seemed to take every bit of fun out of the process, and process it was. The chap didn't seem to enjoy one second and the writer exuded boredom as soon as he got out of the van.
I've been in the press room of a few race meetings and the atmosphere was entirely different, even at one sodden endurance series event. To suggest they were enjoying it is, perhaps, an overstatement, but there was enthusiasm on show. They seemed a pleasant, if scruffy, crowd.
Their systems and methods seemed to take every bit of fun out of the process, and process it was. The chap didn't seem to enjoy one second and the writer exuded boredom as soon as he got out of the van.
I've been in the press room of a few race meetings and the atmosphere was entirely different, even at one sodden endurance series event. To suggest they were enjoying it is, perhaps, an overstatement, but there was enthusiasm on show. They seemed a pleasant, if scruffy, crowd.
Kent Border Kenny said:
Thanks. Long lens to stop the fisheye / distortion from shooting closer?
Not so much distortion but perspective. A longer lens will certainly give you a more 'normal' looking shot, but you might decide you like the wide angle look. Sometimes it adds some wow, sometimes not, depending on the car and the viewing point.Digital Photography masterclass by Tom Ang is a good book to tell Santa you'd like.
Assuming of course you're not going to block the chimney up to prevent a visit from the border crossing red suited covid carrying minced pie scoffing deliverer of dubious delectations and ill fitting socks.
Assuming of course you're not going to block the chimney up to prevent a visit from the border crossing red suited covid carrying minced pie scoffing deliverer of dubious delectations and ill fitting socks.
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