Thank you for putting this section up!
I'll be the first question...
When taking a pic of a vehicle is it best to turn the front wheels away or toward the camera? Lifted v.s. lowered vehicles
Reason I ask is that I've seen great photos both ways, is there a general rule of thumb with something like this?
it depends on the look you're going for, if the vehicle has nice wheels I'll turn the wheels to the right while shooting from the front left and to the left when shooting from the left rear. If say it's a truck off road, I'll usually shoot with the front of the tire facing me.
I generally shoot with the wheels straight unless it is an article that needs to have the tire tread specifically shown... But it is all opinion and depends highly upon what the photos will be used for.
If the tire is facing you, you will generally loose the sight of the wheel...
What point are you trying to get across? Thats probably the best way to think about it. Do you want "beauty shots" or do you want to make it look imposing? Or do you want to show it playing in the dirt and grass.
The pics are whatever you want them to be.. It never hurts to take a lot of them though...
(I never will claim to be any more than an amateur at this...)
Pay close attention to whats in the background too... it is easy to ruin an otherwise great shot with crap in the background or foreground of the shot. Also be careful with the lighting and exposure... Use a higher shutter speed for the action shot and the focus will look crisper.
I like the action shot the best. :clap:
Why, simply for the action, or do you feel that it is the best shot of the group???
Best advice ever: keep the sun behind you. Don't shoot into the sun :hehe:
The best photos are taken at sunrise and/or sunset.
And until you know exactly what to look for, take thousands of photos and just experiment.
Some colors like the bright blue of that Dodge will look best with some sunlight... many cars/trucks look good when properly shot at midday. The Magic-hour of photography can be misleading. I shoot many features and have shot many magazine covers in midday bright sun... You just need to know how to work with the available light that you are given as well as how to work the shadows... Shooting into the sun can even be a good thing at times if you take care of things properly...
Experimentation is your best friend, play and have fun with your camera, especially with digital whats to loose??? Back in the day when I was shooting film, it was hard to experiment, but now fire away!!!! And, have fun!!!!
My best suggestion for anyone getting into photography is to put a basic UV filter on ALL your lenses right away!!! If the filter gets scratched or damaged it is easy to replace. But if the lens gets scratched or damaged it can hurt a lot more to replace it!!! One of my lenses has a piece of welding slag in the filter. It is out of the line of sight of the lens so I haven't bothered to replace it, but if it were embeded in the lens glass the lens would be worthless to me... So go out and buy filters for your lenses if you don't already have them...
Thats all for now from me... i can't give up too many secrets or I'll put myself out of business...