5 Tips for Taking Better Photographs of Cars
Taking better photographs of cars is something exciting. It may be that you want to capture vivid photos of the amazing exotic cars available at the motor show. Or, you want to have excellent shots of your gorgeous car. What matters is, you need to follow the simple rules on car photography.
As we all know, getting better car shots has never been easy. Thankfully, the few basic rules in this article will entirely help to improve your shots. What you need is your camera gear, a car, and a passion for excellent photos.
- Get your gear set
The first thing to do is, assemble vital pieces of gear that you need. In this case, you only need a camera and a car. Today’s mobile phones have excellent lenses that can capture fantastic car shots. Therefore, you can use yours if you don’t think of investing in an expensive camera.
Are you looking for professional results? Well, a DSLR camera with a relatively wide car photography lens of about 24mm would be the best. Naturally, it captures the splendid car in its setting. If you want to have to close up details like the badges, wheels or interior parts, a macro lens would be vital.
More importantly, ensure that you take the car photos in raw format. This will help you adjust some settings on your camera for better capture. Therefore, you will manage to do edit them to perfection. Moreover, you can use a tripod stand to mount your camera into an ideal position. Thus, you can capture steady photos with ultimate ease. And, it can allow in more light when shooting in darker conditions.
As for your car, ensure its super clean. Plus, you should have a roll of cleaning paper and some liquid spray to wipe off any marks.
- Consider the location
The place you intend to shoot car photos is crucial. It determines the final appearance and quality of your photos. If you intend to shoot in different places, it is crucial to understand a site that fits your car’s style. Typically, a location with tons of beautiful scenery needs to be your gold-rush.
For instance, a city scene can be an excellent place for shooting photos of a stylish and sleek business-focused car. However, a place out of the mountains or any other ideal natural settings tend to give cool and impressive photos. The sad thing is, accessing such natural environments can be quite tricky. Instead, you can give a try in a pretty little town scene with amazing look.
Often, finding an apt place for your car photo shoot is never hard. There are plenty of sites you can find best for your car. But, avoid the car parks since the white painted lines on the ground seem not to add much to a brilliant photograph.
- Get the shooting angles right
Obtaining excellent shooting angles for your car is yet another essential thing you need to consider. It determines the coverage and details the car photos will have at last. If it’s your car, you need to move around to get the most appropriate angle to take your shots. Usually, plenty of photographers prefer to place the camera at a low level which tend to face up at the car. This helps to provide an impressive yet dramatic look.
Besides that, the three-quarter view shooting angle is also popular. It involves capturing photos towards the car’s front corner. The good thing with this angle is, it shows a well0detailed car in just a single frame. For instance, you will notice that the car’s front grille, side panel and the hood are all visible. Also, it helps to hide your reflection during shooting.
Moreover, you can shoot on your cars side to change the large side panel into a bigger mirror. The big thing is, locate the car in a perfect place to let the best part of your preferred background is behind it. Plus, turn the steering wheel fully away from the camera to give a more dramatic posture.
Pay attention to the details
Ideally, you tend to spend much time trying to capture the whole car from different angles. However, don’t ever forget to pay attention to the car’s key details. So, you need to get inside the car and snap your shots of the interior look. Check out for hand-stitched seats or steering wheels, natural wood, panels amazing gear-shift knobs, or anything that makes the car unique.
Also, look at the outer part of the car perhaps there is something fantastic. For instance, you may look at the exhaust vent or any other splendid component the car has. Shooting at the elegant badge may help to tell who the manufacturer is and try to show how powerful the engine is.
Other than that, you may consider panning the camera for intense practicality. In simple terms, it involves capturing the car in a frame as it moves past you. Here, consider capturing the car using slower shutter speeds below 1/180 second. This will help to keep the car in a sharp focus, making the background look blurred and gives a true sense of motion and drama.
Get quality photo post production
The process of taking better car photographs is never complete without editing the captured photos. So, most photographers tend to look for a Photo Editing Service company or software to help perfect their photos. Most photo editing software are easy to use hence you can do the editing by yourself with ease and from the comfort of your home.
Besides that, you will find most of them giving free basic services and subscriptions required if you want to access some other features. For instance, the Adobe Lightroom is an excellent software you can use to give your car photographs a perfect touch. Above all, consider the best editing service that will suit your desired photo quality and look.
To sum it all up, car photography is an exclusive and luxurious niche in the world of photography. Do you intend to get better car photographs for your gallery or sell your car online? Well, the above simple tips are the best to consider. In fact, you will in no time start shooting superb images that will impress you or even your customers.