What camera to take publishable shots for a car mag?
Discussion
I have a sideline writing the odd artical for classic mags. I am currently talking to an editor who would want a words / photographs package. I realise that there is a lot of skill in photography but, ignoring that for a second, what hardware would I need? When I've worked with professional car photographers before they have had whole boot fulls of gear but this is not quite such a top quality mag. How much would it cost for a basic set-up? Is there a course I could go on to use it?
Indeed. All you need is a decent DSLR, experience and skill.
Decent DSLRs with a lens are about £1k - £2k. A proper set up will cost about £15k
Working out how to use them is free, but takes forever to master.
I've been doing it for 40 years and I've still a lot to learn.
Decent DSLRs with a lens are about £1k - £2k. A proper set up will cost about £15k
Working out how to use them is free, but takes forever to master.
I've been doing it for 40 years and I've still a lot to learn.
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 6th November 17:34
Gemm said:
BMWChris said:
I realise that there is a lot of skill in photography but, ignoring that for a second,
I don't think you can really ignore that, to be honest....... Without the skill, the shots would still be crap even if you have the most expensive kit.GetCarter said:
Indeed. All you need is a decent DSLR, experience and skill.
Decent DSLRs with a lens are about £1k - £2k. A proper set up will cost about £15k
Working out how to use them is free, but takes forever to master.
I've been doing it for 40 years and I've still a lot to learn.
Looking at the mag, most of the pictures are static and, while sharp, are not the lovely shots that you might get in Car or Evo. I have watched professionals work and think I have a good eye interms of constructing the shot. What I would need to learn, mostly, would be the technical stuff. I assume you can't rely on even modern cameras to do all of that well enough? Even if you are going to take lots of shots? Decent DSLRs with a lens are about £1k - £2k. A proper set up will cost about £15k
Working out how to use them is free, but takes forever to master.
I've been doing it for 40 years and I've still a lot to learn.
Edited by GetCarter on Saturday 6th November 17:34
Thorburn said:
Best bet could be to find an enthusiastic local amateur photographer and bung him a few quid for his trouble?
I did wonder about this. Also, it could be a useful fall back if my pictures are substandard. I'm not sure how long "a few quid" and the excitment of being published would wear off. Thorburn said:
Ah is it for more than just one piece?
Hopefully! But its likely to be irregualar. I'd be surprised if it was more than 3 or 4 per year so finding an amateur could work. Maybe I need to get a book, borrow my mate's camera and take some shots. Interstingly when I "analyse" the mag (ie flick through) there are few shots in attractive scenery / back drops. Lots of them are of interiors or engines. The rest are usually pretty tight to the car with a consistant background (usually a crop in a field)
Camera is way less important than the lens and lighting equipment used. The best system for ultra portable (speedlight) flash is Nikon's CLS system otherwise it's battery studio lights so say goodbye to best part of a grand. Problem with speedlights is power to light a car evenly. Especially if balancing with daylight.
You're probably looking at camera c£500, lens min £750, 2-3 speedlights £250ea or battery studio lights £1k; all in circa £3k for the gear. Minimum. My kit aimed at portraiture is at the very least £7k5...
As said above the ability to use it to turn out consistently good, essentially publishable pictures is incredibly difficult. Lighting car interiors well is a skill in itself, full of reflections, as are engine bays. I have shot glamour and fashion models on a few bikes, in a Bentley and my Z4M. All in a studio with controlled lighting - difficult! IIRC the Bentley used 6 huge studio lights.
Then there's Photoshop and again the skill to use it.
In short you can take pics with anything but getting magazine quality is expensive in time and money.
You're probably looking at camera c£500, lens min £750, 2-3 speedlights £250ea or battery studio lights £1k; all in circa £3k for the gear. Minimum. My kit aimed at portraiture is at the very least £7k5...
As said above the ability to use it to turn out consistently good, essentially publishable pictures is incredibly difficult. Lighting car interiors well is a skill in itself, full of reflections, as are engine bays. I have shot glamour and fashion models on a few bikes, in a Bentley and my Z4M. All in a studio with controlled lighting - difficult! IIRC the Bentley used 6 huge studio lights.
Then there's Photoshop and again the skill to use it.
In short you can take pics with anything but getting magazine quality is expensive in time and money.
Chris, I've been lucky enough to have had a few articles published and the photos from my Nikon D40x were more than sufficent. Check with the Ed as to the minimum pixel size he needs. Also a friend of mine, Paul Bussey who makes a living from writing from magazines etc, tells me that it's more important what you point the camera at!
It depends very much on the mag too - some classic mags are article oriented and the pics come a distant second. Others are far more focussed on the pictures with quality to match-
I've had pictures published in the classic mags taken with a very battered D70s and 18-70mm kit lens.
You do need to get your head around RAW files and photoshop/gimp etc
I've had pictures published in the classic mags taken with a very battered D70s and 18-70mm kit lens.
You do need to get your head around RAW files and photoshop/gimp etc
Lucas CAV said:
You do need to get your head around RAW files and photoshop/gimp etc
And colourspaces too. White balance, calibrated monitors etc...The camera itself is such an insignificant part of the process any SLR will do (doesnt even need to be an slr but it helps).
So.
Any SLR
Any half decent zoom lens, this is for deep dof static shots
2+ flashes , remote triggers, modifiers , stands
Filters (probably a cpl if nothing else).
Tripod would help too.
You could do that quite 'cheaply'
Used 40D/50D/500D - £400
Sigma / tamron zoom lens (17-50, 17-70) used, £200-300
2 or 3 flashes - yongnuo yn-560 flashes (note these are 'dumb') - £60-70 each
remote triggers for above, yongnuo rf-602's - probably £100 for a set of 4 (1 trigger, 3 receivers)
light stands/brollies/softboxes - £150 (?)
Tripod/head - £100
Memory card, filters,cleaning cloth et £50
Dumb flashes in a strobist fashion take a little more setting up but work well.
KNowing how to work all that gear - priceless.
Some people on this thread are seriously overestimating the requirements of many magazines. Of course you want to give the best shots you can but with diminishing budgets there are many magazines who will be glad of any photos to go with a story. I don't think you would have to go far along the shelf in WH Smith to find magazines full of shots taken with compacts. The OP has stated that the mag wants someone who can write and do the shots, so they've already compromised getting the best result they can by using a specialist for each. They will understand that they will get what they are paying for.
nick_bbb said:
Some people on this thread are seriously overestimating the requirements of many magazines. Of course you want to give the best shots you can but with diminishing budgets there are many magazines who will be glad of any photos to go with a story. I don't think you would have to go far along the shelf in WH Smith to find magazines full of shots taken with compacts.
Totally agreenick_bbb said:
The OP has stated that the mag wants someone who can write and do the shots, so they've already compromised getting the best result they can by using a specialist for each.
I don't think the two skills are always mutually exclusive - certainly in the classic vehicle sphere nick_bbb said:
Some people on this thread are seriously overestimating the requirements of many magazines. Of course you want to give the best shots you can but with diminishing budgets there are many magazines who will be glad of any photos to go with a story. I don't think you would have to go far along the shelf in WH Smith to find magazines full of shots taken with compacts. The OP has stated that the mag wants someone who can write and do the shots, so they've already compromised getting the best result they can by using a specialist for each. They will understand that they will get what they are paying for.
Agreed. Classic and sports car usually seems to full of little more than snap shots. andyroo said:
nick_bbb said:
Some people on this thread are seriously overestimating the requirements of many magazines. Of course you want to give the best shots you can but with diminishing budgets there are many magazines who will be glad of any photos to go with a story. I don't think you would have to go far along the shelf in WH Smith to find magazines full of shots taken with compacts. The OP has stated that the mag wants someone who can write and do the shots, so they've already compromised getting the best result they can by using a specialist for each. They will understand that they will get what they are paying for.
Agreed. Classic and sports car usually seems to full of little more than snap shots. Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff