LF: tips on car photography

[Matticus91]

Ok so I've been reading tons of online articles and watching tutorials on car photography. I'm pretty interested in alot of the methods people use and plan to try some new stuff tonight after work. I was wondering if anyone has a grasp on how to get really good night shots and even day shots with dslr's and slr's. Mine is an slr (damnit.) but it's all i've got for now so it'll have to do lol.

[winks]

In my case with my dSLR, if I am not pressed for time I will shoot in manual mode and always put the the exposure slightly past the middle line. It gives you a faster photo, with a little bit less light, which tends to make the colors "pop" more. Also, don't shoot with bright light (like the sun) behind the vehicle, it washes everything out. I've learned to take a bunch of shots from all different angles and heights, as you never know which one is going to look best. If you don't know about it, look up the rule of thirds - it helps you to recognize the best spot to place the subject and it really works.

[Matticus91]

Yup I always use the rule of thirds unless im just trying to get the settings right or going for a full frame shot. Luckily I have a polarizing lens so i don't have to worry about shooting right at the sun as much. What kind of camera do you have?

[winks]

dSLR - Nikon D40 with 18 - 55mm lens (currently being repaired) and a 55-200mm lens

P & S - Olympus Tough - capable of shooting in - degree weather, taking 4' falls and works in up to 1 meter of water.

The photos I took of my truck the other day were with the Olympus, I had to adjust the colors because it brought in way too much blue.

[Yellow05gt]

Definitely shoot in manual mode or you can do aperture priority. For night shots or low light condition, use a good sturdy tripod and use a remote trigger or set your timer to take the shot, it will prevent camera shake and your shots would be blur free.
Since your using an slr, choose a good film speed/iso speed, 160-400iso film should be fine for day and night shots. Don't go any higher than 400iso on film, your images would turn out grainy or have a lot of noise. The higher your iso speed the more grain/noise you get on the images. Dslr's are more forgiving when using higher iso because they have a larger image sensor compared to slr's.
Here's a very good film that I've used before, Fujifilm Fujicolor Pro 160s Color Negative Film ISO 160. The film is optimized for scanning and printing which gives your images more clarity when scanned or printed. Kodak also came out with an HD film which is pretty good.

[TheUberMonkey]

Well I am still a novice when it comes to photography so I can't offer much help but so far everything posted seems dead on and is about the extent of my knowledge. I would definitely be up for getting together and messing arround with the cameras if you want. I am going to go play with long exposures tonight at a parking lot near the highway so I will post them up when I am done.

If you want to meet up PM me.

[darkshadow03gt]

I just bought a dslr and I must admit, I have no clue on how to use it lol. I would love to get into it more but just don't have the time. I need to get out and start messing with it.

[TheUberMonkey]

Originally Posted by darkshadow03gt

I just bought a dslr and I must admit, I have no clue on how to use it lol. I would love to get into it more but just don't have the time. I need to get out and start messing with it.

Tell me about it lol. I just spent 2 hours seeing what my camera can do and learning how to change the fstop and iso settings. Now I am changing the settings on the different modes for specific shots.

[89gtboy]

for a BASIC guide i have found you can sometimes base your shot off of what auto mode gives you. for night a tripod is a must. you also must consider the film used vs. the settings you pick.

digital is free, more or less. so shoot away. when you upload you will see what you shot at and can learn why one picture came out better then the other.

[Matticus91]

My camera doesnt use film. But thanks for all these tips guys I'll be going out again tomorrow night probably.