Discussion
Jon39 said:
Dean,
All of us take photographs, but you create pictures.
Your son appears to be very interested in the front of that car.
If he has inherited your keen eye, has he perhaps spotted something wrong ? -
-
HAHA; Yes, people all around the planet are casting a similar look at the front of the new Vantage.
EVR said:
If you will be in Lugano ever, let me know, we can hook up. I am in Milano now, pretty close and I am often there.
Thanks for the offer! We never know where we find ourselves! Likewise if your in the Luzern region...billydo said:
Fantastic photography as ever....
Neal.
Thanks!Neal.
This thread has been dormant for two and a half years (wonder why...) but the recent question below (that was on my V8V thread) made me realise the response may be better placed here as it is photography orientated, so here it is again, and I`ll try and invigorate this thread a little bit...
There are two "tilt-shift" shots on these pages, the car cover shot on page one which was a mobile phone filter just to cut the peripheral clutter, and the photo of the car in the pit garage at Rockingham. This I did while just having a play around while editing, as all the sharp, angular lines were a distraction from the awesome Aston.
As a general rule I don`t use filters etc, certainly not for my paid work as this is not part of my MO. I am a dinosaur in so far as I like to take photos with the camera rather than what I like to call "photoshopography" - the madly manipulated images created in post-processing which have become a normality - and I like to limit my editing to fairly basic colour, contrast, light and shadow adjustments, and cropping where necessary.
Photos where there is not much in focus beyond and in front of the car, is because at an early age I developed a liking for images with a shallow focus, (This was partly because I often like the look of the subject being separated from the background, and partly as a differentiator with other photographers, most of which who go for more overall sharpness) either by using a longer lens where it happens naturally, or a prime (non-zooming) lens with a wide aperture, where I could blur the surroundings as much as I liked.
The aperture (or lens opening) allows you to control the depth of focus beyond the point of focus, and this requires a camera where you have some control on the exposure process. Mobile phones don`t allow this so a multitude of filters have sprung up, to allow a replication of certain things that you can achieve yourself with a decent camera/lens combo.
Mobile phones are what people seem to photograph with 90% of the time, as we usually have one on hand, but regardless of how techy they become there is no substitute for a decent piece of kit. Mobiles usually have a wide angle lens (28mm or wider) and a tiny image sensor, which means you get lots of focus, and also distortion if you are close to your subject. I am sure you`ve seen the weird angles you get from your phone sometimes. Occasionally you can use this to accentuate something positively, but more often than not it is undesirable, so it is a good idea to move back and centre your subject to decrease this effect, and then crop into your photo afterwards if necessary.
Otherwise, with shooting cars... I find that when the car is on an angle towards the camera, the front wheels should be straight, or, turned to show the wheel (rather than the tyre tread). The turned wheel tends to make the shot look a little more dynamic, but typically not full lock. Conversely if the car is on an angle facing away from the camera, the front wheel should be turned outward for more wheel visibiltiy, or straight.
If the car is shot directly from the front/rear, straight wheels is best. You also don`t always need to put the car in the centre of the frame.
Light is important. Avoid shadows all over the car unless it generates an interesting look. The angle of the sun/time of day makes a big difference to how a car shows off its lines and curves, so walk around the car and determine which angle has the most appeal, and shift the car if necessary to suit that best angle. If you are unsure, as you walk around take photos and then look at them to determine the best look, cameras left to their own devices will change the exposure and create a different appearance to what you may expect! A light coloured car with dark wheels that is shot backlit (with the light in front of you & behind the vehicle) will almost certainly not give you any wheel detail, for example.
Of course I realise that the issues and advantages created by sunshine may be a moot point in the UK... moving right along!
Background is also important, it sets the scene. I think that often people don`t see all the background in their photos as they just focus on the subject. Open garage doors with visible clutter inside, rubbish bins, signs and lampposts, other cars, people wandering around. It`s all a distraction. Take nice photos in nice places. If you are forced to shoot with undesirable objects in the background, try crouching down which eliminates some things, or moving to a different angle.
When using a camera with an optical zoom you can easily change perspectives by moving backwards and shooting longer. It allows you much more flexibility.
I would estimate that most of my car photos are shot in the range of 35-70mm, so the typical zoom that comes with most cameras covers this. I usually carry my 24-120mm which is great for most situations. I very rarely go wider than 35mm for cars unless they are smaller in the frame and I want to capture more scenery or ambience.
Obviously the ability to see a good photo makes a huge difference, and often people have it, but are used to just going click and they don`t take the time to walk around and consider the options. With digital it costs nothing but time to take numerous photos so have a play around and see what you can achieve. I hope some of this is of interest, and if so I can try and shoot some examples of the differences between certain lenses, positions etc when I have a chance, to give more visual pointers...
.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
JonnyCJ said:
If it’s not trade secrets, could you share how you take your pics when you do them, so us amateur snappers can try and improve our skills ?
I notice you seem to use tilt shift at times which blurs the background a tad ? Similar to Portrait mode on an iPhone to my uneducated eyes.
While I am not a "car" photographer, I am a photographer so I can provide a bit of my methodology. I notice you seem to use tilt shift at times which blurs the background a tad ? Similar to Portrait mode on an iPhone to my uneducated eyes.
There are two "tilt-shift" shots on these pages, the car cover shot on page one which was a mobile phone filter just to cut the peripheral clutter, and the photo of the car in the pit garage at Rockingham. This I did while just having a play around while editing, as all the sharp, angular lines were a distraction from the awesome Aston.
As a general rule I don`t use filters etc, certainly not for my paid work as this is not part of my MO. I am a dinosaur in so far as I like to take photos with the camera rather than what I like to call "photoshopography" - the madly manipulated images created in post-processing which have become a normality - and I like to limit my editing to fairly basic colour, contrast, light and shadow adjustments, and cropping where necessary.
Photos where there is not much in focus beyond and in front of the car, is because at an early age I developed a liking for images with a shallow focus, (This was partly because I often like the look of the subject being separated from the background, and partly as a differentiator with other photographers, most of which who go for more overall sharpness) either by using a longer lens where it happens naturally, or a prime (non-zooming) lens with a wide aperture, where I could blur the surroundings as much as I liked.
The aperture (or lens opening) allows you to control the depth of focus beyond the point of focus, and this requires a camera where you have some control on the exposure process. Mobile phones don`t allow this so a multitude of filters have sprung up, to allow a replication of certain things that you can achieve yourself with a decent camera/lens combo.
Mobile phones are what people seem to photograph with 90% of the time, as we usually have one on hand, but regardless of how techy they become there is no substitute for a decent piece of kit. Mobiles usually have a wide angle lens (28mm or wider) and a tiny image sensor, which means you get lots of focus, and also distortion if you are close to your subject. I am sure you`ve seen the weird angles you get from your phone sometimes. Occasionally you can use this to accentuate something positively, but more often than not it is undesirable, so it is a good idea to move back and centre your subject to decrease this effect, and then crop into your photo afterwards if necessary.
Otherwise, with shooting cars... I find that when the car is on an angle towards the camera, the front wheels should be straight, or, turned to show the wheel (rather than the tyre tread). The turned wheel tends to make the shot look a little more dynamic, but typically not full lock. Conversely if the car is on an angle facing away from the camera, the front wheel should be turned outward for more wheel visibiltiy, or straight.
If the car is shot directly from the front/rear, straight wheels is best. You also don`t always need to put the car in the centre of the frame.
Light is important. Avoid shadows all over the car unless it generates an interesting look. The angle of the sun/time of day makes a big difference to how a car shows off its lines and curves, so walk around the car and determine which angle has the most appeal, and shift the car if necessary to suit that best angle. If you are unsure, as you walk around take photos and then look at them to determine the best look, cameras left to their own devices will change the exposure and create a different appearance to what you may expect! A light coloured car with dark wheels that is shot backlit (with the light in front of you & behind the vehicle) will almost certainly not give you any wheel detail, for example.
Of course I realise that the issues and advantages created by sunshine may be a moot point in the UK... moving right along!
Background is also important, it sets the scene. I think that often people don`t see all the background in their photos as they just focus on the subject. Open garage doors with visible clutter inside, rubbish bins, signs and lampposts, other cars, people wandering around. It`s all a distraction. Take nice photos in nice places. If you are forced to shoot with undesirable objects in the background, try crouching down which eliminates some things, or moving to a different angle.
When using a camera with an optical zoom you can easily change perspectives by moving backwards and shooting longer. It allows you much more flexibility.
I would estimate that most of my car photos are shot in the range of 35-70mm, so the typical zoom that comes with most cameras covers this. I usually carry my 24-120mm which is great for most situations. I very rarely go wider than 35mm for cars unless they are smaller in the frame and I want to capture more scenery or ambience.
Obviously the ability to see a good photo makes a huge difference, and often people have it, but are used to just going click and they don`t take the time to walk around and consider the options. With digital it costs nothing but time to take numerous photos so have a play around and see what you can achieve. I hope some of this is of interest, and if so I can try and shoot some examples of the differences between certain lenses, positions etc when I have a chance, to give more visual pointers...
dbs2000 said:
Lovely photos and great to see you're not fettling too much. A lot of photos these days are capturing moments in time that never happened 
Thanks! Yes, the old adage "the camera never lies" still holds truth, but as for the process after that... It's sad that so many people react on heavily edited, contrived images as if they are a real photo.Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff