How can I make my pics better?

[monstertodd]

Originally Posted by Envy

While I'm sure this is all great advice...I'm an amateur and all of my pictures were taken with a $100 Nikon L18 point and shoot. I recently purchased a Nikon D3100...but I still get my best pictures from the L18 that I keep in the glove box.

It isn't necessary to have an expensive camera or to use unfamiliar camera settings to achieve great photos. It just takes practice and in doing so...you'll learn your cars best angles.

Also keep this in mind: out of the pics that I posted above, photos 1,6, and 7 were taken with my iPhone 4 and then edited. The others, taken with my Nikon D3100. So yeah, you don't always need an expensive camera to take great photographs. But I can tell you, the D3100 can take some amazing pictures if you take it off automatic mode.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Originally Posted by Captain McFunk

My best tip: NEVER shoot in direct sunlight! Overcast days are the bet in my opinion!

Ditto!! And take 25/30 shots fro almost every angle.....you'll find the picture you like out of them and eventually get better at taking better pics.

I'll never be as good as some of these guys as I'm always wanting to learn more....but it takes time Ive been told. Lol.

Doesn't hurt to have New Mexico as a background either. The sunsets in NM are second to none.

Ivan

[Parabolica]

I'm amazed at how many people like the horribly processed HDR look.

Take some time and learn how to take a proper photograph. There's a ton of info on the net. Once you get your exposures and compositions down, there'll be no need to try and save a crappy shot by turning it into a cartoon drawing.

[austinjames]

Originally Posted by Parabolica

I'm amazed at how many people like the horribly processed HDR look.

Take some time and learn how to take a proper photograph. There's a ton of info on the net. Once you get your exposures and compositions down, there'll be no need to try and save a crappy shot by turning it into a cartoon drawing.

you mean the horribly processed look of every model in every magazine? Exposure, composition, and so on are only the camera's physical part of a photography, The other half is editing. Look at any image in any magazine, processed. Sorry People liked processed things. Im a freelance graphic designer, and I edit photos for hours and hours, and I have no problem finding photo editing jobs . So, you have your opinion and others (the general public) have theirs. I agree with you. Most HDR photos can be tacky and overdone, but you cant deny the fact that editing is a huge part of photography

[monstertodd]

Originally Posted by Parabolica

I'm amazed at how many people like the horribly processed HDR look.

Take some time and learn how to take a proper photograph. There's a ton of info on the net. Once you get your exposures and compositions down, there'll be no need to try and save a crappy shot by turning it into a cartoon drawing.

Look man, photography is art, it is completely 100% subjective. You may not appreciate the "processed" look, but many people do.


HDR by monstertodd, on Flickr


DSC_0410 by monstertodd, on Flickr

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by Parabolica

I'm amazed at how many people like the horribly processed HDR look....There'll be no need to try and save a crappy shot by turning it into a cartoon drawing.

Not everyone likes HDR And you're correct. To me, the true test of a photo is the quality retained once printed. High processed photos can often looked 'mucked' when transferred to a physical medium.

Originally Posted by austinjames

you mean the horribly processed look of every model in every magazine? Exposure, composition, and so on are only the camera's physical part of a photography, The other half is editing. Look at any image in any magazine, processed. Sorry People liked processed things. Im a freelance graphic designer, and I edit photos for hours and hours, and I have no problem finding photo editing jobs . So, you have your opinion and others (the general public) have theirs. I agree with you. Most HDR photos can be tacky and overdone, but you cant deny the fact that editing is a huge part of photography

Also correct, however, most long term photographers grow to appreciate the minimalistic approach. They want what is in the viewfinder at that moment, not what's created behind the computer screen later. They use the digital darkroom to attain that.

Originally Posted by monstertodd

Look man, photography is art, it is completely 100% subjective. You may not appreciate the "processed" look, but many people do.

True, art is one of those things that you cannot quantify.


To the OP, and anyone else interested. Here is a link to one of my favorite Automotive photographers. He doesn't use any fancy tricks, just Lenses, in camera adjustments, natural light, and easy on the eyes post processing.

http://linhbergh.com/blog/2011/09/mo...om-hre-wheels/

Maybe some of these photos will give you a better idea of what you want from your photos and get you thinking about some different approaches.

[Parabolica]

Austin, I think you missed the point of my post. I agree: post-processing is a part of photography; always has been, always will. A lot of people don't realize that many of the tools in Photoshop come directly from the darkroom (dodging, burning, masking, to name a few). As I'm sure you know, the techniques involved in the fashion industry require an in-depth knowledge of the software and hours of highly skilled labor. The models are generally well lit and well photographed (proper exposure, composition, depth of field, etc.) to begin with as well. There's a big difference between skilled editing (or darkroom work) on a good photograph, and using a plugin on a snapshot. In fact, 'good' editing takes enough skill that it is often farmed out to someone like yourself that specializes in it.

What bothers me is that people new to photography spend more time on their computers trying to figure out how to make bad pictures look good instead of using that time to learn how to take good pictures. That's the point I was trying to make: if you want good photographs, learn how to take good photographs. If you have to rely on plugins to make your photographs look, 'interesting', you haven't learned how to take photographs.

Our eyes and brains are truly remarkable things. We can view a dynamic range that is almost limitless; cameras can't. HDR is supposed to be a tool used to get around the limitations of film or digital sensors. I can appreciate good advertorial HDR work (some of Fiscus' stuff comes to mind), but unfortunately, most HDR I see is just garbage.

This is a shot I took in Canyonlands Utah and an example of a scene that lends itself to HDR:


Though easily viewed with the human eye, the dynamic range of this scene far exceeds what a digital sensor is capable of capturing in a single exposure. In this scene if you expose for the sky, the inside of the cave would be pitch black. If you expose for the inside of the cave, the sky will blowout. Grad filters won't work because of the features on both sides of the frame which are above the horizon.

For this scene I chose not to use HDR and just blended 3 exposures by hand (1 for the sky, 1 for the cave and 1 for the hillside on the right).

The OP asked how he can make his pics look better. I guess I was just hoping he meant by improving his 'photography' skills...

I didn't mean to be an ass; I've just seen a ton of crap HDR lately.

[vroomapunk]

youve got the angle down right, get on the cars level, usually makes it look mean and has a better stance.

Always pay attention to the background

Position your car so the shadows can work in your favor, sometimes you want to photograph the side in direct sunlight, sometimes you dont.

Depending on which one of those you want, the time of day makes a difference.

Other than that, you need a nice camera, and/or photoshop.

Most of the nicer pictures you see have been color corrected with PS

[TJ91]

Parabolica- WOW thanks for the write up! That example of a picture is beautiful!
This thread has some amazing advice for the novice like myself
Great thread!

[SSTG]

A Little better?

[TaylorRyanSS]

Originally Posted by SSTG

A Little better?

The first one!

[SSTG]

Color on the second right? How do i change it?

[Sevn86]

[SSTG]

Originally Posted by Sevn86

Thank you! I'm learning.

How is this?