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> Automotive photography.
*DAN*
Posted: May 4 2011, 03:24 AM
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Okay, I have no idea where to post this thread, or even if I needed to open a new thread, but I was just wondering, if someone ever wanted to get into Automotive photography, is there any tips that they should be told, or anything they should know?
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Blue-Sensei
Posted: May 4 2011, 07:06 AM
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OOOoo A hints and tips thread only for vehicles? That's actually a pretty brilliant idea. Especially when cars do tend to move lol.
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Bloody_Monday
Posted: May 4 2011, 09:55 AM
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Get a DSLR with a nice lens if you don't have any equipment at all. Canon or Nikon will do the job perfectly, it's the glass in front the camera that counts which a standard zoom will do perfectly for automotive photography.
You will then need to learn about depth of field, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure, and the absolute must, composition then you can move into flash photography with cars.
For absolute beginners, it's better to shoot with natural light first and from then try to find a dramatic angle.
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GT3 RS
Posted: May 4 2011, 08:29 PM
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QUOTE (Bloody_Monday @ Today, 12:55 PM)
Get a DSLR with a nice lens if you don't have any equipment at all. Canon or Nikon will do the job perfectly, it's the glass in front the camera that counts which a standard zoom will do perfectly for automotive photography.
You will then need to learn about depth of field, aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, exposure, and the absolute must, composition then you can move into flash photography with cars.
For absolute beginners, it's better to shoot with natural light first and from then try to find a dramatic angle.

+1

Also,if you want your pictures to be seen widely by others,I strongly suggest getting a Flickr account,and going Pro. Its $25 for a year,but its worth it.

I have a link to mine in my sig. I have contacts from all parts of the world.
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*DAN*
Posted: May 5 2011, 12:43 AM
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Does the camera body matter much? I've been thinking of the Canon 1000D/1100D, should be getting it before the International Motor Show that's in Melbourne in July.
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Bloody_Monday
Posted: May 5 2011, 08:07 AM
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QUOTE (*DAN* @ 7 hours, 23 minutes ago)
Does the camera body matter much? I've been thinking of the Canon 1000D/1100D, should be getting it before the International Motor Show that's in Melbourne in July.

What's your budget? And will you do only photos or video too?
Forget about the 1100D, it's crap. It should've been axed a long time ago. Go get a Canon 600D or Nikon D5100.
The differences between these two cameras are:
The Canon 600D has better video quality, ergonomics (although that's up to you) and a wider selection of first party lenses from Canon.
The Nikon D5100 has a little bit better image quality (less noise), produces colour that's more natural (Canon always saturates a little bit to make the image vibrant, good for landscapes), has autofocus in video mode (although could do some improvements) but for lenses, Nikon has less wider lens selection and most of them are expensive (but very good) so you may need to go to 3rd party lens makers if you choose Nikon.
Get the Canon if you want more bang for your buck and want to make videos or get the Nikon if you want the best image quality for a beginner's camera.
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*DAN*
Posted: May 6 2011, 03:44 AM
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QUOTE (Bloody_Monday @ Today, 2:07 AM)
What's your budget? And will you do only photos or video too?
Forget about the 1100D, it's crap. It should've been axed a long time ago. Go get a Canon 600D or Nikon D5100.
The differences between these two cameras are:
The Canon 600D has better video quality, ergonomics (although that's up to you) and a wider selection of first party lenses from Canon.
The Nikon D5100 has a little bit better image quality (less noise), produces colour that's more natural (Canon always saturates a little bit to make the image vibrant, good for landscapes), has autofocus in video mode (although could do some improvements) but for lenses, Nikon has less wider lens selection and most of them are expensive (but very good) so you may need to go to 3rd party lens makers if you choose Nikon.
Get the Canon if you want more bang for your buck and want to make videos or get the Nikon if you want the best image quality for a beginner's camera.

I've got a fairly small budget of around $1000AUD, I might be able to stretch that a bit but not a lot more than that. The 600D is way out of my price range. I'm only planning to do photos only, but the video function might be handy.
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Bloody_Monday
Posted: May 6 2011, 05:12 AM
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QUOTE (*DAN* @ 1 hour, 28 minutes ago)
I've got a fairly small budget of around $1000AUD, I might be able to stretch that a bit but not a lot more than that. The 600D is way out of my price range. I'm only planning to do photos only, but the video function might be handy.

$1000AUD is stretching a little bit on the budget side. How much do they cost in Australia?
In my opinion, if you have $1500 budget, you unlock a sea of options but with only $1000, you are a bit restricted.
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*DAN*
Posted: May 6 2011, 05:30 AM
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The ones that you mentioned cost around $1400 - $1500AUD over here in Australia.
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Bloody_Monday
Posted: May 6 2011, 05:48 AM
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QUOTE (*DAN* @ 18 minutes, 13 seconds ago)
The ones that you mentioned cost around $1400 - $1500AUD over here in Australia.

Oh, damn. The 1100D movie mode isn't pretty to be honest. I would suggest the Nikon D3100, it's way ahead of the Canon 1100D in everything.
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GT3 RS
Posted: May 6 2011, 02:26 PM
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I have a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS,which is a few years old. I bought one for US $500 brand new in the box. Im quite satisfied with it. After all,it is a big improvement from a basic point-and-shoot. Im still getting used to shooting with it however. And I still have the factory 18-55 lens.
Be sure to get a polarizer.
user posted image
This,in my opinion,is one of the best pictures Ive ever taken with it.

This post has been edited by GT3 RS on May 6 2011, 02:27 PM
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cmspaz
Posted: May 12 2011, 08:45 AM
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Camera body matters a little, obviously full-frame is better, but a cheap one will do for the time being, I'm still rocking a Rebel XS.

Glass is what really matters. If you have to spend money on one or the other, cheap on the body and spend a bunch on the lenses. Cheap lenses will not and cannot produce high-quality photos.
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*DAN*
Posted: May 13 2011, 04:07 AM
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Since I'm Canon biased, are there alternatives to a entry level DSLR? I've been thinking of the 1000d but there's no video mode, and apparently the 1100D isn't that impressive.
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Blue-Sensei
Posted: May 14 2011, 07:27 AM
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Actually DAN, I'd look into Canon's EOS T2i model. Personally I own a T1i, it too has a video mode, but the the microphone is built in, and offers pretty terrible sound. The T2i offers a jack for an external microphone. EOS T1i/T2i use EF-S lenses...which are pretty limitless. And you can buy a full camera kit for $6-800USD. My kit was $542 during black Friday lol. But the kit comes with: 2 lenses; 18-55mm and a 55-250mm, a camera bag(big as hell - enough to fit multiple bodies and lenses) battery, charger, like 4 books on using it, cables, mini-hdmi connectors, (camera shoots video in 720p) autofocus is there although it's kind of loud on the T1i. But it's probably the best entry level camera kit, for the price. It's also the highest MP camera...15.1 I think?

Also First upgrade to any camera = Battery grip, and 2 batts!

This post has been edited by Blue-Sensei on May 14 2011, 04:23 PM
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*DAN*
Posted: May 18 2011, 08:53 PM
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I've actually considered the 550D, and if I was able to stretch my budget a little bit, then that's going to be one of my first decisions, shame that they don't cost as cheap in Australia as they do in America.
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roxas3
Posted: May 31 2011, 01:50 AM
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Not sure if you've already gotten your camera. But here's some hints.

1) Camera matters depending on the situation. For sports, definitely get a DSLR. For car shows and the like, it doesn't matter. You're probably asking why not a DSLR for those? Well, it is nice but can you justify spending $1k for a potential camera and 2 lenses for something that occurs once a year? I don't think so. For those, go for a decent point and shoot.

2) So you got your camera, now what? Well, take a look at the automotive shots online. Some shots that come to my mind are stuff like this:
user posted image

user posted image

3) So you rock up to the event and everything is going off. I'd like to point out that before you rock up, check that you have EVERYTHING you need for the show. For a car show, I'd take my 18-50mm f2.8, my flash, extra batteries (camera and flash!) and as well as the 50mm f1.8 lens mounted on my camera. For sports, I'd take the 70-200mm f2.8, the 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 and as well as the extra batteries. Also, if you're waiting in line, you can set your camera ready so point and shoots, turn the indoor setting on and as well as image stabilisation ready. For the DSLR, configure your settings so aperture for indoor, shutter for sports etc.

4) You're in! You get inside and everything is ready. Now what? Well, before you take a shot, think about what you're trying to shoot. For me, last year had the Lexus LF-A on display. And this was the first and possibly last time I'll see it so I need to show it off in a special way. So I did this shot.

user posted image

The B&W effect was done after but that was probably the best shot in the show.

5) You come back and you have all these shots. Back up all the photos and take a good look at all of the photos. If you're thinking it doesn't cut it, then don't do anything with it. Move on and you'll be amazed how many shots make the count. I did about 600 shots on the motorshow and ended up with about 60 I can say I was reasonably happy with. Then you can do some tricky effects and bam, online. smile.gif

So that's a lot but trust me. Once you do a few shots here and there, you'll start to appreciate good photography. smile.gif
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*DAN*
Posted: May 31 2011, 03:47 AM
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Hey man, haven't gotten the camera yet, but I know I'll definitely be using it for track days and everything eventually so I might as well get a DSLR.

Great write up by the way, thanks heaps! I've been reading heaps of tutorials and I'm starting to get into photography even more than I was before. Definitely going to keep these things into mind when I go.
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roxas3
Posted: May 31 2011, 05:28 AM
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QUOTE (*DAN* @ 1 hour, 41 minutes ago)
Hey man, haven't gotten the camera yet, but I know I'll definitely be using it for track days and everything eventually so I might as well get a DSLR.

Great write up by the way, thanks heaps! I've been reading heaps of tutorials and I'm starting to get into photography even more than I was before. Definitely going to keep these things into mind when I go.

Well, I'm heading to Melbourne during the Australian Motorshow during July so we might be able to meet up and catch up/show you the ropes?
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*DAN*
Posted: Jun 5 2011, 03:32 AM
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Yeah sure thing man, what dates are you going to be here?
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downhill280zx
Posted: Jun 5 2011, 03:49 AM
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I have a cute lil' Point and Shoot (Canon Powershot S5 IS), here's some of my work:

user posted image
user posted imageuser posted image
user posted image
user posted image

Not the most terribly advanced camera, but it still takes wonderful pictures. A bit of photoshop knowhow doesn't hurt either.
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cmspaz
Posted: Jun 5 2011, 07:32 AM
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QUOTE (downhill280zx @ 3 hours, 42 minutes ago)
Not the most terribly advanced camera, but it still takes wonderful pictures. A bit of photoshop knowhow doesn't hurt either.

A little bit of photoshop knowhow could have fixed the overwhelming dark balance, too. wink2.gif

If you're not shooting in RAW, it's like shooting yourself in the foot before a marathon.
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