Friday, July 31, 2009

Photographing Classic Cars...


Here are a few tips and hints on photographing vintage cars. Shoot low at "eye" level to the car, get in close and use a wide-angle lens. A wide-angle lens can create distortions that give a little more personality to your classic car subject. Use a polarizer to reduce unwanted reflections and let the beautiful car color shine through. Use a tripod, and shoot for HDR to capture maximum detail in the shadow and highlight areas. Shoot from a variety of angles, photographing not only the entire car, but also the fabulous details such as hood ornaments, taillights and fancy grillwork.
Avoid undesirable background distractions, and that can be a challenge at a car show. Here's a hint, if you can't avoid distractions try blending them away. I used Alien Skin's Bokeh to create a softly blurred background that gave full attention to my subject. Use code deb0902 for a 10% discount.
After photographing this classic car, I chose to "extend my vision" in Photoshop! My formerly yellow car was given the pink treatment thanks to Photoshop's Replace Color feature.
Have fun!