I'll be taking some pictures of a friend's black vette (with chrome wheels). I have a Canon 40D with 28-135 mm lens. Any special camera setting I should use to get some really nice shots?

Thanks

 

Have you used a dSLR before?

 

I've used SLR's, but I'm relatively new to DSLR. Up until a few weeks ago, I was using a Canon G5

 

If you truly don't have much seat time with the camera, just leave it on full auto. Attempting to manually master a DSLR while shooting a black car can be aggravating to say the least.

Take the car to a nice area that will not have many objects that can reflect in the black paint. Shooting a black car can be a royal pain in the *** if you have to deal with reflections and flares. Even an empty parking lot will do if you can't find any where else.

Take the photos under early morning sun or late evening sun. Usually my rule of thumb is that the sun should be 1.5-2 hand widths from the horizon when your arm is fully outstretched. The softer the sun, the less likely you are to have a sky that is completely blown out. There are other advantages to shooting during the "golden hour" but if you leave your camera on full auto, you won't have to worry about them. Also, try your best to shoot with the sun to your back. Basically, do everything in your power to not shoot at high noon under the harsh sun.

As far as composition, get creative! Use the rule of thirds as outlined here: http://digital-photography-school.co...ule-of-thirds/
No one ever said every shot has to be a keeper, so try new angles. If you don't like them, simply delete them. Try dropping to a knee or even sitting to take a shot. Or, get on a platform and shoot down on the car.

You mentioned the car has chrome wheels. Sometimes auto focus has trouble locking onto chrome if it's too reflective. Switch to manual focus on the lens and go from there.

Shooting cars is great photography practice and the more you do it, the better you get (just like anything else). Just get out there and have some fun. Take a couple hundred photos and expect a handful of keepers.

Here's two shots I took of my friend's black Audi under noon light. I was able to control the hot lighting for the most part, but look how easily the car reflects its surrounding. It's like a giant mirror. That's why finding the proper location is key.

Hope this helps a little. Sorry if you know all of this already—didn't mean to insult your intelligence, but it might even help someone else a little.

-Matt

 

Gotcha. Experience with SLR's is great. I'd still recommend leaving it on full auto until you get a couple of shoots under your belt with your new 40D. Great choice by the way.

 

Agreed! Also experiment with a polorizing filter. Black can give a lot of reflections.

I just upgraded from a 20d to the 40d and it is great, just shoot and experiment. If you run off a hundred shots, who cares, you just need one or two to blow up!

 

Thanks you guys for some really great tips! I'll post some of the 'keepers'