 Pat Wimpee |
Car Show Pictures Does anyone have suggestions for taking pictures at car shows? All the cars are highly polished, and everyone of my pictures show the refelection of people, other cars or trees on the sides or fenders. I've tried different angles but it's not working. How do you do this?!!!? Thanks for any input.
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Jason A. Woodcock |
Try using a polarizing filter. As you rotate the filter, the refelctions should be minimized.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Shoot in a studio, or do lots of cloning. A polarizer will get rid of glare, but reflections of people and trees you're stuck with if you can't actually remove the people, trees, or the car to a different location.
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher  Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
Shoot early morning before the sun gets high and it helps some. Wear black or gray to minimize your own reflection, and all the above. Not much else you can do but live with it. What I hate is the people who leave their cars hoods up. Fine if you want to shoot engines, but if not it kind of ruins the line. Sometimes I just shoot from the back of the car and clone out the hood along with the rest of the background.
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Oliver Anderson |
Hey Pat, I've been building cars for a very long time - Concours, Hot Rods and now Import Tuner cars (Porsche 993TT). What are the conditions you're photographing the cars in, outside or inside? Studio is the only answer and you're still going to have to do post-production on all the photos. Even for the posters and car mags, if you look you'll notice reflections in the photos but you always notice them more in your own photos. When I photograph HIN Chicago in 2 weeks I always photograph the cars early before all the people get in and crowd me or get in the reflections. I bring two 500 watt Studio Strobes to photograph models with the Porsche, and I don't get too many reflections but its a white car.
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Pat Wimpee |
Thanks everyone for your quick responses. All of these have been at car shows outside. Some of the owners have asked if I could get shots of their cars. I usually just do portraits of people, so the reflections in the cars are really a challenge. I've been doing Greg's technique of cloning but I was hoping there was an easier answer. :) I'll try the polorizer and earlier hour and see how it works. Thanks again
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Bob Chance |
Pat, move in close. Don't just shoot the whole car, but also focus on key points of interest about the car. Maybe the emblem on the hood or fender. The side mirrors, the wheels. Pick out points of interest about a car that make it stand out. But concentrating on smaller areas, you can greatly minimixe reflections.
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Pat Wimpee |
Thanks Bob for your imput. Good Idea!
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Sharon Day |
No one will thank me for this perspective :o) BUT I like looking at the stuff in the reflections. Whenever I see a car photo in the contest, I immediately look at the reflections to see what I can see ;)! I think it makes it more interesting.
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Pat Wimpee |
Oh I'd probably agree with that thought, but unfortunately people who are "into" their cars probably don't care how "artsy" the reflection all over the side of their baby looks. :)
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Sharon Day |
They should probably show them off in a vacuum then ;)! Good luck with it. Sounds difficult if not impossible!
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Jeffery Haws |
One thing I have done at car shows is to let the vehicle owner know you would like to photograph their vehicle with the hood down, if they wouldn't mind. I have done that the usually they will oblige you. (you could also offer to take another photo of them and their vehicle and get their address and mail or email it to them).
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Gabrielle Pierce |
I have to agree somewhat with Sharon regarding reflections......one of my favorite B&W photos I shot at an outdoor car show has a reflection of the field and trees in the halfmoon hubcap, and a great reflection of clouds and the treetops on the highly polished fender of the fiine old Packard. I don't particularly care for people reflections, I'll admit, but these nature-type reflections really made this particular photo, I think.
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Diane Miller |
Hey Pat, If you cant get rid of the reflections, enhance them! I went to an air show recently and after a while I was tired of just taking pictures of planes sitting on the ground so I added my 'star' filter. It made the shine look great, especially on the dark or black planes.
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chuck Bruton |
I also shoot a lot of cars, our local car show is inside the Civic Center, so there's a lot of reflections. You can make the reflections work for you. The crowed conditions bother me more than reflections. What I do is try to show the theme of the car with a tight shot of the distinctive curves or logo, some well known characteristic of the make.I have found that reworking the images in Photo Shop does wonders.
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Carl J. Morrison |
You've already received good suggestions: polarizing filter, move in close, use reflections for interest, etc. My favorite is to get in contact with the car show promoter and get permission to take pictures of ALL the cars as they enter the registration line (car guys like to get to the show an hour or more BEFORE registration opens!). Talk with the promoter about having the cars drive by an appropriate background on their way to their parking spot. Give the promoter a photo CD of all the cars you shoot, for his use in promoting next year's show (with credit to you, of course). As to the comment about 'hoods up.' Some shows judge the engine, trunk, interior, chassis, and doors, hoods, trunk lids, need to be up during judging. You would not be out of like to ask the owner if he/she would close the hood for a photo (have your camera in hand at the time). If they comply, when you are done, thank them and give them your business card. Check our the few car pictures I have at: http://moknowsphotos.com/Cars/
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
The problem with asking the owner to put the hood down is, once they get their car set up, they are GONE looking at everybody elses cars and you can't ever find them to ask them!
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