# How to take decent pics



## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Hello guys,

I am in need of some advice my lack of photo technique for taking pics is driving me nuts ! 

Could one of the more experienced post up some basic steps to taking decent car shots, nothing fancy just some basic steps on maybe lighting i.e where not to have the sun when taking pics etc, distance from the car, angles, anything that can improve me basically :thumb: I only have a basic Nikon coolpix (dont laugh!) with iso, zoom & a tripod

Regards
Baz


----------



## Glasgow_Gio (Mar 24, 2008)

good light with a good looking, pref naked women........i take eye pleasing shots every time.


----------



## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

I took a look at your website and the gallery (although the pics are way too big IMHO) looks pretty damn good. What is wrong with your photography? Point to some pics you like of others, and some pics you don't like of yours and we'll try and explain the difference maybe?


----------



## dubnut71 (Jul 25, 2006)

Baz -I am by no means an expert ( oh how true that is!) but find the stuff that works for me is......
Car facing left to right (IE taking from the drivers side)

Front 1/4 view or front 3/4 view gives a good perspective on the car.

Try getting down low and looking up so to speak, can provide a new slant.

Have a look at the car ads / magazines and see what they favour!!

Light wise behind you if you can but always see what the camera is metering IE does it need a bit of fill in flash to lighten up those dull areas?

Tripod is always good as well, it allows you to be more creative with the aperture (if on manual) and not worry about the shutter speed!

Its good to have a guide but sometimes just go your own way mate otherwise they kinda all look the same. Just give it a go!!


HTH

GC


----------



## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

silver bmw z3 said:


> I took a look at your website and the gallery (although the pics are way too big IMHO) looks pretty damn good. What is wrong with your photography? Point to some pics you like of others, and some pics you don't like of yours and we'll try and explain the difference maybe?


ok maybe should have explained a little better, I am looking to improve my Studio pic's, e.g the last post of the Clio Trophy, the car looked stunning in the flesh, glossy, shiny & lurvly but in the pics it just looked plain naff & pink in most ... this is where I want to improve but can never get consistent quality pics for the studio write ups, if this makes sense ?

Thanks
Baz


----------



## ModBod (Feb 19, 2008)

Before I attempt to answer, what camera do you have?


----------



## ModBod (Feb 19, 2008)

Ok, I had a look at your website, I can see a couple of slight problems,

1. The main one is, almost all of your shots are overexposed, look for areas of burn out, I.E light coloured areas that have no detail in, at a guess i would say your camera is overexposing by two stops.

2. They all lack contrast, can easly be fixed in PhotoShop

3. I cant tell from looking at the pics cos I never seem the origonal car but if colour is wrong that also can be fixed in camera or in photoshop

When/if you get back to me with your camera make/model I will try and help you fix these issues.

To give you an Idea, here is a Before and after.

Note its really hard to get GOOD improvments on low res images, so consider this as a compromise, if I had the full size image i could make a far better job.


----------



## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

Auto Detox said:


> ok maybe should have explained a little better, I am looking to improve my Studio pic's, e.g the last post of the Clio Trophy, the car looked stunning in the flesh, glossy, shiny & lurvly but in the pics it just looked plain naff & pink in most ... this is where I want to improve but can never get consistent quality pics for the studio write ups, if this makes sense ?
> 
> Thanks
> Baz


To be fair to you, it looks like the light was very harsh and some of your photos were taken straight into the sun by the looks of it. If you had a camera with manual settings you could expose easily for that. I'd also get closer to the car, some of the shots the car seems to be leaving the frame. Might also be worth looking at a better camera and also doing perhaps doing some post-processing. This is an area where shooting "RAW" on a DSLR may be able to help as you can compensate (to an extent) for exposure afterwards. Take a look at this also which seems helpful:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-shoot-in-direct-sunlight/


----------



## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

ModBod said:


> To give you an Idea, here is a Before and after.
> 
> Note its really hard to get GOOD improvments on low res images, so consider this as a compromise, if I had the full size image i could make a far better job.


To be honest I think the before looks better, the "after" looks over processed and over saturated.


----------



## S63 (Jan 5, 2007)

Two very quick tips for you having looked at your pics. Much has already been said about lighting, if you are able to, take your pics early morning or late afternoon to avoid an overhead sun, colours will be far richer and shadow will will enhance the image.

You can improve your images dramatically by taking a little more care on the backround, the above shots for example are ruined by the tree behind the car, doesn't matter whether it's an expensive DSLR or a simple point n shoot, getting the basics wrong cannot be put right with elaborate equipment unless of course you want to spend a lot of time in Photoshop.


----------



## ModBod (Feb 19, 2008)

silver bmw z3 said:


> To be honest I think the before looks better, the "after" looks over processed and over saturated.


Your right I was rushing with it, I replace the image , I over shapened it, that tends to make colours look over saturated in low res images, like i said very difficult to get real improvments on low res images


----------



## BlueSupra (Apr 9, 2008)

Hi

Sorry to comment but do not thing of just the car... background also helps.

It looks like a tree is growing out of your car.

Pete


----------



## swiftshine (Apr 17, 2008)

Nobody has mentioned White balance yet. Sometimes auto white balance doesn't cut it, if so, change it manually to suit the conditions (assume you can do that on a coolpix?), and yeah, the red clio was over-exposed. Does the coolpix have a histogram? The better you can get the pics without photo-shopping, the better. Saves faffing about too much. If you dont have a histogram display on your camera, then take 2 0r 3 pics of each scene at slightly different exposures (in manual mode) and pick the one you like best.


----------



## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Guys many thanks for the replies just a couple of answers to them,

I dont really have that much scope over when the shots are taken I have to take them when the job is finished so early morning & late evening is out unfortuntely

I dont really want to photoshop them too much as the second pic (above) for me just does not look right, a little here & there maybe but not to the extent of trying to make the work look "better"

Raw, histogram, sorry too much jargon in some of these replies I am a complete novice to taking photo's turning off the flash is about all I can do , these mean nothing to me ... just a simple Detailer, sorry

Think I just need to practise & get me a new camera my poor coolpix is coming to the end of it's life after many years of abuse & travel

Thanks for the replies have they given me alot to think about :thumb:

Cheers
Baz


----------



## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

BlueSupra said:


> Hi
> 
> Sorry to comment but do not thing of just the car... background also helps.
> 
> ...


Good call, background - check :thumb:

Baz


----------



## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

Auto Detox said:


> Guys many thanks for the replies just a couple of answers to them,
> 
> I dont really have that much scope over when the shots are taken I have to take them when the job is finished so early morning & late evening is out unfortuntely
> 
> ...


It sounds a bit like you are trying to respond to each suggestion like some kind of defense (sorry if I've got this wrong), if you don't want to improve don't ask but the "jargon" is something you'll need to make effort to look into if you want your photos to look anything more than holiday snaps. Practice alone and a new camera will do very little, most of it is composition and technique if you ask me, then some post-processing (doesn't all have to be like the above, not the best example)


----------



## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

silver bmw z3 said:


> It sounds a bit like you are trying to respond to each suggestion like some kind of defense (sorry if I've got this wrong), if you don't want to improve don't ask but the "jargon" is something you'll need to make effort to look into if you want your photos to look anything more than holiday snaps. Practice alone and a new camera will do very little, most of it is composition and technique if you ask me, then some post-processing (doesn't all have to be like the above, not the best example)


Yes you seem to have got it wrong, sorry I was trying to explain myself & by practise I meant I need to learn about taking pics & the new jargon, surely technique comes with practise ? You can read all you like but actually getting hands on cant be beaten dont you agree ?

Regards
Baz


----------



## parish (Jun 29, 2006)

swiftshine said:


> Nobody has mentioned White balance yet. Sometimes auto white balance doesn't cut it, if so, change it manually to suit the conditions (assume you can do that on a coolpix?), and yeah, the red clio was over-exposed. Does the coolpix have a histogram? The better you can get the pics without photo-shopping, the better. Saves faffing about too much. If you dont have a histogram display on your camera, then take 2 0r 3 pics of each scene at slightly different exposures (in manual mode) and pick the one you like best.


Beat me to it. Yes, White Balance. Baz mentioned studio shots so almost certainly artificial light which will affect the colours - badly under some lighting.

Baz, get the instruction book out and find out how to use manual/custom white balance on your camera (usually involves taking a pic of a white card, selecting the pic and telling the camera that is white) for indoor shots. Once you've sussed it, take a pic with it set, then the same pic with WB set to auto and look at them on your PC. The difference can be dramatic depending on the type of lighting.

Edit: One other thing, try not to be over-critical of your own photos. I'm guilty of that. Not saying I'm a demon photographer - not by a long way - but I do tend to be more critical of my own pics than those of others. There's been a few times, at car shows for instance, where I have taken an almost identical shot to someone else (unintentionally) and I've looked at mine and felt it wasn't as good as the other person's but when I've viewed them side-by-side and been objective about them then there is not real discernible difference.


----------



## silver bmw z3 (Apr 30, 2007)

Auto Detox said:


> Yes you seem to have got it wrong, sorry I was trying to explain myself & by practise I meant I need to learn about taking pics & the new jargon, surely technique comes with practise ? You can read all you like but actually getting hands on cant be beaten dont you agree ?
> 
> Regards
> Baz


Practice without research IMHO is a bit like banging your head against a wall to an extent...although you will probably improve, you really want to be looking at photos others have taken, and getting others to look at yours. I agree thought its not all about the theory, but you have to be willing to put some time into learning. The camera typically is the least important bit - I've always been impressed with the polished bliss photos and its only now that Rich is buying a DSLR.


----------



## ModBod (Feb 19, 2008)

Here is a post I posted on a car meet forum I used to mod, still do, just dont hang around their anymore, I removed the forum name so as no to advertise them for free 


?????? want to show you how to best photograph your car, even if your photos are headed for some other Forums,web sites or even a magazine. When you're done reading this, you'll know most of the tricks used by the pros.

Grazing, or Driving?
One of the most common problems I see with photos is a car on grass. Cars belong on Roads, not grass. Cattle belong on grass. Tarmac is the natural environment for a car unless you've taken an agricultural excursion by late braking at the hairpin turn. Gravel is another no-no. Try finding a large, open tarmaced or paved area to shoot your car. Even a road with minimal traffic or limited access will work, but a car park will do just fine. If you want to be a stickler like me, look for area without lines painted on it. The one exception to this rule is for off-road vehicles. A 4x4 will look cool perched atop a big pile of rocks, but don't try this with a car. Try to put your car in its ideal environment.

Chop Job
lots of people take half photos. I guess we are supposed to just imagine what the other half of the car looks like, because the front or the rear has been chopped off. If you find yourself cutting off your car, take some more time to frame the car. This isn't a problem if you've got a digital camera with an LCD screen. You can see exactly what the final picture will look like ahead of time. If you've got an inexpensive film camera with a separate peephole that doesn't look through the lens, you'll have to account for the parallax angle to get the entire car into the picture.

The Amazing Three-Wheeled Car!
Most photographers like the low-angle shot. Cars always look bolder and more aggressive when shot from ground level (especially from a distance), but there is one big thing to watch out for if you do this: don't turn your car into a three-wheeler. You can shoot at an angle to the car; just avoid blocking the fourth wheel (the one in back) with one of the front wheels. With four wheels, your car will look more aggressive and meaner, like a big cat ready to pounce on its prey. Pick up any car magazine and look. Having read this, you'll be spoiled forever and will never look at car photos the same! And one last tip: low-angle shots only look good if your car has the right stance. If the car sits high, or even worse, the front sits higher than the rear, you've got problems, both photographically and aesthetically—unless you own a 4x4.

Growing Appendages
Stuff growing out of your car is not good, but it happens all the time. Park your car in some random place and take a random photo of it and you'll probably have random crap growing out of it. Your car wasn't built randomly, so why take a random picture of it? Light poles, fence posts, trees, post boxes we have seem them and taken pictures like this. This is easy to remedy by just taking a moment to look at your picture before you snap it. Sometimes all you need to do is get a little lower or move over a foot or two to get the offending appendage off your car. Other times, you may need to move the car a few feet or even find a new location if the background is too busy. Unless you live at the country club, you'll want to find something less “fussy” than a residential street. The best places are empty industrial parks (pick a weekend or holiday), small airports, the back of a Asda or B&Q (they owe it to us considering all the money we give them!), a quarry, a large country park (avoid city parks with lots of light poles and fences) or any other wide, open area.

On a related topic, avoid tangencies at all cost. A tangency is a line or curve in the background (often a wall, fence, roof or horizon) that intersects grazes or bisects the edge of the subject—in this case the car. A tangency will kill the outline of a car, make it look misshapen, or change its perceived proportions. In short do not site your car where a fence/ Wall etc runs behind and level with the edges of the car. This is one of them things thats easy to show but hard to explain, I will see about getting some Good and Bad pics done, I only decided today to do this guide so have not had time yet.

Location, Location, Location
The old estate agents motto applies to shooting car photos too. The ideal location is on level, high ground with open space facing west. You don't want buildings, trees, fences, signs, poles, utility wires or other obstructions blocking your light or creating unwanted reflections in your perfect paint. You want an open expanse to the west because you'll generally be shooting at sunset and with the sun not to your back. That's right, I said it, “don't put the sun to your back,” but we'll talk more on lighting later. The main thing to remember with location is to take advantage of what's available in your geographic area. If you live by the coast, a shore setting might work (try sunrise on the east coast and sunset on the west coast). 

Did I mention that you want a place that has a distant horizon line? Once you try it, you'll find that a good sharp horizon line down the side of your car will flatter the shape of the car and make your paint and body work look dynamite. A good horizon line at sunset will even turn an okay-looking car into an awesome-looking car. photographers calls this a “billiard shot” because you're bouncing the horizon line and golden sunset light off the side like a billiard ball. If you're selling your car and need to take a photo of it, this will make it look thousands of pounds better, so here's a trick that will literally put money in your pocket. 

Lights…
The good news here is that you don't need any extra lights (other than the ones on your car). The sun and sky will be your light source, and with the help of some homemade reflectors, you can put that light anywhere you want it. Most people just line the sun up with their buttocks and shoot the car with full frontal lighting. Don't do this! This is great if you plan a career in crime scene photography, but if you want to flatter the lines of the car and add depth and drama, you'll want to shoot with the sun ranging from directly in front of you to 90 degrees to one side of the camera. This is called backlighting or side lighting. This gives superior results, but only works if you're willing to “fill” some light in with reflectors. These reflectors can be purchased at a pro photo supply center, or made at home with cardboard, aluminum foil, tape and a box cutter. I made two reflectors with about £3.00 worth of materials.

Shooting with back- or side-lighting can produce dramatic results, but you may also want to experiment with using the car's headlights or parking lights. Headlights are like “eyes;” they let the camera peer into the soul of a car. Yellow marker lights and red taillights also add a pronounced amount of color when shooting in the waning “golden light” of twilight. 

Some photographers prefer lots of midday light, others like sunset light, and still others prefer afterglow light, which is very low-level light, but very good light. You can take great photos in all kinds of light—even in the rain or at night if necessary.


Thats it, I know its a bit long winded and maybe most of the time you only want a snap shot and don't want the hassle of all the above but if you follow the above rules only once you will want to do it again. So get out there and get some photo's of your car to be proud of.


----------

