Picture guru's *Calling Kudakidd!!!*

[Alaskan_TA]

Ghost, what type of camera?

The tips on a clean back ground are right on, for night shots like that last one try a "soft" flash, tape a piece of white paper over the flash, it should light the car up better, but leave the background dark. Play with it some and see what you come up with.

You are headed in the right direction for sure.

Barry

[GoodysGotaCuda]

They look real good.  I think there are several that could make the calendar.

My advice to you would be to focus on the lighting..... moring and evening work really well.  Do not take picturse into the sun, instead use the sun in your favor.  And if you have to take photos during the day, make sure you have major contrast (3rd pic).  I gotta tell you that the lighting is very key.  All in all very nice.

The two bottom viper pictures. Tires defiantely need to be turned twords the camera.  Textbook example of why.

 


 



And speaking about lighting, try shooting a yellow car. It will be eleventy shades of yellow by the end of the day 

[GoodysGotaCuda]

oh and also ghost, dont be afraid to get lowww. and use angles. i shoulda gone up a hair when taking this picture. sorry for whoring on the pictures, just figure it helps to see examples 

[Carlwalski]

oh and also ghost, dont be afraid to get lowww. and use angles. i shoulda gone up a hair when taking this picture.

Yip, getting low and adding angles makes the shot more dramatic. 

[Ghost]

I was still testing the camera tripod out, adjusting it, etc.



I'll take some pics at a local park, maybe sometime this weekend.

[GoodysGotaCuda]

I was still testing the camera tripod out, adjusting it, etc.



I'll take some pics at a local park, maybe sometime this weekend.

awe come 'on ghost, no excuses, i've never used a tri-pod. though im by no means a 'pro' . i think theres one stored in the garage, however 

[GoodysGotaCuda]

if your tripod goes high enough try and get a high angle shot with the hood open/closed. i kinda guesstimated holding it when i did it. i can photochop it like this one 

[RedLine]

Great advice and great work on pictures!     This year's calendar competition will be even tougher...making the calendar even better! 
just to add to CODY's observations on the importance of lighting- with the exception of lamps, all that your camera sees of a car is reflected light.  A polarizing filter will help control and contour the amount of replected light coming from the sky, which is a major source of gleams and other defining refections that add shape and dynamics to your shot. 

[ChallengerHK]

Everyone is right about lighting being the key. In a perfect world I'd have some lights set up on stands and a spot meter to "tune" the light. You can try the "white paper" idea, and also try waxed paper to diffuse the flash. The problem with the flash, though, is going to be light drop-off from front to rear when the camera is so close to the car. The back will be about a stop or more darker than the front because of the inverse square law. Since you have a tripod you can try to get around that by moving farther back and zooming in on the car, but if you have a rangefinder-type camera the flash might then not be powerful enough.

Can't recall, Ghost, did you mention the type of camera? If there's any way to mount a polarizer filter that will help a lot with daytime pics for your shots in the park.

[360 'CUDA]

if your tripod goes high enough try and get a high angle shot with the hood open/closed. i kinda guesstimated holding it when i did it. i can photochop it like this one 

That's a cool one goody... What photochop program do you use and what is the name of that see through part? I know it's not "clone" is it?

[GoodysGotaCuda]

That's a cool one goody... What photochop program do you use and what is the name of that see through part? I know it's not "clone" is it?

I use photoshop cs2, and its just laying the open hood picture over the closed, erasing the car around the open engine bay, and turning the transparency of the open engine bay way down so you can see both the hood, and engine 

[360 'CUDA]

A little beyond my adobe photodeluxe I think

Good comments all by the way

[Ghost]

Camera is an HP Photosmart M407.  4 megapixel.  Just an inexpensive digital camera.

[70nos340 barracuda]

cool pics ghost, i like them. u guys really make me want to get a camera and take pics of my car like that!....wait i got to put it back together first!

[ChallengerHK]

Camera is an HP Photosmart M407.  4 megapixel.  Just an inexpensive digital camera.

Really impressive results for an inexpensive digital. CAn't mount a polarizer, but you can use Photoshop to adjust contrast and saturation which will give you most of the same effect.