Street Car Girl (Work in progress)

[Kittelsaa]

I wanted to start this post with "As usual, I'm not sure if this works!", but decided against it.

A few sundays ago, I got to shoot a street car and a girl, and I felt like a fish out of water. I don't know anything about cars. I do know a bit about girls though, and quite a lot about photography. This was my first outdoor shoot in months, so I was a bit anxious.

It was around 10°C and a breeze, so I really salute the model for not dying from hypothermia!

My questions are (as usual): How are the poses? The crops? And last but not least, the edits? I'm just playing around when it comes to the edits, as I have absolutely no idea how to edit street car girl photos...

The first is unedited. All I've done is Lens Correction in Lightroom 4


The first version of my edit. I see now that it's way to pink, but apart from that I'd like feedback



And, I've added one of the studio shots we did the same day. Here I've tried to make the photo old looking, without going over the top.

[rpcrowe]

Kristian,

In the first and second images (same image - different PP) what bothers me a bit is that a portion of the car door obscures the outside of her right thigh. At first, it was not obvious to me that it was the car door and it seemed to me that her thigh was misshapen. I soon realized it was the car door but, my eye keeps going to that area. Perhaps it is just me?

However, she is a very attractive young lady and the shots show that quite nicely...

In the last shot, it seems that the perspective is a bit off. Perhaps from being unable to shoot from a far enough diatance ads using a wider lens...

[Kittelsaa]

Richard, I see what you mean now that you've pointed out the thigh. I guess I'll chose a different photo from the series.

As for the swimsuit, you're right. It got to tight for the lens I used. Hopefully I've got some from that series that is shot from further away, or with a different lens.

[Kittelsaa]

I've tested yet another new way to edit the photos. Here are a few more from the shoot.






In this last one, if you think her face is out of focus - it was intentional, as I focused on her reflection in the door just to see what it would look like

[Markvetnz]

Nice Car!!

[Kittelsaa]

Haha, yes! I got there thinking I was to shoot her, and all of a sudden she had organized a car as a prop. I've never done anything like that before, so I had no idea what I was doing and focused more on her than the car I guess.

[RustBeltRaw]

Shooting a car and a person in the same frame is tricky. Techniques that work for one can make the other look odd. In the second image you posted, I think the saturation is too high and the white balance temperature is too low. Adding saturation to figure and portrait photos tends to bring out any imperfections in the person's skin. I like strong colors, but when there's a person in the shot, you have to be careful. Lowering the white balance temperature to warm the image is a good technique for making someone look more tanned and healthy, but too much, and they look orange (might look different on your monitor, especially if it's a backlit laptop screen). Again, it's a question of moderation.

Richard touched on this, but the third image could benefit from a longer lens or a different perspective. If conditions force you to use a short lens for a full body shot, try shooting from around the person's waist level. Shooting from a standing position makes the head and shoulders appear larger, which can be unflattering.

I like where you were going with the fourth image. If you get another chance, you could add some drama by arranging her in the same pose and position, but with the camera only a few inches off the ground and near the back of the car, so the lens would point roughly parallel to the driver's side. That could add the rear-left wheel as an interesting foreground element, and the car's lines would lead the viewer's eye to the model.