Decided to wash the car today, and wanted to get some pics in its clean state. Drove to the top of Walnut Creek BART around 7pm. The sun was pretty low, which made it tough. Used a tripod, and a pocket digital Powershot SD450. I took more pics than I am going to post, but I am still learning about ISO, and exposure settings.

First pic, auto settings.


Second pic, auto settings.


Third pic, auto settings.


DGM FTW! Auto settings.


This is one of my favorites. ISO setting of 50, exp of -1.33. Should have taken another one with a little more exp.

Because of the lighting, all of the pics w/ iso of 400 (usually I'm taking pics inside) turned out really noisy. Still learning. Things I am going to do different next time:
-Get more aggressive on the front nose. I need to hit it with some bug/tar remover, as the soap/water didn't get the small splattered ones.
-Clay bar. Figure twice a year.
-Not try and wash/dry my ride under a plum tree!
-Get more aggressive glass cleaner. Very small water spots, even after windex.
-Try and take photos during a more neutral time like noon, when the sun is higher.

Tips for photo/washing welcome.
-Kevin

 

all of the photography tips i've read say take shots near sunrise or sunset, when the angle is lower....

 

Not only that, the light is warmer and the shadows are longer during sunrise/set. Adds for a more interesting picture.

Another thing you might want to try (Kevin), is using different and uncommon angles of the car to photograph. People already know what everything looks like at eye level. For instance, next time you go out on a shoot, bring a small step ladder. That will get you some new perspective.

Next, you'll want to play with different backgrounds. Remember that your subject isn't the only thing in the picture. Simple little details like what's in the background can make or break a picture. One of the easier ones to go for the urban background like parking garages, sides of buildings, graffittied walls, etc. Keep trying new stuff and you'll eventually come up with your own style.

Aperture. If your camera allows you to, play with it. The smaller the f-stop, the sharper the depth of field. The larger the f-stop, the wider the depth of field and the more things come into focus.

Practice. Practice. Practice.

 

make sure you or ur friend aren't in the reflection.. haha

 

lol, i set the timer and walked away from the tripod, but the timer was set to 2sec! Fixed for next time.

-Kevin

 

In my opinion, you parked the car at the wrong angle. The angle I would have parked at to get the maximum detail would have left the third pic as a straight on frontal shot - from the right at about 45 degrees to perpindicular. This would have allowed much more detail to be exposed. I would have waited approximately half and hour for the sun to be at a lower angle to the horizon in order to soften the lighting - it's a bit harsh on the fender in the third pic. Whatever you do, DON'T take those pictures at noon - the sun is at its harshest, and you won't really like the glare spots from whatever surface picks up the sun.

Of all the images, the last one IMO is the best - allowing a different perspective on the vehicle. Still, I would have parked the car in a position to maximize the sun exposure and get detail on the front of the vehicle. All I can see is a large "black" area in the front of your car, without real definition of your scoop and front air dam areas.
Practice, practice, practice. Keep it up - and you'll be creating great images!!

BTW, if you scroll down past the Bay Area forum (near the bottom of the forums list), you'll find the Photography forum, which has a bunch of members who are VERY experienced photographers who can give you more insight.

 

Okay, thanks for the tips, and thanks to the admin who put this in the right spot. My bad.

-Kevin