Golden Roadster.

[jiro]

This was my first time to visit a car show. I saw the sign on the road that says "2011 Car Show at Riverside Park - June 4". I said "great!" I can practice some more about composition, and exposure, and shooting in crowded areas. I came pretty early hoping to get some good shots while there are still few people roaming around. The problem is... even the owners of the car are nowhere to be found! Probably they are still busy registering or getting their own breakfast. For me, I just took a cup of coffee and off I go to the show.

This is the first set of images that I was able to process so far. Pardon my ignorance for not identifying this roadster as they did not put any information as to what model, what brand, and what year it was made. All I know was that it was really gorgeous and it caught my attention so I grabbed some shots.

Thank you very much for viewing.

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Nikon D70, Nikon 18-70mm lens set at varying lengths, Exposure at ISO 200, f/8 at variable shutter speeds, Matrix Metering in Aperture Priority Mode, Color Processed in LR 3.

[Skitalez]

one word - perfect!

[LeoLeo]

Great job Jiro San,

"the frog" @ number 8 I love it. Numbers #2 and #3 are looking very teutonic

Again, great job

Leo

[jiro]

one word - perfect!

Thank you very much, Yegor.

[jiro]

Great job Jiro San,

"the frog" @ number 8 I love it. Numbers #2 and #3 are looking very teutonic

Again, great job

Leo

Domo Arigato, Leo San. Thank you very much. First time I have heard of the word "Teutonic". Learned another new word today.

[Donald]

Super set Willie. Not so keen on #1, but really like it when you start getting in close. My personal favourite = #7.

I also reallly like #5, but it's a pity about those legs, feet and their shadow just through the door.

[abhi]

Great set of photos, Jiro. Congrats.

[spngr311]

Car shows are always hard to get good shots in. One recommendation I was told was to ask the owner if they wanted to do a shoot later in the day. That way you can position the car better and get it away from the clutter.

I really don't like the first shot. The shade from the tree actually hurts you here. You end up getting little hot spots of light and it takes away from the very unique color of the car. Also, the second car behind it is a little distracting. Maybe a little more open on the aperture would help,

I really like the 2, 3, 4, and 8. The interior shots needed a wider angle closer inside. They probably would be better closer in on the details like you have for 2, 3, 4, and 8.

[jiro]

Super set Willie. Not so keen on #1, but really like it when you start getting in close. My personal favourite = #7.

I also reallly like #5, but it's a pity about those legs, feet and their shadow just through the door.

Thanks, Donald. There was not much spectators back then when I started taking some shots of this roadster. However, when I was already taking the shots, they probably thought that I'm a photographer of some sort and started to notice the car... and me. LOL! I even saw one guy taking pictures of me while I was getting up close to the car. One of the old guys asked me "Are you with the paper?" I said "No, Sir. Just a photography hobbyist." I was aware of the legs of the man getting its way in the frame but this guy won't go. I could probably clone it out and post the edited work later. Thanks for viewing.

[jiro]

Great set of photos, Jiro. Congrats.

Thank you very much, Abhi.

[ktuli]

Rob hit the nail on the head with these (and almost all car-show photos). There is so much clutter that it is hard to isolate your subject with a clean background. Additionally, it always seems the best cars are owned by people who know to get there early and snag the shady spots under trees, that while it makes it more comfortable for them to sit with their cars for the whole day, it is horrible for photography.

That said, I think you did an excellent job, Willie. By moving in close, you eliminate many of your challenging problems.

My personal favorite is #7 in the list, labeled as #8 though (that's confusing hehe). The only problem I can see with it is the very slight bit of car/sky/trees in the upper right. Perhaps a slightly tighter crop to get the grille going right to the edge of the frame could fix that. Additionally, I debate whether it needs a slight rotation CCW to get the lines of the grille perfectly level? What do you think?

2, 3, and 4 are all good images, but it really is a shame that the owner was not there at the time... I think each of them would have been better images had the hood (bonnet for those Brits here... yeah - I watch Top Gear and so know some of the British car lingo) had been closed to make the lines cleaner.

I think Rob's idea to ask them if they would like to schedule a shoot later or another day is a great one. If you plan on doing that, I'd consider getting a couple other car shots you've done printed - maybe 6 or so, and not necessarily anything large - to show the kind of stuff you are able to do.

- Bill

[jiro]

Car shows are always hard to get good shots in. One recommendation I was told was to ask the owner if they wanted to do a shoot later in the day. That way you can position the car better and get it away from the clutter.

Thanks, Rob. As I explained in the story above the sets of pictures, I got to the car show a bit early and I can't find the owners of the car to ask for information about it. Another thing is, I'm not a professional photographer nor affiliated with any car magazine or publication to merit a privilege from this exotic car owners to move their cars so that I can get some good shots. My common sense tells me that this guy probably doesn't want his shiny roadster to be in the sun that's why he decided to put it in the shade.

...Maybe a little more open on the aperture would help,

When I did my initial research about car shows and reviewed some sample shots that I saw on the web, very few of these photographers actually shot with a wide aperture. Most of their exifs are showing about f/8 to f/16's to probably get everything all in focus. One thing that I notice though was that when they do get very close to highlight the car logo or the headlight or an specific part of the car that's the only time that they shift to wide aperture as wide as f/1.8 but normally at f/2.2. They also use prime lenses (of which I don't).

I really like the 2, 3, 4, and 8. The interior shots needed a wider angle closer inside. They probably would be better closer in on the details like you have for 2, 3, 4, and 8.

Thanks for liking them. I can only go as wide as 24mm on my lens since I use a DX body. It's be nice if I have my dream camera Nikon D700 to shoot this kind of stuff as this is a full frame FX body DSLR. An 18-70mm lens would then be a true 18-70mm lens. That extra 9 mm of difference means a lot to a photographer.

I've learned a lot from this experience. One - you will not get all shots perfect. Two, people will always get in your way when you're taking the shots. Three - The mid day sun will always be against you no matter what. and lastly - don't forget to take full body shots of the cars before you start taking close-up shots!

Thank you very much for your comments. I'll try to get better next time. Cheers.

[jiro]

My personal favorite is #7 in the list, labeled as #8 though (that's confusing hehe). The only problem I can see with it is the very slight bit of car/sky/trees in the upper right. Perhaps a slightly tighter crop to get the grille going right to the edge of the frame could fix that. Additionally, I debate whether it needs a slight rotation CCW to get the lines of the grille perfectly level? What do you think?

Thanks, Bill. I'll do the edit and post it later. Thanks for the good idea. I think it would make the shot more interesting.

I think Rob's idea to ask them if they would like to schedule a shoot later or another day is a great one. If you plan on doing that, I'd consider getting a couple other car shots you've done printed - maybe 6 or so, and not necessarily anything large - to show the kind of stuff you are able to do.

I'm still not that comfortable talking to people about showing or selling my work. Besides, It's some money going out for me so I can't afford it right now. Probably when the finances are a bit better then I'll do that. Thanks for the idea.

[spngr311]

Thanks, Rob. As I explained in the story above the sets of pictures, I got to the car show a bit early and I can't find the owners of the car to ask for information about it. Another thing is, I'm not a professional photographer nor affiliated with any car magazine or publication to merit a privilege from this exotic car owners to move their cars so that I can get some good shots. My common sense tells me that this guy probably doesn't want his shiny roadster to be in the sun that's why he decided to put it in the shade.

The funny thing about these guys is that a lot of them are very receptive to a guy with a good camera. Be honest that you are not a "pro", but that you would love to take some shots of the car later in the day over at some spot that would be better with better light and a good back drop. You'll be surprised at the positive response or at least a polite no thank you. I'm not a pro, and I have done this a few times and it's about 50/50 about what will be said, but you won't be cursed out! People are normally pretty positive at most car shows, especially when you are admiring their ride. And while I understand the owner was not around, if you really want the shot, you'll have to do some leg work!

When I did my initial research about car shows and reviewed some sample shots that I saw on the web, very few of these photographers actually shot with a wide aperture. Most of their exifs are showing about f/8 to f/16's to probably get everything all in focus. One thing that I notice though was that when they do get very close to highlight the car logo or the headlight or an specific part of the car that's the only time that they shift to wide aperture as wide as f/1.8 but normally at f/2.2. They also use prime lenses (of which I don't).

Personally, I think f/8 or f/16 is too tight for that shot. It gets everything in focus, but it is getting stuff you don't care about. Most of the car shots I do are around f3.2-f4 on a 50mm. Based on the DOF calculators available (I'm an engineer, so I live on numbers and calculators!), it give me enough DOF to get the entire car in focus, but still blurs out the background. Mostly just personal preference here though.

Thanks for liking them. I can only go as wide as 24mm on my lens since I use a DX body. It's be nice if I have my dream camera Nikon D700 to shoot this kind of stuff as this is a full frame FX body DSLR. An 18-70mm lens would then be a true 18-70mm lens. That extra 9 mm of difference means a lot to a photographer.

I understand where you're coming from, but that is the challenge when shooting interiors. Interiors are some of the hardest parts to shoot for a car. Like I said, I think your talent with details would have been much better used on the interior than with the partial full shots of the interior.

I've learned a lot from this experience. One - you will not get all shots perfect. Two, people will always get in your way when you're taking the shots. Three - The mid day sun will always be against you no matter what. and lastly - don't forget to take full body shots of the cars before you start taking close-up shots!

Thank you very much for your comments. I'll try to get better next time. Cheers.

That fourth bit of advice is very very valuable. Automotive photography is a lot of fun, glad you were able to get your feet wet and produce some good images your first time out!

[jiro]

Thanks again, Rob. It's the first dip on the waters that starts the learning curve. Definitely, I did get my feet wet on this one. Can't wait to try it again next time. Hehehe. Thank you very much for your valuable experience and insight.