Timelapses are really cool ways to show time progression and I love to create one or two in every city I travel to. Over the summer, I had a short stay at the Westin Buckhead in Atlanta and shot a really cool timelapse of car streaks outside the hotel. It didn't take long and was a lot of fun to produce. https://youtu.be/N7NwnYawroQ What You'll Need Camera with a wide-angle lens Intervalometer (Unless your camera has one built in. I like TriggerTrap) Tripod Extra batteries Step One - Find a great location Just like with an … [Read more...] about Timelapsing Car Streaks at Night
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Photographing Wildlife/Birds From Your Car
Animals are skittish around other creatures with legs, but not so skittish with cars. Ive been in situations where approaching certain birds for instance, I can't get within 200 feet before they flush. But if I drive into the middle of the flock in a car, none of them moves an inch. For whatever reason, most animals are not wary of cars. By using a window mount with a ball head or a bean bag to support your lens, your car can easily become a comfortable and portable blind. Not only does this make it easier to photograph the wildlife without … [Read more...] about Photographing Wildlife/Birds From Your Car
Attaching a Camera to a Car
Take advantage of all that the GoPro HERO has to offer: learn how to get unique, interesting angles for your shoots when working with a car in this tutorial. Watch more at. Thanks to LensRentals.com for the gear support as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVPYykf2KTQ This tutorial is a single movie from the Shooting with the GoPro HERO: Car and Motorcycle Mounts course by lynda.com author Jim Ball & Rich Harrington. The complete course is 1 hour and 28 minutes and shows how to grab dramatic video and photos with your GoPro HERO … [Read more...] about Attaching a Camera to a Car
Shooting From a Moving Car — A First Look
I've begun to experiment with hyperlapse. This is essentially the shooting of a timelapse from a moving vehicle. My desire was to be able to shoot from a moving vehicle while hands-free. I also wanted the ability to capture shots from the road and of the horizon. I will have some of the results to share with you soon, but here's what I figured out (with the help of ). The Gear In order to create a stable shot, I used a three suction cup system. I used gear from a company called Filmtools out of Los Angeles that carries gear for the movie … [Read more...] about Shooting From a Moving Car — A First Look
How crowd sourcing led to an HDR adventure
I think whoever invented the idea for HDR software must have been a car guy who wanted to make it simpler to show off his beautiful cars. Cars are such ideal subjects for HDR techniques because they always have bright highlights and sheen as well as sculpted forms revealed only with shadow. Last week I was excited to master Photomatix, which led to an automotive adventure in HDR. I could easily have used my own car to practice with, but I figured finding someone else's beautiful car would be a good opportunity to try meet new people and find … [Read more...] about How crowd sourcing led to an HDR adventure
Pre-Visualizing Details In A Car Photograph
I have been photographing my new girlfriend, well not really, just my 2014 Jaguar F-Type. At my age, the car is the next best thing! It's been challenging to think of new ways to approach shooting the car. I have tons of standard shots I haven't shared. They are mostly documentary shots. This is how the car looks, etc. Now it's time for something different. I want to show off some of the amazing details in this car. The headlights were the first place I wanted to go to work. I made some shots of the lights from different angles and under both … [Read more...] about Pre-Visualizing Details In A Car Photograph
The Five Most Basic And Valuable Car Photography Tips In The World
Short and sweet. If you know nothing about car photography beyond what I share here, your car photographs will be satisfying. 1. Always try to shoot at sunrise or sunset. 2. Always have a good clean background and pray for clouds. 3. Use a wide angle lens 4. Always shoot from a low angle 5. Always turn the car's lights on. That's it. You do those five things (all of which are there to be seen in this photo I made of my new Jeep Trailhawk) and you'll get a great result. _______ … [Read more...] about The Five Most Basic And Valuable Car Photography Tips In The World
Three Ways That Auto Racers & Master Photographers Are Alike
When I started my career as a photographer it was at the Indianapolis 500. I was a teenager. I knew nothing about nothing. But I knew what I loved. I loved cars - fast cars - race cars. And I loved racing. From the time I was old enough to ride a bike I dreamed of racing a car at Indianapolis. Unfortunately, God saw fit to give me the body of a football player so I ran for the Arlington Golden Knights instead of Team Foyt or Andretti or Unser. But my inability to become a professional racing driver never once hindered my passion for racing or … [Read more...] about Three Ways That Auto Racers & Master Photographers Are Alike
12 Things You Should Know About Car Photography
I've been shooting a lot of cars lately and it's funny how quickly you can get lazy and make rookie mistakes. This list is full of things I think are important because at one time or another I've done them wrong. That's how you learn. You try and you make mistakes. You reset and refine and eventually get it right. 1. BACKGROUND BACKGROUND BACKGROUND - I think the most important thing for a great car shoot is a great location with a background that is clean and devoid of distractions. And speaking of distractions I have one cardinal rule. … [Read more...] about 12 Things You Should Know About Car Photography
HDR As Sharpening Tool
Short and sweet. I use HDR more than I don't. When I do use HDR I prefer the subtle approach believing less is more. I'm not attacking anyone else's style. I'm just saying that's the way I prefer it. I like it so subtle that I don't use it in the conventional way. I primarily use HDR (tools like Photomatix Pro or Nik HDR Efex Pro) to bring out detail. In other words, to sharpen - or "faux" sharpen an image. Take the image above. It is the finished product. The photograph was well in focus. But I used Nik HDR Efex Pro II to bring out just a tad … [Read more...] about HDR As Sharpening Tool
Finding Courage To Be A Photographer
As many of you know my hobby is driving and collecting race cars. I should preface this by saying, I am not built for driving race cars. I am built for playing football - which I did for 14 years. But in my heart, I have always been a race car driver. I have never won - really. If I finish in the middle of the pack I FEEL like I won. I race for pure joy. It's impacted my life in many ways. It's improved my photography. Read on to see how. There's a great book which I highly recommend to everyone, not just race car drivers. It's a love story … [Read more...] about Finding Courage To Be A Photographer
Photographic Light Painting A Car
Light painting is a great way to find a new creative outlet for your photography. It's not rocket science - and in fact there no rules. There's no right or wrong way to do it - you just do it. But I have some pointers that may get you started if you are new to photographic light painting. Let's talk about gear. In my opinion, a good, solid, tripod and a cable release are basic requirements. You also need a camera that is capable of making at least 30 second exposures. Just about any camera you can buy meets that criteria. The next thing you … [Read more...] about Photographic Light Painting A Car
The Most Incredible & Expensive Lighting System I’ve Ever Used In Photography – NSFW
(Imagine Jeremy Clarkson's voice reading these first few paragraphs.) It's not from Chimera, Alien Bees or Broncolor. It doesn't come with any soft boxes or stands. In fact, it's not sold in any camera store - not even at B&H or Adorama. That's because It's a truck. To be more precise, it's a 2012 Ford F-150 FX4 pick-up truck which now sports a 50" SR-Series Hybrid LED Light Bar W/Custom Mounts. The brackets were custom designed and Line-X was applied. The entire bar is permanently mounted to the truck and provides a mostly daylight … [Read more...] about The Most Incredible & Expensive Lighting System I’ve Ever Used In Photography – NSFW
Car Shooters Checklist E-Book For Sale
If you're interested in learning the basics of photographing cars, I've got an e-book for you. It's $1.99 until September 30, 2012 - then it jumps up to $3.99. You can check it out on Scribd. Car Shooters Checklist Scott Bourne … [Read more...] about Car Shooters Checklist E-Book For Sale
Jaguar Calendar Shoot – Post Mortem
This post should be read in context with the last post I did regarding getting ready for a big shoot. No matter how long I spend making photographs, I am never quite fully prepared for how things work out. I have always have high hopes and it doesn't hurt that I am too stupid to know I can fail, but in this case the weather helped and a little luck was also on hand. First - there was the rain - or thankfully - the lack of it. The clouds made for a great day of shooting and we were lucky that they didn't drop any water until after we left. … [Read more...] about Jaguar Calendar Shoot – Post Mortem
Assisting At A Calendar Shoot – A Fast Car An Empty Race Track – An Incredible Camera
Post and Photos By Thomas Shue Scott called me last week to ask if I wanted to be a part of a photo shoot at the speedway. The deal was I had to be there art 6am sharp, ready to work. I live almost an hour away so this is kind of a big deal, but when Scott asked me, I didn't hesitate. I was there early, the sky was incredible, it had rained for the previous three days and we almost had to cancel, but on this day, it was perfect. The track was dripping in excitement, in my head I could see all of the places that are jammed packed with world … [Read more...] about Assisting At A Calendar Shoot – A Fast Car An Empty Race Track – An Incredible Camera
The Night Before A Big Shoot – A Photographer’s Checklist (of sorts)
Here it is the night before a big shoot I have planned at Las Vegas Motor Speedway tomorrow. The client is a calendar company that specializes in car calendars and they want my very own 2012 Jaguar XKR convertible in the book. I'm excited because I'm getting paid extra. Once for the use of my car and once for shooting the car. I also get the thrill of being on a race track. (Frankly the pay rate is so low that the racing part is my real compensation but what the heck? I love the smell of race fuel in the morning!) Before any big shoot there's … [Read more...] about The Night Before A Big Shoot – A Photographer’s Checklist (of sorts)
You Can’t Fake Fast
Some of you know I'm a car guy. In fact, I run a car-related blog called carloves.com. I collect cars. I race cars. I love cars. I'm passionate about anything related to cars. In racing there's a very old saying - "You can't fake fast." I've heard it a million times. I understand it. I believe it. I love to go fast. There's no feeling like it. I'm not racing much these days, but once in a while I still get on the track by myself and do laps. I'm a lucky guy. I've driven cars at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. At that speed you're … [Read more...] about You Can’t Fake Fast
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS Telephoto Lens – Mini Review
I've used super telephoto lenses for almost two decades and I've been lucky enough to own or have access to just about every single lens in the category. When Canon announced this new 500mm lens more than a year ago, I became excited. The old version is more than a decade old and was overdue for a refresh. Unfortunately, the tragic earthquake in Japan delayed the lens. Finally, a few copies have started to land on U.S. shores - 13 months late is better than never. Luckily, I got my hands on one and all I can say is.. OH MY GOD! What a lens! … [Read more...] about Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS Telephoto Lens – Mini Review
Photographers – Sometimes You Only Need Tell Part of the Story
(NOTE: This photo was already licensed under an exclusive arrangement so therefore could not be included in my Creative Commons Non Com experiment. Sorry.) Good writers know that you can say too much in a story. Rather than spend page after page in a book to describe a character, good writers will pick something simple to do the job such as, "He put on the same pair of boots and spurs his dad gave him in college." It's a cowboy. Simple. The same can be true in photography. When photography is practiced at the highest levels, it serves as a … [Read more...] about Photographers – Sometimes You Only Need Tell Part of the Story
Photographic Religions – The Religion of Low Light
Im going to start a series of posts about what I call photographic religions. You know, the memes that get started relating to photography as if they are inspired by God himself. When you meet someone who lives and dies by one of these photographic religions, its usually a clue that their photos aren't great, but their grasp of one tiny bit of photographic science - out of context of course - surely is. Today well talk about the religion of low light. I review lots of cameras and lenses here at Photofocus.com. In the last two or three years, … [Read more...] about Photographic Religions – The Religion of Low Light
Photographing Cars Is Basically Like Photographing Mirrors
CROSS-POSTED at Carloves.com Dealing with the inevitable reflections you get when you make pictures of cars. I've been shooting cars on a regular basis lately. I, like everyone struggle with the specular highlights and reflections that cars produce. I have learned five quick tricks that will make your next car shoot easier. 1. Wear all black clothing. If you're wearing reflective clothing or bright colors these will show up in the reflections on the car. So wear black and you help yourself disappear from the shot. 2. Use a circular … [Read more...] about Photographing Cars Is Basically Like Photographing Mirrors
How To Turn Your Car Into A Wildlife Photography Blind
Lots of you email to ask how I get so close to birds in particular and wildlife in general. There are two secrets 1. I have really long lenses (Sigma 300-800 f/5.6) and Canon 800 f/5.6 2. I use my car as a blind For whatever reason, most wildlife (birds included) won't spook or flush when they see a car. Open the car door, step out of the car, now that's a totally different situation. But as long as you stay in the car, your chances of getting close enough to wildlife to get the shot are improved by 90%. You have two options for shooting … [Read more...] about How To Turn Your Car Into A Wildlife Photography Blind
Photographing A Day At The Drag Races
NOTE: Cross-Posted at Carloves.com What's the fastest accelerating car on the planet? A top fuel dragster. Nothing comes close. 0-100 in 0.7 seconds. These 8,000 to 10,000 horsepower beasts are something to behold. The speeds and the stresses involved in drag racing at this level are so tremendous that the engines have to be rebuilt after each and every run. I recently photographed the NHRA event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Not only did the event feature top-fuel cars, there were funny cars, motorcycles and a candy truck that … [Read more...] about Photographing A Day At The Drag Races
Professional Car Racing Photography – A Personal Diary
Make sure you don't miss a single Photofocus post - point your feed reader to the free Photofocus RSS Feed here and subscribe. NOTE: This piece was cross-posted at my car-related site CarLoves.com. It appeared there as a three-part diary but I've condensed it into one long post here. This post is dedicated to Dan Wheldon who lost his life during the Indycar race at Las Vegas One of the reasons I moved to Las Vegas just more than a year ago was the access it affords to great race tracks. One of those tracks is the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If … [Read more...] about Professional Car Racing Photography – A Personal Diary
The Second Most Important Thing To Know About Car Photography
NOTE: This was cross-posted from CarLoves.com Make sure you don't miss a single Photofocus post - point your feed reader to the free Photofocus RSS Feed here and subscribe. Assuming that you have access to the car you want to photograph is the first step to making a great car photograph, the background is the second. A clean, uncluttered, background is very important to car photography. Additionally, a background that "makes sense" helps. For instance, photographing a car inside a swimming pool may be cool because it's never been done … [Read more...] about The Second Most Important Thing To Know About Car Photography
How To Photograph A Race Car
This is a short post designed to answer one of the biggest questions about race car photography - how to make the car look like it's not parked on the race track. If you use a super fast shutter speed, depending on your distance to the car, and the car's speed you may make a photograph that makes the race car look like it's standing still, parked on the track. You can always pan with the car. This will convey movement and involves experimenting with shutter speeds that find a nice compromise between a static car and a blurred car. But … [Read more...] about How To Photograph A Race Car
Here’s My Secret Car Show Photography Weapon – The Fisheye Lens
Make sure you don't miss a single Photofocus post - point your feed reader to the free Photofocus RSS Feed here and subscribe. Cross Posted at CarLoves.com You know the problem. The backgrounds often suck. There are always people in the way. It's tough to find a car in decent light. The angles are all wrong. There's no room to work. That sounds like a pretty average car show to me. I feel your pain. But I do have a suggestion. I consider my fisheye lens to be my secret weapon when it comes to photographing car shows. The fisheye allows you … [Read more...] about Here’s My Secret Car Show Photography Weapon – The Fisheye Lens
Photograph Like You Are A Racer At Heart
Photo courtesy Rhed Pixel When you're on a photo shoot and things are going bad; i.e., the camera isn't working, your CF card won't format, your flash trigger won't talk to the flash, the model is late, the location is wrong, the client is hard to work with - stop - reset - start over - clear your mind. People who race cars have a saying - "A racer will never let something that has already happened affect what is happening now." In racing, you just don't have time to worry about the fact that you missed the apex of that last turn or that you … [Read more...] about Photograph Like You Are A Racer At Heart
In-Game Car Photography – Cars In Video Games As Photo Subjects
Guest Post and images by Leon Stok NOTE: Cross Posted at Carloves.com (Author's Note: Please be aware the my experience is limited to Gran Turismo 5 and I'll keep my story limited to GT5 to prevent any mistakes there, though a Forza point of view is needed for a successful article.) The current generation of game consoles allows a level of detail in car models combined, that combined with their specialist camera tools, allows near-photo-realistic car pictures. In game camera options feature focal length, f-stop, timing and exposure settings … [Read more...] about In-Game Car Photography – Cars In Video Games As Photo Subjects
