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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Aug 2008
      Location
      new braunfels, tx
      Posts
      545
      Country Flag: United States

      how to take GREAT photos

      i'm starting this thread to get some tips for taking great photos. if the professional photographers on the board could post some of their best pics, how they took the photo, camera make/model, time of day the photo was shot (i'm finding the angle of the sun can make the biggest difference), etc., then i think we could have a pretty decent thread. also, amatuer photographers, like me, can post pics they've found on the internet and "ask the pros" how such photos were shot. i'll start.

      what time of day was this first photo shot? also, is it overcast outside? is taking a photo when it's overcast a good idea?



      i know the below pic has something to do w/ exposure rate, but that's where my knowledge ends. how did he do this?





    2. #2
      Join Date
      Nov 2008
      Posts
      29
      I'm not a pro photographer by any means but ill just throw in what i have heard. First thing I have heard is that sunrise and sunset are the best time to take pics, not to sure why, so maybe someone could elaborate on that?

      second is about the cameras, I'm sure most/all the pros are using DSLR cameras, which can get expensive, the best thing for amatures would be to get a smaller camera with different options, setting and adjustments. I sold cameras for a few months around christmas time, so thats just my input of what i picked up when i was there.

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Sep 2004
      Location
      Near Dayton, OH
      Posts
      547
      Second pic you hold the shutter open longer. Anything that moves becomes a blur. I believe this is how they get those shots of cars on an interstate where their headlights and tailights look continuous.
      Andrew
      1987 Olds Cutlass Supreme FE3X Clone
      EFI455/T56/9" w/ 4.30 gears
      __________________________________________________ __


    4. #4
      Join Date
      Oct 2004
      Location
      St.Anne Il
      Posts
      3,924
      Country Flag: United States
      you sure they didnt blast by with the firetruck and he got it just at the right time..lol..cool pics indeed i just point and shoot and hope they come oput ok..lol
      Darrin Stalnecker
      1969 Camaro Convert full pt pr
      2007 Corvette Supercharged
      1968 Camaro LS1 T56
      http://www.fquick.com/dropit69

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Apr 2005
      Location
      Albuquerque
      Posts
      217
      How about some tips on shooting indoors at a car show with the overhead lights, children and funny barriers roping off cars.



      Mick
      I'm from the government, I'm here to re-distribute your wealth

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Dec 2006
      Location
      Edmonton, AB, Canada
      Posts
      311
      One of the things that can make or break a picture for me, is background clutter. You now that picture, where it's the coolest car in the world except in the background is the guy's old toilet he just threw out the backdoor, some old gardening tools, the garbage cans, the dogs tail, the neighbour peering over the fence, all that stuff bugs me. That first picture of the Vette is good for me, nothing really distracts you from looking at the car, except that panel leaning up beside the door.... Anyways, it's a great background that's not too busy. I try to opt for a not busy background... I'm no pro, just picky...
      Colin
      1950 Pontiac 12.82@105
      1999 GTP

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Sep 2006
      Location
      Henderson,NV
      Posts
      2,870
      Country Flag: United States
      The back ground is great in the first shot but the reflection in the paint is off the map. I am no pro but I have a Nikon D80 and have some good shots to share. My best work is usually at dusk or after and with a slow shutter speed.


      Todd

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Harriman, Tennessee
      Posts
      1,287
      Country Flag: United States
      Go with a nice DSLR. I purchased a used Nikon D70, and I absolutely love it! The nice thing about digital is that you can shoot as many pics as you want without spending extra money. Then, just delete the ones that look bad.

      Shiny Side Up!
      Bill
      Why do termites eat houses?

      Because they have
      Munchausen Syndrome.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Jul 2005
      Location
      Eastern Virginia
      Posts
      3,960
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by ProTouring442 View Post
      Go with a nice DSLR. I purchased a used Nikon D70, and I absolutely love it! The nice thing about digital is that you can shoot as many pics as you want without spending extra money. Then, just delete the ones that look bad.

      Shiny Side Up!
      Bill
      Agree, I have a Cannon 10D & a 30D, they have interchangeable lenses that work with the SLR film bodies. And I just bought an 8 Gig card for $22 & it will hold more pictures that I can probably take in a week.

      The original pics up top of the vette, the first was either taken at disk or dawn, at the time of the day when the sunlight is not direct harsh light. It is filtered through the clouds, could have been an overcast day too. It makes it like a soft box to difuse the light. The second pic, the camera was on a tripod with a long shutter speed & obviously the firetruck was moving which shows the blur, or movement.
      Scot
      86 Monte SS


    10. #10
      Join Date
      Oct 2008
      Posts
      60
      I'd say for most of you guys that are looking for a high performance camera DSLR but don't want to break the bank get the Nikon D40 or D60. I love my D40.


      The pic with the fire truck is a truck moving by and the shutter speed slowed way down. Also best way to describe a pic like this is where you see a waterfall and the water looks all blurry and white. To put in layman's terms you are taking a picture of something that happens for 5 seconds and making it one still shot.

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Jul 2005
      Location
      Eastern Virginia
      Posts
      3,960
      Country Flag: United States
      Here is a shot like mulisha00 is referring to. Shutter speed was set to around 15 seconds with aperature at f22 (tiny)


      Scot
      86 Monte SS


    12. #12
      Join Date
      Aug 2007
      Location
      Paris France
      Posts
      88
      Looking at the 2 corvette pics, I would say: avoid to catch your reflection
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crfnkxyIv_o


      -79 Trans Am Special Edition with a 7.2 engine and 20" Boyd Smoothie II
      -64 Hi-tech Squareback

      Location: France

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Mar 2008
      Location
      UK London
      Posts
      527
      Very nice French Tranny!
      Last edited by Procharmo; 03-26-2009 at 03:37 PM. Reason: html

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Mar 2005
      Location
      Walton, NY
      Posts
      736
      Dusk is always the sweet light for good photos, but sometimes you can't help it and have to take photos during the middle of the day. The best thing you can do is find some shade, it will soften the paint and make it look better. You can also grab a polarizing filter for additional help.

      For example: the paint on my car is garbage, but in a well planned photo using a polarizer at dusk it doesn't look nearly as bad.

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Copenhagen, Denmark
      Posts
      18

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Oct 2007
      Location
      Plano, Texas
      Posts
      127
      Thanks for the tips, I've been working to pay attention on the pictures I take and learn from them.

      There is a warehouse district near my office that is for the most part very well worn out, but within the area are pockets of renewed office fronts that seem to make a good background.. this one has some contrast color, the black logo overhang, as well as cracked concrete.
      http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/AndrewnTX
      1988 Ford Mustang LX 5.8L Vortech
      1956 Ford Thunderbird 5.0L
      1961 Ford Econoline Pick Up 250CI "Stovebolt" 6
      1963 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop - sold Jan 2010

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Oct 2007
      Location
      Plano, Texas
      Posts
      127
      Ha after reading the Popular HotRodding link, I break most of those tips!! Well here's one w/ parking lot stripes... and a few other no-no's.. but I sort of like how it turned out...
      http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/AndrewnTX
      1988 Ford Mustang LX 5.8L Vortech
      1956 Ford Thunderbird 5.0L
      1961 Ford Econoline Pick Up 250CI "Stovebolt" 6
      1963 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop - sold Jan 2010

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Nov 2005
      Location
      Central California
      Posts
      2,050
      Country Flag: United States
      And look beyond the subject matter. In a couple of the pics in this thread, there's signs, poles, and other detritus poking up and out. This stuff clutters the scene and is the first thing I'm drawn to.

      Turn the front wheels so they're angled and the viewer can see some of the outside portion. Sunrise and sunset are the best time to take photographs as it's the best light. Minimal shadows as the sun is behind the subject, not angled or directly on top which washes everything out and produces glare. Morning and evening light is softer.

      And anything's possible with PhotoShop ...

      Here's one I took in the early morning hours (about 7am) coming up the hill to Laguna Seca in my '73. I was driving about 30 mph or so, saw the hillside and the car's shadow, and took the picture. Didn't crash and that's the good part. Kinda interesting photo and the best part is the camera was a little Canon S500. You don't need high-end camera gear to get good results.



      Here's some random shots from the Nikon D80 and they're taken at various times of the day. The autocross shots were later in the day and it was overcast (much better color saturation then).











      Cheers,
      Mary Pozzi
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    19. #19
      Join Date
      Mar 2009
      Location
      SoCal
      Posts
      1,240
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by mpozzi View Post
      You don't need high-end camera gear to get good results.
      Mary Pozzi
      I heartily second this. Too often people invest a bunch of money in a camera and almost no time in learning how everything works. I just got back from the 3rd day of the Long Beach Grand Prix and I'm very happy with how my pictures have turned out so far. Also, I was absolutely livid when a "professional" credentialed photographer would take up a trackside window with his fancy rig and huge lense only to take utterly terrible pictures. More often, the credentialed photographers were quite good.

      Here are a few examples of my friend's pictures taken with an ancient and cheap Kodak CX7430, a 4 megapixel camera with 3x optcal zoom. These images are completely unedited.



      Note that the blur from the panning makes the people "growing" out of the Ferrari less obtrusive.






      I should note that this was at dusk and the lighting was terrible.







      Now, at the same time I was trying to get good pics with a 3.1 megapixel no optical zoom HP camera. In this shot, I realized the camera could not focus quickly enough as a followed the car, so I pre-focused where the car would be when I took the picture and then when about panning as usual. The jellyfish lense flare is ugly in this pic, but was cropped out of course in the final version.


      So, quick summary, understand the how's and why's of your camera to get better results.


      And to clarify, none of these pictures are from this year's grand prix . . . we've both since upgraded after running our old cameras into the ground . . . or in my case, Lake Tahoe.
      Brett H.

      1979 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
      1991 Mazda Miata
      2005 Ford Mustang GT

      1987 Ford Mustang GT - Sold 06-29-2014
      1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera - RIP 9-17-2011
      1992 Chevrolet Corvette - Sold 10-12-2017

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Harriman, Tennessee
      Posts
      1,287
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by 79-TA View Post
      And to clarify, none of these pictures are from this year's grand prix . . . we've both since upgraded after running our old cameras into the ground . . . or in my case, Lake Tahoe.
      How did you lose your camera in Lake Tahoe?

      Don't forget guys, the coolest thing about a DSLR is that you can take hundreds of pictures and it doesn't cost you any more. So get creative, play with settings, time of day, orientation to your light source, etc. When I go to a cruise-in or car show, I take dozens of pictures, and delete at least half of them when I get them on the computer.

      Shiny Side Up!
      Bill
      Why do termites eat houses?

      Because they have
      Munchausen Syndrome.

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