# Car Photography tips & tricks?



## Guru (Aug 28, 2013)

I see daily so many awesome photographs in the show-off section, and keep wondering. Today I thought - instead of wondering let me ask.

So people - can you share tips and tricks for taking photographs to truly showcase your work? How to take pics of your car so that they will reflect all the efforts you've taken and the finish you've imparted to it?

Agreed that there may be different techniques for light coloured cars & dark ones, but let them all flow.

*Mods - I created this thread because I couldn't find a similar one. If one already exists, please merge. Also, if you feel this belongs to a different section, please feel free to move it.*


----------



## Beancounter (Aug 31, 2006)

I think the tips that Polished Bliss give for their show and shine are worthy of a mention when trying to capture a shot. Simple things like making the shot tidy and trying to avaid having products scattered everywhere etc.


----------



## Guru (Aug 28, 2013)

Thanks for the link. It is certainly helpful, but I was looking at suggestions from people who have (sort of) mastered the art of showcasing their own work - like how to compose the photo, what lighting conditions, how to capture reflections etc.


----------



## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

Is this any use? http://www.carphototutorials.com/the_secrets_behind_a_great_car_photo.html


----------



## CTSCraig (Apr 30, 2013)

Here is a post I made for another forum a little while back...


CAR PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE

Some of this may be basic, but hopefully it is useful to some. I don’t claim to be an expert at all, just a hobbyist, so hopefully people can add their own tips here to help improve my photography too!

FIRST THINGS FIRST
This goes without saying - clean your car like you have never cleaned it before (unless you are going for a grungy dirty look)! E.g. Get rid of dirt & gravel from the tyre treads (not just the side walls).

Top tip - look up the best car photo you have ever seen and decide why you like it. Working out how that shot was achieved will help you get what you want from your own car photos.

Now, if you want your photos to look professional, the next stage is arguably the most important… choosing the right time and place for your photoshoot.

THE ‘GOLDEN HOURS’
If you are expecting a sunny day it is best to avoid the midday sun. Midday sun is too harsh and you will have too much reflection off the car and you will not get an even exposure. For better results try to shoot in the 'golden hours'. By this I mean early morning/dawn or late afternoon/dusk. You want the right sort of light for your shoot but also enough time before it gets dark so I find on a summer's day 5pm is a good time to start. Dusk brings a warm light which looks great in car photography.

An overcast day also works quite well - the clouds act like a giant reflector making the lighting even and soft. The aim is to have the whole car exposed correctly - enough light for the shadows and no overexposure on the highlights.

LOCATION
This is very important too because you don’t want anything around your car to detract from it, instead if possible you want the location to add something to the shot. You car will stand out more in some places that it will others and it will pay off to find a good location in advance.

An example of a good location - a new shiny car in a derelict place looks good. The old with the new just works, but I also think this works because usually the background colouring will be dull and muted making the car stand out (particularly if it is a bright colour!). 

My basic rules are NO OTHER CARS other than the one(s) you are photographing should be visible and NO TREES/BUSHES. In most cases other cars will detract from your shot and it will look less professional, while trees and bushes create horrible reflections on your car if nearby. You want light to reflect off your car to show how shiny it is, but you want the reflection to be as clear as possible. In some shots it may be unavoidable to have your own reflection on the car - this can be edited out in Photoshop fairly easily if you know what you're doing.

ANGLES – BE CREATIVE
Whatever camera/lens you are using, you need to take photos from a number of angles as all cars will look good at some angles and not so good at others. I find that even moving a few inches left/right/up/down can make a big difference. Try shooting from ground level and even from high up if you can. Note that you might find shooting from low down over-exposes the sky and this is where multiple exposures/HDR can come in useful.

DSLR LENSES
Yes you can still apply all these techniques with point and shoot cameras and get great photos, but if you own/rent/borrow a DSLR camera with inter-changeable lenses then you have a lot more creative possibilities. An all-round 'walkabout' lens such Canon's 18-55mm kit lens (or preferably better) is a good place to start if you want a good range of options, but also consider the following…

Wide angle - I use my 10-20mm quite a lot for car photography. With a wide angle lens you can shoot from some very creative angles and perspectives. For 'traditional' car photography this is not advisable because of the distortion but if you want to be creative... One downside though is that when you are taking photos so close to the car your reflection in the bodywork is more obvious.

Zoom - using a telephoto zoom (the other extreme) also has its advantages. Try shooting your car from a distance, zoom in and focus on the car and you will get a blurred background. This is a good technique to use if you DON’T want the background to be part of the shot. You can then control the amount of blur by adjusting the aperture settings on the camera, although a tripod is recommended particularly for smaller apertures.

HDR
Some people like it, some don’t. Personally I think you just have to choose the right time to use it and not go too over the top with it. I use it to enhance some of my photos but I prefer to keep it subtle and not so obvious that HDR has been used. So, you'll need a DSLR with bracketing function, preferably a tripod, and HDR PC software. I use Photomatix software and highly recommend it. There's no point me explaining how to create HDR images as there are plenty of guides available.

MY PHOTOSHOOT METHOD
Once I have found a location etc I set up my tripod and always have the camera on autobracketing so that every shot can be either turned into HDR or edited normally. I always set camera to take JPEG + RAW to give maximum possibilities for editing too. I take photos from lots of angles, moving the car / turning the wheels for more variation.

After the shoot I upload to the PC and pick the best ones for editing. At this stage choose which ones you want to use HDR on, if any. 

For HDR, I run the bracketed photos through Photomatix software, then once I'm happy with it I open the image into Photoshop for sharpening, noise reduction etc using various Photoshop plug-ins. I then style the photo in Colour Efex Pro. If I choose not to go down the HDR route, I do the same but without the first part.

RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE
Photomatix (for HDR)
Photoshop
Photoshop plugins - Nik Software (Colour Efex Pro, Viveza, Sharpener Pro), Noiseware

SELLING YOUR CAR
Having great photos is something that will attract more people to your advert. However too much editing is bad as it will not be an accurate representation of your car - it may make people want to view the car but you dont want them to be disappointed that it doesnt look like it does in the photos.

Avoid all the creative stuff mentioned above!!

But you do still want great looking photos so get the time and location right - you can still make it look like a 'professional' shoot and if you do it right this will tell people how much you love your car and how well you look after it. And make sure the car is clean, obviously - I cant believe it when I see people selling cars that they even even be bothered to clean for the photos!


----------



## browner01 (Jul 6, 2012)

its hard to teach someone how to get good pictures. it all takes place when you see the subject. you have to work out for yourself what settings will best suit the subject and surroundings, as well as the composition...... also the editing is just as important. you might get a really good picture but if you dont know how to edit it properly, it will look very bland.

in my opinion just keep practicing. you learn by your mistakes and will eventually develope your own techniques.


----------



## GrantB5 (Nov 6, 2011)

I would say it's down to personal taste at the end of the day, lighting is key for definite. Also I would say try use a tripod even though a quick capture is ok I like a tripod for a slightly longer exposure.

Again make sure the car is clean as possible, also work with the car, if your shooting pics of low cars, help make the car look low in pictures to show this off etc

I'm by no means an expert just started having a play around but sold my camera and regretted it ever since. Getting another dslr next month.

Heres a couple pictures I took on a 500d with a 18-55mm kit lens at players last year.. none with major blurred backgrounds to show depth of field mind but some nice clean shots considering the setup..


----------



## GrantB5 (Nov 6, 2011)

Also I would try not to over use HDR as stated, an over kill can ruin pictures! That goes for any picture not just cars though


----------



## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

I got a canon 600d for my birthday on August, it's all trial and error but here's a few shots

Sorry for shoddy photobucket quality


----------



## GrantB5 (Nov 6, 2011)

I think also with car events like when I was at players cars are pretty much crammed together so the number of angles you can get of a full car become very limited without another car creeping in..

A car photo shoot produces a lot better options


----------

