How to capture a good photo?
Discussion
Thats a very open ended question really, it depends on the age and style of the subject and what exactly you want the image to portray.
Is the car a sports car ? you'll want to invoke the image of speed, power, competency.
If its an executive cruiser the message is comfort, authority, control.
If its an old classic its heritage, nostalgia, (usually) style..
Think about the background - is it relevant ? important ? e.g. if taking pictures of a race vehicle you may want to capture some of a pitlane/advert hoarding etc in the picture to show the car "belongs" on track. If taking pictures of a prestige car you might set it in the grounds of a country estate, using the house as a backdrop to show its pedigree (in fact I think I've seen a picture on here that does just that).
The only other thing I can think of offhand is reflections.. unless deliberate (e.g. lights reflected in paintwork) generally I think cars look better with no reflections (waits for some clever sod to prove me wrong
)
I'm in no way an expert..
Is the car a sports car ? you'll want to invoke the image of speed, power, competency.
If its an executive cruiser the message is comfort, authority, control.
If its an old classic its heritage, nostalgia, (usually) style..
Think about the background - is it relevant ? important ? e.g. if taking pictures of a race vehicle you may want to capture some of a pitlane/advert hoarding etc in the picture to show the car "belongs" on track. If taking pictures of a prestige car you might set it in the grounds of a country estate, using the house as a backdrop to show its pedigree (in fact I think I've seen a picture on here that does just that).
The only other thing I can think of offhand is reflections.. unless deliberate (e.g. lights reflected in paintwork) generally I think cars look better with no reflections (waits for some clever sod to prove me wrong
)I'm in no way an expert..
I'd have a look at lots of car photos on t'internet (try Flickr for millions of them), decide which ones you like the look of, then ask yourself what it is about the picture that you like.
If there's a particular effect or style that you like, then post a link to it here and people will happily advise.
Also, take some photos yourself (however bad you think they are), post them here and people will happily give you constructive criticism.
As has been said, the main factors are the angle that the car is taken from, what the light level (and direction) is, and what the background and surrounding environment is like. The actual car itself often doesn't matter much in creating a great photo, although of course most people would much rather gaze at a 250 SWB than a Ssangyong Rodeus....
Ruari
If there's a particular effect or style that you like, then post a link to it here and people will happily advise.
Also, take some photos yourself (however bad you think they are), post them here and people will happily give you constructive criticism.
As has been said, the main factors are the angle that the car is taken from, what the light level (and direction) is, and what the background and surrounding environment is like. The actual car itself often doesn't matter much in creating a great photo, although of course most people would much rather gaze at a 250 SWB than a Ssangyong Rodeus....
Ruari
Another vote from me for using a circular polariser to control reflections. Also I'd say usually avoid shooting on a sunny day while the sun is out (especially when it's high in the sky) - that's not a hard and fast rule, but you'll usually end up with harsh shadows really bright reflections or glare etc from direct sunlight (wait for it to go behind a cloud if there are some around!).
If shooting the whole car, pay attention to background - try avoid ending up with lampposts or people's heads looking like they're growing out of the car - if at a car show and there's people milling around just be patient and wait for a clear moment. If you can't control the background and the background is a bit busy you can try reduce the distraction of it by using a shallow depth of field (low f number/wide aperture) to throw the background out of focus (although make sure you get enough of the car in focus). And also if shooting the whole car then shooting from normal standing eye level will usually look pants.
If shooting the whole car, pay attention to background - try avoid ending up with lampposts or people's heads looking like they're growing out of the car - if at a car show and there's people milling around just be patient and wait for a clear moment. If you can't control the background and the background is a bit busy you can try reduce the distraction of it by using a shallow depth of field (low f number/wide aperture) to throw the background out of focus (although make sure you get enough of the car in focus). And also if shooting the whole car then shooting from normal standing eye level will usually look pants.
Edited by Skaffen on Monday 15th August 14:49
Petrolhead95 said:
Thanks for the tips, im looking for a cheap editing programme thats decent, any ideas?
Gimp is free but quite complicated for a beginner, that said it does some powerful stuff.Photoshop Elements is a cut down version of Photoshop which is the industry standard for photo editing, it is around £75 IIRC.
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