How can I get better pictures?

[david79z28]

This weekend I used Chemical Guys blacklight topped with Dodo Juices orange crush.

The car looks amazing but the pictures I take of it just look so so..

Any suggestions? Or am I being to picky?

 

[mjlinane]

The pics look pretty good. What are you looking to do better?

General notes:
1. Photography is literally "writing with light." Lighting is one of the keys to great photos.
2. Composition is the other key.
3. Camera film or sensors do not have the dynamic range of our eyes. In the last pic where the sky is blown out, there is too big a difference for the camera to handle.
4. Tripods/monopods are your friend.

 

[CaneCharger]

Very Nice...I am going to do the same with the wife's Jeep...

 

[david79z28]

Thanks both of you.

These were the best out of about 50 I took.

It seams like the light areas are too bright and the dark areas came out too dark.

I took these around 5:30 with the car in the shade.

When I put the car in the sun, I could see details in the paint but they got kinda flooded out in the pictures.

Are there better angles, time of day, sun vs shade I should try?

 

[mjlinane]

Sunrise and sunset - when the sun is low in the sky. During "angry" skies is another good time.

On a detailing forum, bright sun better shows the defects or the quality of their removal so less "artsy" photos are the norm.

 

[bsirbu]

1. Photography is literally "writing with light." Lighting is one of the keys to great photos.
2. Composition is the other key.
3. Camera film or sensors do not have the dynamic range of our eyes. In the last pic where the sky is blown out, there is too big a difference for the camera to handle.
4. Tripods/monopods are your friend.

Couldn't agree more.

1. The easiest (albeit expensive) way to write with light is with strobes IMO.

2. Various different types of lenses will definitely help with this, my go to was usually the 14-24 2.8 and shoot low pointing up.

3.Veeeeery important theory to understand here. Even the best matrix metring system will rarely be able to make a "perfectly" exposed photo. But that is what post production is for, and if your savvy with photoshop, HDR imaging.

4. x1000. if you don't own one, get one. Or even if you have a heavy duty spring clamp, drill a hole into one of the handles and use a bolt to secure the camera to it using the camera's tripod thread, also works with strobes. It's a cool mod to get strobes/camera's in places that would otherwise be difficult to place (do at your own risk though).

 

[tampatopless]

I do quite a bit of car photography with 2006 Vette. However, I do most of it with an iPhone, so it's not the highest quality camera, but at 12 megapixels - or whatever the designation is - it's not too shabby.

I think the most important things to remember in capturing a good photo are:

1. The position of the sun. Because I am trying to capture the metal flake of the car, the sun needs to be shining on it but I have to be careful of glare. It doesn't work just to have it "in the sun" or "in the shade." You need to work around the entire car, looking through the camera's viewfinder, and notice where the glare is coming off of the car and then move around the car until that glare is eliminated.

2. The background. Very important. A lot of times, I will be cruising around and spot a good location. I will then check out the location of the sun and return to the spot on a sunny day, generally when the sun will be over my shoulder or at an oblique angle. Rarely do I shoot into the sun.

3. The position of the camera relative to the car. Very few of my shots are "straight on." That means rarely will the car be centered perfectly horizontally. The car needs to go from foreground to background. I'm either shooting up, or shooting down.

4. Realize you are not going to know if you have that great shot until you get home and get it on a computer. I am on a camera phone, so I can barely see the image when I'm out in the field.

5. I do not use flash at all. Unless you know what you are doing, it's hard to do with that much shiny metal and glass.

6. Most people stand too far away from the subject. Sometimes it will me as long as a minute to adjust where I'm standing relative to the car. I may move up a few feet, back a few feet, a few feet to the right, etc.

7. The most important: It takes a ton of shots to get the one keeper. Professional photographers know this best.

I included three of my most recent. All are untouched. However, all have been cropped just a tad. In the middle, check out the position of the car relative to the door and the statue. The composition and position of the car draws your eye from left to right. In the photo on the right, I kept the couple in the photo, which draws your atttention to the water and to the skyline beyond. Having interesting stuff in the foreground and background really makes the composition of the photo, IMO.

 

[DaveT435]

Beautiful car...and pics are great.

 

[tampatopless]

Also, the above posters are correct. The sky is generally your enemy. Try to compose a shot with something behind the car.

 

[DaveT435]

Here is a good way to show the shine IMO. Use it as a mirror. If you look at the after pic here with the big tree behind it. Just like a mirror. There are a couple other ones where you can see a mirror image also.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/38279-2010-lexus-hs250h.html

 

[DaveT435]

Is your paint color Red Tint Jewel?

 

[david79z28]

That's the type of reflections I want!!!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=12513&d=1341280060

Dave, it's Inferno Orange.

 

[umi000]

It's about finding the correct light, and using the proper angles. Avoid using on-camera flash - it'll usually serve to "flatten" the image. It usually helps to have the car in some shade (out of direct sunlight) - you're able to better see differences in tones that way.

 

[DaveT435]

Sorry...that question was for tampatopless. His Vette looks like the same color as my Camaro...

 

[tampatopless]

Sorry...that question was for tampatopless. His Vette looks like the same color as my Camaro...

Good question and I'm somewhat confused. It's listed on 99 percent of the documentation as Monterey Red. This includes the dealer sticker and the production numbers summary issued by GM, which includes the colors offered for any particular year.

However, on the actual build sheet, which I ordered from GM and the Corvette Museum, the color is listed as Red Jewel.

In any event, the paint code is documented on the same build sheet as 80U - which when you go on GM's website and paint matching literature, it's listed as Monterey Red.

Mine is a 2006. In subsequent years, this paint became known as Crystal Red, which is a tad brighter and I believe is documented with the code 86U.

I'm kinda on the fence because I am always trying to make my car "brighter." In other words, I try use sealants that will bring out the metal flake. In the shade and at night, it has a definite "blood red" color to it.

Regardless of which red metal flake you have, I find that the sealants give the flake and finish a little more pop than the waxes, which darken ever so slightly.

However, when you go with a sealant, you tend to lose that gloss or "deep wet" look that a wax gives you.

In two of my pix - the one in front of the school and one by the water - I was using NXT. In the picture in front of the historic building, I was using Zaino.

When I run out of the Zaino, I am going to wash with Dawn, prep the car, and try out the AutoGeek sealants - Blackfire and Wolfgang.

Zaino does exactly what I want it to as far as the paint and the "look" but it is a pain in the butt to apply. Lord help you if you happen to put on too much and you are working in high heat and humidity. It takes hours to cure, IMO.

What I really want is something that's is as easy and forgiving as NXT but yet gives me the look of Zaino. BTW, there is even a difference between the two Zaino products - Z-2 and Z-5.

That's probably more info than you needed or wanted, but hey, I'm bored, and it's too hot to mess with the car.

 

[DaveT435]

I think the difference between Monerey Red and the Red Jewel tint is the size of the metal flake. I saw a CTS that was Monterey Red and when I got close to it the paint was a regular metalic...where mine is more of a metal flake. When you look straight down on my paint it looks like it's 1/2 inch thick. It was sealed at the dealership which I thought was just a rip off...but after 18 months and 70 tunnel washes the paint didn't have a single swirl or light scratch on it. The coating was supposed to last 5 years...it's wearing off now and I'm starting to get swirls and light scratches. I ordered some Opti-coat 2.0 hoping that it will do the same thing for my paint. I sure got a lot of compliments on the car during those first 18 months.

 

[tampatopless]

I think the difference between Monerey Red and the Red Jewel tint is the size of the metal flake. I saw a CTS that was Monterey Red and when I got close to it the paint was a regular metalic...where mine is more of a metal flake. When you look straight down on my paint it looks like it's 1/2 inch thick. It was sealed at the dealership which I thought was just a rip off...but after 18 months and 70 tunnel washes the paint didn't have a single swirl or light scratch on it. The coating was supposed to last 5 years...it's wearing off now and I'm starting to get swirls and light scratches. I ordered some Opti-coat 2.0 hoping that it will do the same thing for my paint. I sure got a lot of compliments on the car during those first 18 months.

I was toying with using Opti-Coat, but if I do it, I'm gonna probably have a detailer apply it. I do my own detailing but that Opti-Coat is pretty serious stuff. I mean it's not a permanent product, but it's about as close as it gets.

 

[DaveT435]

It says you have 5 minutes to work with it...and use very little. I'm going to try to do it myself. I'll let you know how it turns out. May be a couple weeks. The product is supposed to be here Monday.
So do the flakes in your paint look bigger than a standard metalic? The only thing I don't like about this paint is the light seems to hit the doors different sometimes making them look a different color.

 

[Largebore]

This weekend I used Chemical Guys blacklight topped with Dodo Juices orange crush.

The car looks amazing but the pictures I take of it just look so so..

Any suggestions? Or am I being to picky?

How were you able to post multiple shots? Did you cut and paste each url ?

 

[tampatopless]

It says you have 5 minutes to work with it...and use very little. I'm going to try to do it myself. I'll let you know how it turns out. May be a couple weeks. The product is supposed to be here Monday.
So do the flakes in your paint look bigger than a standard metalic? The only thing I don't like about this paint is the light seems to hit the doors different sometimes making them look a different color.

No, it definitely looks like standard metallic. I notice the Caddys seem to look a like brighter.

Good luck with Opti-Coat. Maybe you wanna wait for cooler weather, like this fall.