How to take pictures of you car????
03-21-2007, 02:43 PM
#1
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How to take pictures of you car???? There was a thread with some guy showing how to take pictures of you car with the right angles....does any1 have any advice for me...i dont know if this the right section to post this but can any1 help me out...Thanks
03-21-2007, 02:54 PM
#4
By all means, I'm not a professional, but a few pointers are:
-Have your car on an angle (see pic below)
-Turn your wheel, so the wheels face the camera (see pic below)
-Shoot with your back to the sun
-The car does not have to fill the frame (see pic below)
-Try and get low to the ground
-Have an intresting (and uncluttered) background (see pic below)
-Intresting lighting is also helpful (sunsets, dark clouds etc.)
-Remember the camera does NOT always have to be level - be creative - see what looks good
I'm sure more people have more ideas...
-Have your car on an angle (see pic below)
-Turn your wheel, so the wheels face the camera (see pic below)
-Shoot with your back to the sun
-The car does not have to fill the frame (see pic below)
-Try and get low to the ground
-Have an intresting (and uncluttered) background (see pic below)
-Intresting lighting is also helpful (sunsets, dark clouds etc.)
-Remember the camera does NOT always have to be level - be creative - see what looks good
I'm sure more people have more ideas...
Last edited by Spd-Kilz; 03-21-2007 at 03:49 PM.
03-21-2007, 03:32 PM
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I am by no means a pro, but some basic, but effective tips ive learned are
-always keep the wheels turned towards you
-simple backgrounds (like trees or a brick wall) I like best, so the emphasis is on the car
-leave your shadow out
-try not to take pics in direct sunlight, sunset is best (I find acheiving the correct brightness settings is the hardest part)
-Emphasize what you think the best feature/s of the car is/are (exp. catching the perfect angle to show off some beefy 315's, a.k.a. Bastien's sig.)
-Take lots of different angles and shots to see what you like best.
-always keep the wheels turned towards you
-simple backgrounds (like trees or a brick wall) I like best, so the emphasis is on the car
-leave your shadow out
-try not to take pics in direct sunlight, sunset is best (I find acheiving the correct brightness settings is the hardest part)
-Emphasize what you think the best feature/s of the car is/are (exp. catching the perfect angle to show off some beefy 315's, a.k.a. Bastien's sig.)
-Take lots of different angles and shots to see what you like best.
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03-22-2007, 01:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Spd-Kilz
By all means, I'm not a professional, but a few pointers are:
-Have your car on an angle (see pic below)
-Turn your wheel, so the wheels face the camera (see pic below)
-Shoot with your back to the sun
-The car does not have to fill the frame (see pic below)
-Try and get low to the ground
-Have an intresting (and uncluttered) background (see pic below)
-Intresting lighting is also helpful (sunsets, dark clouds etc.)
-Remember the camera does NOT always have to be level - be creative - see what looks good
I'm sure more people have more ideas...
-Have your car on an angle (see pic below)
-Turn your wheel, so the wheels face the camera (see pic below)
-Shoot with your back to the sun
-The car does not have to fill the frame (see pic below)
-Try and get low to the ground
-Have an intresting (and uncluttered) background (see pic below)
-Intresting lighting is also helpful (sunsets, dark clouds etc.)
-Remember the camera does NOT always have to be level - be creative - see what looks good
I'm sure more people have more ideas...
The main thing is to get it out of your driveway!!!
Go to a park or lake scene.
Keep ugly backgrounds out of the shot (utility poles, trash cans, other cars, etc.)...
You can make an average car look awesome with the right background.
03-22-2007, 04:25 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by Spd-Kilz
I know this is hella off topic, but Luster, how do you like the GS-C's? They are on the LT1 - I've never driven any tires other than them, but they seem to break loose easily for me. What have you found?
I'm done.
I'm done.
03-22-2007, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Spd-Kilz
-Remember the camera does NOT always have to be level - be creative - see what looks good
Basically any time I see an über-JDM-angle picture, I tend to discard the shot as someone trying too hard to be artistic.
Some of my points:
- Consider the type of car being shot. If you're doing a road car, you should shoot the car on a road. Find your favorite road to drive and go shoot there, unless it's busy obviously. Your enthusiasm for that paqrticular road is probably for a reason. Try to convey that reason in your photograph instead of just taking a picture of the car.
- Give your car room to move. Cars are designed to go places. And they're generally designed to go forward. When you position your car in the frame, leave space in front of the car so the car has somewhere to go in the minds of your audience.
- You needn't show the entire car. Sometimes the front clip will be enough. Try not to cut the car off at strange places though. Give your audience enough to work with, but don't be afraid to only show parts.
- If your wheels are turned, make sure it makes sense. While turning the wheels toward the camera is generally a bad idea, you also don't want the wheels turned right if the road curves left.
- Include a secondary subject. Give your audience something else to look at. If it's just your car, they'll quickly move on to the next photograph. If you provide an interesting backdrop or another subject in the photo, they'll linger to check out what's really going on in the scene.
I think I've said enough for now.
Take everyone's suggestions (including mine) with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own style and one person's suggestions might contradict another person's. You'll develop your own style the more you go out and shoot. That's the best thing you can possibly do is just go out and take tons of pictures. The more you take, the more you'll like. 
03-22-2007, 05:07 PM
#17
My pet peeves:
Do not have anything breaking the lines of the car. Do not have a light pole sticking out from behind the car into the sky.
Put the car in its element. Don't put your T/A climbing a rock or in grass. It looks stupid. Put your T/A on a road or hiway.
Use a good camera. Nothing can make up for having a crappy camera.
Tire Dressing, for god's sake, USE TIRE DRESSING.
Don't take a picture from an angle where the faded wheel well stands out way too much.
Clean the rotors, or take it from an angle where the rust won't show.
Use reflections to your advantage. If it's a cloudy day, show that off the car's paint. And just do that off the hood. Be creative. Maybe off the spoiler or quarter panel.
Don't put a girl in the photo. 95% of the time it looks trashy and 4% of the time it looks like a porno ad.
Go digital. If you're a first timer, experiment with digital so you can see your shots immediately and learn what you're doing wrong on-site, rather than a day later.
Do not have anything breaking the lines of the car. Do not have a light pole sticking out from behind the car into the sky.
Put the car in its element. Don't put your T/A climbing a rock or in grass. It looks stupid. Put your T/A on a road or hiway.
Use a good camera. Nothing can make up for having a crappy camera.
Tire Dressing, for god's sake, USE TIRE DRESSING.
Don't take a picture from an angle where the faded wheel well stands out way too much.
Clean the rotors, or take it from an angle where the rust won't show.
Use reflections to your advantage. If it's a cloudy day, show that off the car's paint. And just do that off the hood. Be creative. Maybe off the spoiler or quarter panel.
Don't put a girl in the photo. 95% of the time it looks trashy and 4% of the time it looks like a porno ad.
Go digital. If you're a first timer, experiment with digital so you can see your shots immediately and learn what you're doing wrong on-site, rather than a day later.
