Pictures, honest opinions please.

I like the 3rd one and the last one, the rest are ok. The pics seem a little "grainey" or is it just me??


Robert

 

He should seek advice from our F Chat resident photographer Ken Visser, Ken is a published guy, great friend of many in the region, very generous with his time and art. M

 

their not bad..... what type of camera is he using? Also is he going back and reworking them in photoshop? Looks like a few have detail drop. The reflection one is nice. Was the one car moving though when he took the shot? Sam can you get him to post a few comments about the pics he took?

 

I think the pictures are ok but in all honesty reminds me of high school photography class pictures :-( 1st one is totally overexposed, a few of the others are grainy and the overall composition is plain. If he's interested in photographing cars he should definitely talk to Ken V., Redding at FOW and I have a good friend who is a great self taught photographer as a hobby...check out his pics here if you want http://photo.net/photos/mykb93. This site is also a great way to network with other photographers and get further feedback.

L.

 

Do you really think they are phenomenal? Please explain. I mean, you did start the thread, and phenomenal means about as good as it gets. Please give us your critique first.



Phenomenal:
: relating to or being a phenomenon: as a: known through the senses rather than through thought or intuition b: concerned with phenomena rather than with hypotheses c: extraordinary, remarkable

 

There you go again. cut the guy a break.....

 

I mean if its honest you want, its honest you will get. I do not think the pics are all that great....as JB said, its grainy. Can I do any better, probably not, but I have seen a lot of nice professional photos before and I can say that these are still amatuer in a polite sense. It would help to know the camera, lens, and settings used for the pics and what was done in photoshop to help pinpoint a specific weakness. If your friend is welcoming feedback, don't take what we say as us attacking but as a way to try and help improve.

 

I'm a novice photographer, but there are several things that come to mind when I look at the pictures:

- first of all, the subject matter is good. Hard to go wrong with beautiful, exotic cars.

- composition in most of the pics is not anything special. Most of the pics have too much distracting clutter in the background (e.g. the shirts & stuff in the 2nd pic). Another example is the part of the yellow car in pic #5.

- the "Rule of Thirds" is violated in most of the pics (car is centered, nothing else in pic, horizon not positioned on a vertical third, etc.)

- the cropping is too extreme in some of the pics (e.g. the 1st pic). Often this is a sign of poor framing in the view finder.

- overexposure of some of the sunlight. Blinding bright spots can be a major distraction (e.g. the sunlight in pic #2). Same thing with the ceiling lights reflected in the windshield of pic #3.

- pictures 3 and 7 are more artistic than the others. I like them the best.

- the "depth of field" focus doesn't appear to be precisely controlled. Variation of f-stop and inverse shutter speeds can change the depth of field focus for any picture (while keeping the same amount of light into the camera). For example, pic #2 has everything in focus except the near floor tiles. This is kind of an unusual choice in focus. You'd expect either everything in focus or only the car part of the pic to be in focus (with the background as blurry as the near floor tiles).

- I would have tried to shoot the last pic of the red brake caliper from a different angle so that the full text of the Maserati logo could be seen. By moving the camera up above the wheel, it might be possible to see all the text through the wider opening of the wheel closer to the rim.

Okay, that is all the feedback I can provide in my attempt to be "an anal-retentive photo critic". All of my comments are intended to be constructive, not mean-spirited. Good luck to your friend.

By the way, many of the same criticisms could be said about most of my car pictures that I have posted here on FerrariChat. I think only a few of mine are above average from a composition and technical camera point of view. One of my favorite pics is of my Jag E-type on this thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com:80/forum/showthread.php?t=175415

I'd be curious if Ken Visser shares some of my opinions or not of the pics you've posted, since he actually is a professional photographer.

 

I don't know, i think phenomenal is a pretty strong word. Ansel Adams was phenomenal. I just don't like when people describe things with that kind of hyperbole, then ask for your opinion. Sort of stops the debate, there is not really anywhere to go but down from there. If he really does believe these are phenomenal, i'd like to know why. I find them just below average. But i'd like to hear what Ken says.

 

Like is such a strong word..... For a first time out they aren't bad. Thing is the more money you spend on equipment the better you appear to be... Just ask Ed....

 

i don't know, i'm waiting to see what ken says.

 

I agree with a number of issues raised by toggie who gave a rather detailed analysis and break down of the photos. His constructive criticism goes well into the subject at hand. I've learned quite a bit on this forum from wetpet and others offering their opinions/criticism of my shots.

I also learn something everytime I go out and shoot cars. I also always come home and think about the shots I've missed and what I would have liked to have done. Learn from your mistakes and take notes on what works and what doesn't.

My advice, buy the best possible glass possible. Start with a good prime lens, they are your least expensive entry to higher end photography. Keep an eye out on craigslist for used glass that comes up.

Play with your camera and focal point.

shoot manual, learn the nuances of film speed vs f stop.

Sit at home with a bowl of fruit, your camera on a tripod and play with all those settings to figure out what works and what doesn't.

Learn about white balance and how to play with contrast.

Don't fall into the habit of using saturation to add punch to photos.

shoot raw, that will help you correct mistakes made in the field.

play with your camera, over and over and over. The more you shoot, hopefully the better you will get.

I would also agree with wetpet, the shots are not phenomenal. Now the subject matter could be considered phenomenal but not the shots themselves.

IMHO the best shot of the lot is the last one. I like details.

Best of luck to your friend.

regards

ken

 

For the sake of a critique (and Toggie gave a good one) I'd have to say that while the shots aren't phenomenal they are at least a step in the right direction. As with anything creative it takes a while to find your niche (whether its a look, style or sound). I tend to like shots that have alot of detail but also make you think about the use of negative and positive space. Saying that I like the B and W photos that seem grainy in that they make good use of lights and darks. What you are missing is finesse and focus. Put a purpose to the shot and don't just take a picture.

 

I'll be bringing some of my stuff on sunday. bring your wallet

 

now, for my advice. If you want to know how to shoot a car, go here.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193552

 

don't be bashful now.... show the boy how they do it wetpet style

 

Join the local camera club. I know, sounds stupid, but by surrounding yourself with people who have been shooting for a long time, and who talk technique, your technique will improve too. Group shoots with those guys will help too.

However, some guys just don't have an eye for it. They can develop an extremely high technical level, without ever having any passion in their photos. Autos, portraits or even product shots, if you don't see the final image as exciting through the viewfinder, neither will anyone else.

I've seen some product shots that while technically excellent (focus, lighting and exposure) have nothing to grab your eye (content, composition.) Gotta get all of it right.

Also buy one or more of Ansel Adams books on technique, lighting, compostion. Old school? Yup, but you can't learn from a better source.

Hit Amazon.com, enter his name, you'll get 4 or 5 reference books. The one on cameras is out dated, but THIS ONE is still worth reading for sure.

The posted pix look like all the other pics that get posted here. It's easy to get focus and exposure right these days, the camera does it for you. And don't over photoshop them. too much color is a bad thing, too. Some of the best images I've seen recently were shot with a twin lens reflex camera. Color was muted compared to digital, and looked REAL!!

Can you really take a picture of a car from an angle that someone else hasn't already shot? Nope, but that doesn't mean the photos can't POP off the screen and grab the viewer. Are you grabbed by these? Do you want to see more of what the photographer has done? That's the test you have to pass to make it as a photographer.

Who the hell am I to tell you what works? Been selling into the industry for 32 years. Worked as a newspaper photographer shooting sports back in the day, too.

DM

 

I like some of the pics but not the black and white ones.They don't have enough black in them, too much white and grey. If you're shooting a car that's a vibrant colour, black and white IMO is not a good option.

Best to ask people in the know, join a club, a photography forum or something along the lines. They're always willing to help.

 

he has a lot of practice to do...

his composition seems alright but the pictures themselves are average. he needs to learn his camera better and perhaps learn photoshop more and use it correctly.

if he wants to get somewhere within the automotive photography crowd then he definately will need to be different and practice more.

 

i would never.....

my pics are all over this site. Search function if your interested. Or come by the spring thaw. i finally had some printed.

 

Golden nugget.

 

this was the first time i have ever shot cars. yes, it is alot more difficult than shooting other subjects. I do have a lot to learn. I am not certain that i even want to enter into the car photo field but i figured it cant hurt to give it a shot since they are much more difficult subjects. I used a nikon f100 50mm lens 400 speed BW film and 200 speed color. The only post processing is in the first shot(raised contrast) other than that they are slightly cropped and scanned into the computer. I really do appreciate all of your comments. thanks.