In this video Chelsea and Tony Northrup head out to the Ocean Beach Car Show. While enjoying an afternoon out, taking pictures of stunning automobiles, they share some interesting insights on how to take eye-catching photos of classic cars:
If you are an automobile freak it is easy to lose focus in the midst such beauties. This is where you need to pull yourself together and pay attention. For those who are newbies or basically trying their hand at photographing such events for the first time, here are some invaluable pointers:
Focus on the details
![photographing a car show](https://www.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car_show_details.jpg)
Details
Many times when photographing cars, you try to get the whole car in the frame. That’s not always necessary. Simply focus on the smaller details instead to eliminate distractions and highlight the cars’ craftmanship.
Wear darker clothes
Cars are reflective and that means you have a great chance of photobombing your own compositions! The solution is to wear darker clothes.
Use reflections to your advantage
![capturing reflections](https://www.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car_show_reflections.jpg)
Use reflections to your advantage.
Reflections are not always undesirable. With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can make reflections your point of focus.
Do a bit of Photoshopping
![photoshopping your images](https://www.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car_show_before_after.jpg)
This original image (left) taken by Chelsea Northrup was edited to remove distractions in the background.
Car shows are often crowded and in less-than-scenic locales. Sometimes makes your images a bit too cluttered. You can’t possible ask everyone to leave so that you can avoid distracting backgrounds and or people walking in to the frame, but what you can do is put your photo editing skills to work when you get home.
Choose the right lens
Car photography does not require special lenses. You can shoot with your standard kit lens, really. That said, other lenses allow you to capture different perspectives. For example, a fish-eye lens can convert straight lines into curved ones. If you do use a fish-eye lens, you’ll need to get as close as possible to your subjects or else they tend to look as if they are very far away.
Pay attention to lighting
![hdr photography](https://www.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/car_show_hdr.jpg)
Car shows are great opportunities for using HDR.
Some photographers prefer softer lighting, going with their need to avoid glares and reflections. Tony, on the other hand, prefers hard lighting, with the sun is out and beaming straight down. Interestingly, he does not use the one tool you would expect him to—the polarizing filter. Such bright conditions are also perfect for bracketing your shots for HDR.
Compose carefully
At a car show, you will have very limited opportunities to photograph a single car in its entirety, because of the obvious distractions. Instead, think of specific aspects of the cars that you like and take pictures of those. Tony also suggests using the Dutch Tilt technique to give a little bit of a sense of motion to your images.
Capture symmetry
Automobiles are powerful tools in their own right, but, when you can capture symmetry in them you make them appear more powerful. One way to capture symmetry is by stooping low and capturing a low angle keeping the car dead in the center of the frame.
Are you a car show enthusiast? Share your tips for photographing cars in the comments below!
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Excellent article! My tip – do not photo-bomb another photographer’s photo! Use Car Show Photographer etiquette – i.e. if you want to capture a car that is already being captured by another photographer then refrain from photo-bombing their capture by getting in the way – let them do their thing before you do your thing. And if another photographer comes along while you are capturing your car and photo-bombs your capture just ask them to remove themselves from your subject – then let them know Rule #1 of Car Show Photography Etiquette – 1st in, 1st to get the shot! Have patience…
Please check out my Car, Motorcycle, and Truck Show photo albums as well as landscape photos on my Flickr page at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/35707376@N00/albums