Carter N's Photography Advice Thread.

[HonDee-A3]

thx for tip champ

[Jake2k]

elaborate?

I got a few lol

-Difficult to get them to dress in a manner that makes them look like a band and not a random group of people

-Hard to get a shoot scheduled that works with everyone

-Not all the time but sometimes it's hard to get them to look and be relax during the shoot lol

And I do have a question for ya, what what do you do in PS to blow out your whites in shots like these:


Matt W's 740 gettin' clean by Carter N, on Flickr


Max O's e30 rollin' in OCMD by Carter N, on Flickr

I've tried a few things but it never looks quite right, thanks man!

[yaya786]

Hi guys, im new on the scene, i recently bought a toyota yaris as an everyday ride, i want the car low with a wicked stance but the ride must aslo be comfortable, i also plan on forcing a toyota 16v engine in that tiny engine bay hehehe... i need help guys on what to buy, im from cape town so if here are any locals around that would also help.
Also i have a set of 18 inch lenso speed six chillin at home but i think i wanna slap 16" wheels from the bbs stable or a yummy rep what do u guys think??

thanks

[Carter N]

I got a few lol

-Difficult to get them to dress in a manner that makes them look like a band and not a random group of people

-Hard to get a shoot scheduled that works with everyone

-Not all the time but sometimes it's hard to get them to look and be relax during the shoot lol

And I do have a question for ya, what what do you do in PS to blow out your whites in shots like these:


Matt W's 740 gettin' clean by Carter N, on Flickr


Max O's e30 rollin' in OCMD by Carter N, on Flickr

I've tried a few things but it never looks quite right, thanks man!

I mean, I think especially for this band's type of music it was important for things not to look to staged. Promos are usually specifically used by the band so I think most people get it lol.. but I see what you're saying...

I use curve adjustments, white gradients, and brightness layers to create effects like that.

[Jozi]

And I do have a question for ya, what what do you do in PS to blow out your whites in shots like these:

I've tried a few things but it never looks quite right, thanks man!

I use curve adjustments, white gradients, and brightness layers to create effects like that.

Thanks for the answer to that, I was going to ask the same question as above after seeing the pics.

I've been using a Canon 450D with kit lens and 50mm 1.8 mk2. I love the dept of field with the 1.8! I'm by no means a good photographer but I don't use it as much as I should! Once I have my E30 on the road a lot more photo's will be taken!

I was thinking of getting a 10-22mm lens, how do you rate these kind of wide angle lenses for auto motive photography? I got to use one I borrowed and quite liked it.

Have you any books you recommend reading? I have "Understanding Exposure (3rd edition)" Which I found really good for learning the basic controls of the cam and it's full of easy to understand explanations and examples.

Was thinking I should have started a 365 project

[jungleman]

Because your advice is always very helpful, took this shot yesterday i think i did quite well but not entirely happy with it please have a look any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Carter N]

Good work! ^ I love the sky it's, awesome. A little more even exposure around the car and some work cleaning up the light poles and this would be perfect.

[JFinn]

Hey Carter, i got a question about .raw files. I assume you shoot in .raw correct? Ive read up on the benefits of .raw files etc. but im just wondering exactly what process do you go through. Say from after you complete a shoot until you upload the pic on your flickr. What do you do to the files initially, how/when do you convert them, at what point do you edit in photoshop etc. Thanks!

[HonDee-A3]

noob question time...

how do u capture both the object (with landscape) along with the sky in a shot, especially directly to the sun (sun set/rise)....i tried both av / manual i cannot get them all in, its either jus the sky or the object with a bright open sky no details....frustrating

oh yea, did i say im using all stock lenses 15-85 & 85 f1.8

[Jozi]

You do your light metering on the sky and then re-compose on the subject.

When you open raw file in photoshop you can do a lot of tweaking otherwise not possible with jpgs. I use lightroom to import from the memory card to the pc, can do a bit of processing then before exporting to jpg for uploading online.

[Withers]

I was thinking of getting a 10-22mm lens, how do you rate these kind of wide angle lenses for auto motive photography? I got to use one I borrowed and quite liked it.

Didn't see this answered yet, so...

They're good but are more of a specialty lens. The 10-22 is super sharp and I think you'll get a lot of use out of it for automotive, but you'll want to combine it with something with less distortion as well.

The 10-22 is wonderful for rolling shots and for shots where you want to show off your background.

[Jozi]

Didn't see this answered yet, so...

They're good but are more of a specialty lens. The 10-22 is super sharp and I think you'll get a lot of use out of it for automotive, but you'll want to combine it with something with less distortion as well.

The 10-22 is wonderful for rolling shots and for shots where you want to show off your background.

Yeah I can see how one would see quite limited use because of the narrow range it covers. I've not looked into it much (due to lack of a job) but I'd like something like a 24-70mm f/2.8L or 24-105mm f/4L to go with the 10-22mm and something a bit longer after that, all dreams for now though

Reassuring though reading a good response to what the 10-22mm is like

[HonDee-A3]

You do your light metering on the sky and then re-compose on the subject.

When you open raw file in photoshop you can do a lot of tweaking otherwise not possible with jpgs. I use lightroom to import from the memory card to the pc, can do a bit of processing then before exporting to jpg for uploading online.

so it is impossible to get a shot with both sky / object into the picture
cos im really not familiar with editing whats all ever....

[soab]

I have a question. I am by no means a photographer but I got the amazing oppritunity a while ago to shoot some pictures of the Ferrari's on the vine Dinner with an older Canon DSLR, and my question is how in the orld do you take a good picture from the front of the new Ferrari?



I got some decent rear shots and interior shots

Blurry I know I didnt have a tripod and I couldn't seem to steady this shot..



And some shots with the car in them came out decent





But this was the best I could do from the front.. I just could not figure out the lines of the car..



Any advice with stuff like this or is it just a matter of taking thousands of pitures and developing an eye for it?

[Carter N]

Hey Carter, i got a question about .raw files. I assume you shoot in .raw correct? Ive read up on the benefits of .raw files etc. but im just wondering exactly what process do you go through. Say from after you complete a shoot until you upload the pic on your flickr. What do you do to the files initially, how/when do you convert them, at what point do you edit in photoshop etc. Thanks!

I don't use .raw actually. I could make my life a lot easier editing wise by shooting .raw but I prefer my process with .jpegs.

basically.. for a shot like this for example


Matt W's 740 gettin' clean by Carter N, on Flickr

I took one shot, level exposure, etc etc. in .jpeg. Then I go into photo shop and use layers to create the blown out sky and walls. Duplicate the background and mask the car and edit that layer separately from the background. If you all are interested I could possibly do a video on youtube or something of my editing process.

noob question time...

how do u capture both the object (with landscape) along with the sky in a shot, especially directly to the sun (sun set/rise)....i tried both av / manual i cannot get them all in, its either jus the sky or the object with a bright open sky no details....frustrating

oh yea, did i say im using all stock lenses 15-85 & 85 f1.8

personally in that situation I take two, maybe three, shots (background, subject, foreground?) and layer them together and use masks to show both/all exposures.

this shot is a good example of a three exposure composition


Matt W's BMW 740i by Carter N, on Flickr

You do your light metering on the sky and then re-compose on the subject.

When you open raw file in photoshop you can do a lot of tweaking otherwise not possible with jpgs. I use lightroom to import from the memory card to the pc, can do a bit of processing then before exporting to jpg for uploading online.

You can edit .jpegs using Adobe Camera Raw and edit them in the same way that you can a .raw file they just degrade in quality after numerous changes.

so it is impossible to get a shot with both sky / object into the picture
cos im really not familiar with editing whats all ever....

If you want to expose for an object while shooting into direct sunlight in a single shot you will need to use a lighting set up..

I have a question. I am by no means a photographer but I got the amazing oppritunity a while ago to shoot some pictures of the Ferrari's on the vine Dinner with an older Canon DSLR, and my question is how in the orld do you take a good picture from the front of the new Ferrari?

Any advice with stuff like this or is it just a matter of taking thousands of pitures and developing an eye for it?

Finding the right angle for different cars can be tough. On the one hand it is a natural eye for photography that will help you in these situations however practicing will definitely make it easier to tackle new things.