Tips for taking photos at a car show?

[magomago]

Hi all

Being in So Cal - next week I'm going to head to the LA auto Show and snap many photos =) However I'd like some advice from those who have experience with these types of shoots.

When choosing a lens to take (I really want to try avoiding bringing all my lenses with me) I came to this thought:

I don't need the 50-200 or the 135M. They are too long for what I would be doing. I doubt I'd get a clear shot without people passing through anyways

That came down to my 50/1.4 and 18-55 kit lens.

I've been to auto shows before, and the places are very well lit when it comes to looking at the car from the exterior. Its also nice to have the wider perspective when I can't stand very far back - thus, I'm thinking of going with the kit lens. The only problem that might arise is taking pictures of car interiors - which are not necessarily well lit and can be dark.

What do you guys think?

Secondly - are there any tips on perspectives that look nice? I know I'll probably figure a few things out as the day goes on -but any earlier advice is always welcome...and it would be nice to think "dayum I wish I went back to snap a photo of BLA BLA which would have looked nicer"

Thanks all =)

 

[alfa147x]

Well i am not experienced enough to answer your question but I can say that i will be taking my 50mm 1.8 next time I go
50mm sucks for interiors though ....

 

[Zenmervolt]

Low. Shoot low. Kneeling usually gives a better perspective than shooting from face level. Getting up close and using a wide angle lens also helps.

Front 3/4 is done to death, but there's a reason for that as it typically gives a nice view.

This "advice" though is from a decided amateur, so hopefully you'll get some more experienced help too.

ZV

 

[corkyg]

Between the two lenses, I would use the 18-55 kit lens. Light is not the problem. The wider angle is really useful, especially if you want any interior shots. I too would like low angles, but - a lot of that depends on what you want to show in the picture - what the pictures will be used for, and what kind of print capacity you want. Much of that is very subjective. One of your main problems will be people - they have a predisposition to get in the way.

 

[soydios]

I would take the kit 18-55. It's small, light, and doesn't spook security into thinking that you're a pro photog and then check to see if you have credentials.

Just to echo what others have said, to get the most dramatic effect, get low and zoom out, but not to the point of inducing wide-angle distortion. It's been a year since I've used that lens, but I would guess that 24mm would be a good focal length for that.
For overview shots of the cars, preferably use the low-distortion 24mm focal length, but shoot from regular height.

Here's some examples of what I'm talking about (shot back in the day when I had the 18-55mm kit lens):
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2111/dsc3411zh7.jpg
Low to the ground, 35mm focal length. Makes the car look more menacing.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1895/dsc3394ig4.jpg
Shot from eye-level, 24mm focal length. A good rear-quarter view to see what the whole car looks like as you might walk around it.

Post pics when you get back from the show, btw. I'm off at college on the east coast, otherwise I would go.

 

[Jawo]

The front and rear 3/4 shots are done so much because they offer such a good view of the car IMO. The last auto show I went to was in January (pre dSLR), but I would say use the stock lens. You will want the wide angle since its very hard to get a clean view of a car, and the WA will allow you to get closer.

Would love to see the pics when you get back!

 

[jamesbond007]

The 50/1.4 is a clear winner here. The shallow aperture will allow you to do some creative work, should you choose, but also allow you to use natural lighting without having to flash the crap out of the car or the ladies that sometimes model the car.

The kit lens...is a lens, but I'm not sure if it's really suitable for a show. If it's outside, the lens would be OK, but if it's indoors, and poorly lit, I would try to find something else. Do you have any friends with the 10-22? That lens will surely give you tons of creativity to choose from. Ultra-wide angle lenses are popular to shoot from the front fender looking back towards the rear of the car. Be sure to incorporate angles that accentuate the beauty of the car. Not all cars can get away with extreme angles, but many exotics or cars with sharp angles do well with these poses and look fantastic.

Take a gander at www.dieselstation.com and check out some of the car wallpapers there. You should be able to find some ideas that you may able to recreate and have fun with at the show.

I wouldn't hesitate to bring the 135mm prime you speak of - this lens would be great to get candids of people, along with the models, without drawing too much attention. Again, natural light is your friend here and you won't be forced to use a flash.

Happy shooting,
~Travis

EDIT: Be sure to shoot RAW. I suggest the following: RAW files, Av mode (unless you find consistent lighting and are able to manually expose OK, the largest aperture (smallest number) the lens will allow at the given focal length, and adjust the ISO so that you get a fast enough shutter to stop motion on your end. Typically, 1/(focal length) you are shooting...135mm = 1/135 shutter to have a 'safe chance' of reducing all motion that you induce into taking the shot.

 

[dug777]

Wait, are we talking the 18-55mm Canon kit lens? I'd rather hack an arm off than use that thing

EDIT: I shouldn't be so mean I've seen some good shots taken with them.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
The 50/1.4 is a clear winner here. The shallow aperture will allow you to do some creative work, should you choose, but also allow you to use natural lighting without having to flash the crap out of the car or the ladies that sometimes model the car.

The kit lens...is a lens, but I'm not sure if it's really suitable for a show. If it's outside, the lens would be OK, but if it's indoors, and poorly lit, I would try to find something else. Do you have any friends with the 10-22? That lens will surely give you tons of creativity to choose from. Ultra-wide angle lenses are popular to shoot from the front fender looking back towards the rear of the car. Be sure to incorporate angles that accentuate the beauty of the car. Not all cars can get away with extreme angles, but many exotics or cars with sharp angles do well with these poses and look fantastic.

Take a gander at www.dieselstation.com and check out some of the car wallpapers there. You should be able to find some ideas that you may able to recreate and have fun with at the show.

I wouldn't hesitate to bring the 135mm prime you speak of - this lens would be great to get candids of people, along with the models, without drawing too much attention. Again, natural light is your friend here and you won't be forced to use a flash.

Happy shooting,
~Travis

EDIT: Be sure to shoot RAW. I suggest the following: RAW files, Av mode (unless you find consistent lighting and are able to manually expose OK, the largest aperture (smallest number) the lens will allow at the given focal length, and adjust the ISO so that you get a fast enough shutter to stop motion on your end. Typically, 1/(focal length) you are shooting...135mm = 1/135 shutter to have a 'safe chance' of reducing all motion that you induce into taking the shot.

The lights inside an auto show are bright enough to use the 18-55, and 50mm is way too long to use on DX indoors.

 

[KeithP]

The lights inside an auto show are bright enough to use the 18-55, and 50mm is way too long to use on DX indoors.

I agree. Not along ago I took my 50mm 1.8 to the Peterson Automotive Museum. With the crop factor it was far too long. I would go with the 18-55. Or you could bring both lenses and make two passes through the show, one with each lens.

Also, stop at a sporting goods store and pick up some basic knee pads. If you do a lot of low shots your knees will thank you at the end of the day.

-Keith

 

[magomago]

Thanks for a lot of the replies...although it brings up a good debate. Car shows are usually well lit, no? Of course we all want to avoid flash (atleast the direct variety) because it just creates a really fugly bright white spot on a car.

no 10-22 here I'm shooting Pentax...and don't have that lens as an option. And although similar options exist for Pentax, I don't have the money to invest in a any particular wide angle lens The only reason I hesitate on the 135mm is that while it produces LOVELY images and is still beautifully sharp wide open ....its an M42 mount lens and I can't even take an exposure reading. And it takes me a while to dial in properly and obtain the right focus...I use it when I have more time. Of course I also totally see the desire for tele candids ><

And ty on AV mode. When I'm not in manual mode I use this the most (I actually am curious as to why P mode even exists and what the difference between it and Auto is...)

dug777 Pentax Pentax, not Canon


I'm thinking now maybe I should go 18-55mm and then bring my 50-200mm for the teleside of things. Of course that lens isn't very fast- I believe it is 4 at the short end and 5.6 at the long end. Since I onyl have time to go once, I don't want to get tripped up on constantly switching between the two...as well as the fact that I don't feel very comfortable tossing the lens in my pocket and just "going"

As for the pictures, for sure I'll try to post them...although I feel a little hesitant only because I suck at photography, but I still enjoy it to continue to do it

And thanks soydios for the advice on getting right in front of the car...that is actually a nice shot IMO! I guess that means I'll stop at a sporting goods store and get some knee pads

 

[soydios]

Knee pads will make you stand out, but will protect the knees if you envision spending a lot of time on them.

P mode only adjusts the shutter speed and aperture automatically. It leaves all the menu options, ISO, and flash up to you.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Another tip: You don't have to get the whole car in the shot. Here's a pair of my favorite shots of my 914. Sony A100 with the 18-70 kit lens.

Shot 1

Shot 2

And another shot that I love (pure luck that I got it since I was holding the camera out the window with one hand and had no clue if anything was in the shot) that doesn't show the whole car. Of course, you probably won't have the opportunity to do something like this at an auto show.

In Motion

ZV

 

[alfa147x]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Another tip: You don't have to get the whole car in the shot. Here's a pair of my favorite shots of my 914. Son7 A100 with the 18-70 kit lens.

Shot 1


ZV

I think that might have looked better if the Aperture was a bit smaller, i think you were going for the leters ?

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: alfa147x

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Another tip: You don't have to get the whole car in the shot. Here's a pair of my favorite shots of my 914. Sony A100 with the 18-70 kit lens.

Shot 1

ZV

I think that might have looked better if the Aperture was a bit smaller, i think you were going for the leters ?

Actually, I would have liked to have a wider aperture (lower f-stop) to have the image fade out faster. I agree that it does fall into an "in-between" area where it seems to want to go one way or the other. The lettering is really just a nice contrasting color path to draw the eye across the image.

ZV

 

[alfa147x]

Ohhh thats at a F4.00 wonder what it would look like on a 50mm f2.8