Even though I consider myself just an amateur photographer, I have taken thousands of pics of race cars (both at speed and stills) as well as numerous other outdoor shots a sporting events (NFL, NCAA, MLB, etc). I have had the opportunities to speak to pro photographers as well as learn by trial and error but here are a few of the biggest things I have found when shooting outdoors.

1) Lighting: clear blue "high sky" is the best for true color. Clouds especially partly cloudy conditions can tend to wash out bright colors. I would rather shoot on an overcast day than a partly cloudy one. But again nothing beats the high sky conditions.

2) Shading: Shade from your subject should always be looked at prior to shooting. The best scenario is to have the shade dropping away from your subject, in other words if you taking a pic of a person you want the shade behind them and the sun in their face. Cars are no different. Always be conscious of where the shadows are falling.

3) Angles: Straight on shots are the norm and always will look good. But your more unique shots will occur with angles. When shooting cars, an underneath looking up angle always yields cool pics. Standing above your vehicle whether on a ladder, hill, or whatever will also give a nice look to a finished pic.

4) Reflection: This can kill an otherwise premium setting. Especially when shooting cars. If the sun is reflecting badly off any part of the car, mainly off glass, this can ruin a pic because the camera will see that light as the dominant light and underexpose the pic. Plus the fact the glare will tend to ruin what your are trying to gain anyhow.

sorry to ramble but maybe this will help.

 

Think perspective. Many photos that look the best are shot at low angles with the camera tilted a bit. If you have the ability to adjust the camera's aperture, then close it down to f/11 or f/16 if you want the backgrouind to be more in focus (an example would be that yellow Z06 earlier in this thread with the trees in the background). Depending on the lighting, this may require a tripod to get a crisp shot (closed aperture requires longer shutter speed). Be careful not to shoot with backlighting unless you know what you're doing.

Practice makes perfect. Especially with digital, it doesn't matter how many pics you take -- it doesn't cost you anything. Keep shooting. Also, KNOW your camera. Know how to meter. Know how to focus. Knowing how your camera works will enable you to produce some pretty nice shots in almost any situation.

 

Why does most of my pictures of my Torch Red always look orange? I know it's the lighting but when is the best condition for the RED to pop out at you? I always use a digital camera.

 

It might be your camera's white balance setting. Do you know how to control the white balance on your camera? If so, try different settings and see which one looks best.

Check out this link: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/whitebalance.htm

 

Another trick I've found is to shoot from a distance and zoom in. You get less distorted proportions that way, but still fill the frame.

 

Yup, a distance shot is certainly something to try. Keep in mind that the distance shots will shorten your depth of field, and be aware that you may require a tripod with these kinds of shots.

 

Like this one!

 

I shoot a ton of video, and this is correct. Getting a tripod is a great idea.

 

My favorite of my car...


If I'm photographing chrome, I put on my "Cross Screen" filter. it adds specular highlights where the sun reflects. See my sig pic.

 

I'm no pro. but one thing I've noticed is that turning the camera just a bit almost always makes the pics look better.

My 0.02 cents.

for example.....

same angle, different side, but ones turned and one's straight.

straight


turned

 

I started with this.



I wanted Mount Rainier in the background but it was to far away. So I backed up 50 feet and zoomed in and got this.



Then I used photoshop and got ride of all the distracting poles and lines in the pavement. And got the photo that's in my signature. I find that I have a lot more luck when I hold the camera at hip level or slightly above instead of looking down at my subjects. Also I try and keep my backgrounds as simple as possible so that they don't take away from the subject. My .02

 

Lighting and the time of day make a big difference. I find that the best pics come out when the sun is overhead but casting a bit of a shadow from where you are taking a pic. Of course, it all depends on where your vette is parked at the time. Check out these pics I took of my baby yesterday during one of our cruises. Some of them came out pretty good. I even decided to update my sig using some of them.




Too much shadow


Sun directly in front of hood blurred license plate, still came out good


Came out good because I was in it

 

Maybe the trees are distracting, but your car just looks sweet from that angle and other angles too, but I love the way the wheels look in this picture! Those wheels and the lip on those babies look freakin' awesome!

 

Very nicely done.

The final picture is very nice.

The stepping back 50 feet or more and zooming in is one of my favorite tricks to shooting a vehicle.
Been using that idea for many years.


Your final shot is extremely well done all around.
I thnk I have commented on this picture before.

 

a reallly good camera & i took ALOT of pix...was only happy w a few thou

 

 

It's all about the light, the angle and the composition. Watch those backgrounds.

 

I'm certainly no pro - far from it. But, the best tip I've ever gotten really helps:

Turn off the flash. That's what makes the reflectors light up and look cheesy.