Please critique my photo, tell me everything I did wrong?
09-11-2012, 05:48 PM
#11
Not bad! 
You will get a lot of different advice as everyone tends to have pretty different taste in photos especially when it comes to cars. I would recommend finding a photographer who shoots photos you like, and try to emulate their style, it is a great way to learn. I have really like Dino Dalle Carbonare's (Speedhunters) photos ever since he was just posting on his GT-R site. His photos manage to maintain focus on the car without putting it in a phoney environment and everything still feels very natural. Don't go to crazy trying to make everything look perfect because it will just end up looking cheesy. When I see a photo of a car I just want to feel like I am there seeing the car in person. There are very few photographers who manage anything close to this. Most people go way overboard.
While everything is just as important as everything else, I find composition to be what I focus on most, and it is just all about practice. A simpler background would definitely help. Simpler reflections, more focus on the car. As far as lighting is concerned it is all about timing in the sun. A little bit later and this shot may have been nicer, shadows get softer, the natural lighting gets a bit more dramatic.
Don't listen to anyone who spouts off a list of things you should do or shouldn't do like they are the law. It is all trial and error.
You will get a lot of different advice as everyone tends to have pretty different taste in photos especially when it comes to cars. I would recommend finding a photographer who shoots photos you like, and try to emulate their style, it is a great way to learn. I have really like Dino Dalle Carbonare's (Speedhunters) photos ever since he was just posting on his GT-R site. His photos manage to maintain focus on the car without putting it in a phoney environment and everything still feels very natural. Don't go to crazy trying to make everything look perfect because it will just end up looking cheesy. When I see a photo of a car I just want to feel like I am there seeing the car in person. There are very few photographers who manage anything close to this. Most people go way overboard.
While everything is just as important as everything else, I find composition to be what I focus on most, and it is just all about practice. A simpler background would definitely help. Simpler reflections, more focus on the car. As far as lighting is concerned it is all about timing in the sun. A little bit later and this shot may have been nicer, shadows get softer, the natural lighting gets a bit more dramatic.
Don't listen to anyone who spouts off a list of things you should do or shouldn't do like they are the law. It is all trial and error.
09-12-2012, 07:21 AM
#12
Registered User
Thread Starter
Next time try the photoshoot where the sun isn't beaming on the car directly, it causes the hotspots(front passenger side bumper area) and the big shadow(drivers side). You don't necessarily need to use strobes when in the shade to get a pretty good photo, IMO. I usually like taking pics of my car around 30-45min before sunset, such as the one in my signature. But yes a strobe to light up the car does help but not a must.
Also, try not to position the car where it'll look like it's got poles coming out of the hard top(handicap signs and US Flag). I also would've stepped back a few feet, maybe 5 feet or so, frame more of the entire front-end.
I would start there and practice practice practice!
You've got an awesome subject to shoot. Kudos on the CR conversion. I myself am thinking of at least adding the front CR lip to my NFR.
Hope this helps and just my opinion, I'm no pro.
--Rad
Also, try not to position the car where it'll look like it's got poles coming out of the hard top(handicap signs and US Flag). I also would've stepped back a few feet, maybe 5 feet or so, frame more of the entire front-end.
I would start there and practice practice practice!
You've got an awesome subject to shoot. Kudos on the CR conversion. I myself am thinking of at least adding the front CR lip to my NFR.
Hope this helps and just my opinion, I'm no pro.
--Rad
Originally Posted by playground_the' timestamp='1347383721' post='22004037
from what i see, every computer screen shows differently, but looks like thats all 'white' sun light. people tend to like 'yellow' and 'orange' sunlight better, it depends on the time of the day, clouds and season. Im not sure about cannon, but nikon you can set the shooting mode to 'vivid' mode. it helps add the yellownes to the picture. sorry i couldnt be any more helpful.
I feel like there's a lot of distractions going on, detracting me away from the subject. The handicap sign, flag, and all the other things in the background are where I catch my eyes gravitating toward, which is what I'm assuming wasn't the intent. If you were to take the picture in the same spot, same conditions, and only change 1 thing, adjusting the focus so that the background was less crisp would help bring the car out more.
Not bad!
You will get a lot of different advice as everyone tends to have pretty different taste in photos especially when it comes to cars. I would recommend finding a photographer who shoots photos you like, and try to emulate their style, it is a great way to learn. I have really like Dino Dalle Carbonare's (Speedhunters) photos ever since he was just posting on his GT-R site. His photos manage to maintain focus on the car without putting it in a phoney environment and everything still feels very natural. Don't go to crazy trying to make everything look perfect because it will just end up looking cheesy. When I see a photo of a car I just want to feel like I am there seeing the car in person. There are very few photographers who manage anything close to this. Most people go way overboard.
While everything is just as important as everything else, I find composition to be what I focus on most, and it is just all about practice. A simpler background would definitely help. Simpler reflections, more focus on the car. As far as lighting is concerned it is all about timing in the sun. A little bit later and this shot may have been nicer, shadows get softer, the natural lighting gets a bit more dramatic.
Don't listen to anyone who spouts off a list of things you should do or shouldn't do like they are the law. It is all trial and error.
You will get a lot of different advice as everyone tends to have pretty different taste in photos especially when it comes to cars. I would recommend finding a photographer who shoots photos you like, and try to emulate their style, it is a great way to learn. I have really like Dino Dalle Carbonare's (Speedhunters) photos ever since he was just posting on his GT-R site. His photos manage to maintain focus on the car without putting it in a phoney environment and everything still feels very natural. Don't go to crazy trying to make everything look perfect because it will just end up looking cheesy. When I see a photo of a car I just want to feel like I am there seeing the car in person. There are very few photographers who manage anything close to this. Most people go way overboard.
While everything is just as important as everything else, I find composition to be what I focus on most, and it is just all about practice. A simpler background would definitely help. Simpler reflections, more focus on the car. As far as lighting is concerned it is all about timing in the sun. A little bit later and this shot may have been nicer, shadows get softer, the natural lighting gets a bit more dramatic.
Don't listen to anyone who spouts off a list of things you should do or shouldn't do like they are the law. It is all trial and error.
I have lots to learn, especially when it comes to shooting in Manual modes and which lense to pick for which situation. A lot of my buddies shoot with Prime lenses and they swear by it but I prefer something with zoom and distance.
There's a member on here (John Remus) who's on my FB page and I always admire his work
09-12-2012, 07:45 AM
#13
To "blur" the background with your gear only you need to use the LARGEST aperture(smallest number) you can use to take the photograph. I believe you said you have a 17-55 lens, so you would set your camera to say Manual or Av mode and set the Aperture(f-value) to 2.8. Focus say on the drivers side headlight and take the shot. Also give your subject(in this case your S2k) some distance between itself and whatever is behind it. Give it a try and post up the image.
By the way, this is one of the places where a Prime lens would be beneficial, in producing an awesome "blur" or what is also called BOKEH. But this doesn't mean you can't take wicked pictures with a non-prime lens.
I also agree with andrewhake, it is trial and error. Don't be afraid to get out of Auto Mode and start controlling the settings yourself instead of letting the camera do the work for you. One exercize I did when I first got a DSLR camera was to take shots in both extremes of each setting.
Example, set the camera to Av mode. Now find a fixed structure and take a picture of it at f/2.8 then take the same picture but now at say f/16, jot down on a notebook what image # each picture was with setting and then when you get home look at them on your computer and see how the aperture changed the way the same frame looked. Do the same for ISO and Shutter speed. This is how you will learn the most IMO, by trying all the different settings yourself until it starts being imprinted in your brain how each one contributes differently to a picture. Yea we can sit here all day telling you to set your camera up like this and do this and do that, but you'll learn the most if you just try it yourself.
Hope this helps
--Rad
By the way, this is one of the places where a Prime lens would be beneficial, in producing an awesome "blur" or what is also called BOKEH. But this doesn't mean you can't take wicked pictures with a non-prime lens.
I also agree with andrewhake, it is trial and error. Don't be afraid to get out of Auto Mode and start controlling the settings yourself instead of letting the camera do the work for you. One exercize I did when I first got a DSLR camera was to take shots in both extremes of each setting.
Example, set the camera to Av mode. Now find a fixed structure and take a picture of it at f/2.8 then take the same picture but now at say f/16, jot down on a notebook what image # each picture was with setting and then when you get home look at them on your computer and see how the aperture changed the way the same frame looked. Do the same for ISO and Shutter speed. This is how you will learn the most IMO, by trying all the different settings yourself until it starts being imprinted in your brain how each one contributes differently to a picture. Yea we can sit here all day telling you to set your camera up like this and do this and do that, but you'll learn the most if you just try it yourself.
Hope this helps
--Rad
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