Automotive photography (Still and Motion) with G5/6

[Ford3514V]

I was posting on this forum as FordMustang but I am no longer with the company that my old e-mail address was at :( thus, I am now using the more stable home email address (yeah I know it was stupid to use the work email for registration).

Now that I am no longer with company X and using their G3 I am doing freelance photography for two automotive buff pubs that are requesting digital only photos. I need to know the following re my new and not here yet G6:

1. Best settings you folks have found to get sharpest quailty out of the G5 (or 6 if you have been using it). I use a Manfrotto/Bogen tripod and swivel head mount to keep things stable as well as the timer or remote (when I remember to pack it :roll: ). I typically have shot in the evening here on the east coast from 3:30pm-7:00pm (summer time). At times using the ND filter on the companies old G3 (if shooting in bright sun). I sadly have misplaced my notes on settings for static shots.

2. Best settings that I can plug into a "custom" slot for pan blur shots (keeping the car sharp and background blurred) and car-to-car photos with that same objective.

I have used the ND filter tip I received here in the past to great effect (thank you who ever gave me that tip. And really enjoy this site. Thanks in advance for the help. You can PM me on this or post here.

Jeff

[Andy_T]

Jeff,

I love my G2 and assume that you loved to use the G3 as well ... for that reason the G6 sounds like a logical alternative.

However ... given the fact that you would like to do panning shots ... did you consider the Digital Rebel as well? Granted, it's more expensive than the G6 (but maybe not overly so) and the AF performance on that one would be stellar compared to the G6.

Also, the higher ISO settings might allow you to also get great shots at night with less hassle.

Best regards,
Andy

[sidebp]

Hi,

Have you seen this thread covering the same topic?

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34846&sid=2a588d4383e59e17219efba 6ca4a94f4

I've also been messing around with subtle use of Photshops smart blur filter on some still photos - seems to do a good job of "smoothing out tones" - anyone else used this/what for?

[Ford3514V]

Thanks I was wondering if I was going to be able to find that post!

As for the Rebel, I aggree that it is a rocking camera but I have found that shooting technical stuff is better with the Gs swivel screen (I've been able to get cool shots under the dash of cars etc). So I have gone G and will try to make it work on the car features.

thanks both of you for the advice and the older post! Any more advice on shooting the feature type cars would still be greatly appreciated.

Jeff

[sidebp]

Just had some more thoughts with regards to still photography as I reviewed some photos taken over the weekend (bare in mind I'm very much a newbie so take what I say with a pinch of salt! :lol: :

* If you're taking a static shot of the car, try different angles - a lot of criticism I used to get was that I always took the photos from 6ft4in above the ground! Try crouching down when taking photos, its surprising what a different angle can bring to the shot and what details you may notice that others haven't. I've watched a lot of fellow amateurs when taking photos of vehicles and its always from the same angle - in short: experiment - whilst I freely admit to loving cars, I can understand why some people just dont "get" automotive photography - a still car is just that. Likewise with a panning shot: as impressive as it is that you retained focus/framing - it will end up looking like every other car photo unless you can enstill some interest in it some how. Admitedly some of the examples below aren't perfect examples of what I'm trying to convey! :lol:

* Depending what youre trying to capture/show, for some shots try picking out some details - like I said above its amazing what an "untrained" eye will miss. Designers get paid a lot of money to try and generate consumer intrigue within their products, and as such when you focus on the smaller parts its amazing what subtle "lines" etc. they have incorporated that may be missed if you just focus on the vehicle as a whole. (Ive tried to demonstrate this with the photos of the Murcielago and Enzo below.). It reminds me of a comment made in a recent Porsche article: Porsche argue that the design of a 911 is not evolutionary - the changes in the design are subtle: its the way in which the light catches the curves on the body work which define the shape of the car, not the shape of the cars panels (a little contrived maybe but I can see their point!)

* If you can get it in the States(?) - pick up a copy of EVO magazine - or search the web for articles written by the magazine. Many argue that Gus Gregory's work is some of the best automotive photography around - and I can see their point - its amazing how good he can make some hideous designs look!

* Watch out for refelctions in shiny clean paint work - both of yourself and others :oops:

* Finally, don't be too hasty to delete photos - the picture of the Saleen GT Car below is out of focus and badly framed - but...personally speaking, I really like the shot for some reason - reminds me of the atmosphere of the evening.

Apologies for the poor quality of the attached images but I'm trying to spare the worlds bandwidth! :lol:

Oh and feel free to offer me any suggestions/constructive criticism on any of my shots - I'm an amateur and believe its the best way to learn!

Hope this helps...

Kind Regards,

Paul


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[REDSC400]

I use the PowerShot Pro1's bracketing feature that allows me to take three versions of the same photo. For cars, I find a MonoPod to be sufficient and like the Manfrotto Neo Tech Pro 684B for its super ease of use and the build quality of the monopod.

I have found that you always should shoot the sunny side of the car, especially in the early morning and later daylight hours. Mid-day light is just horrible. Light is everything with auto photos as far as I am concerned.

Reflection, background, ground (parking lot) surface and camera angle are all key things to remember. Flash filling can also help on darker cars if you figure out the reflection of the flash ahead of time.

Many cars look great if the camera angle is very low and you are shooting up from ground level. This angle also seems to negate some reflection issues.

The problem I have is a car shows or "cruise nights" when the cars are always jammed together and folks are constantly milling aound. This cuts down on the angles. If you get to a cruise night really early, you can photograph the cars as they arrive with at least (usually) one side of the car unobstructed so you can get better angles.