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I was wondering what lenses you guys use for car photography in general. I recent got a 24-70mm F2.8. Which is not giving me enough blur in the background. I will probably get a 70mm-200mm F2.8 soon. These are the few photos I took over the weekend.
Very cool photos.
One thing to keep in mind when taking pictures is how important the composition of the background is. For instance in the second photo, the verticallity of the light pole detracts from focusing on the vehicle. The fifth picture looks great, but I wonder if you took the same shot in front of a portion of the building that had only the consistent grid pattern without that jog in the wall, how it might look. Don't get me wrong, beautiful photos, just throwing out some food for thought.
Very cool photos.
One thing to keep in mind when taking pictures is how important the composition of the background is. For instance in the second photo, the verticallity of the light pole detracts from focusing on the vehicle. The fifth picture looks great, but I wonder if you took the same shot in front of a portion of the building that had only the consistent grid pattern without that jog in the wall, how it might look. Don't get me wrong, beautiful photos, just throwing out some food for thought.
Hey thanks a lot for the tips! The fifth picture is me taking the same shot as first picture, but I just zoomed in using the lens. I got what you said about the second one. Going to go on some location hunting soon, haha. What I am really chasing is the bokeh affect around my car. So far does not look easy haha.
Another worthwhile and low cost lens to invest in is a Nifty 50! Fixed zoom 50mm, f/1.8 stop. It's a great lens because it can go crazy on the bokeh, but also forces you to be better at framing your photos.
Another worthwhile and low cost lens to invest in is a Nifty 50! Fixed zoom 50mm, f/1.8 stop. It's a great lens because it can go crazy on the bokeh, but also forces you to be better at framing your photos.
I second this. Nifty 50 is awesome for many many things but you'll have to get used to physically moving where you stand since you can't rely on the zoom anymore. I love mine.
If you want more blur, you'll definitely need a lower f-stop. In addition, to further create that effect, you can try to increase the distance between your car and the overall "background" (in this case, the wall). That way you have enough space to push the background out of focus but at the same time, you can up the fstop to leave your entire car in focus (if that was your intent).
None the less they're beautiful pictures! The 8th photo beautifully shows that AMG badge! Keep up the good work!
Damn, you know your photoshop man! I just started with lighroom like a month ago. Still learning. Learning PS is in the bucket list. Any good links for tutorials?
Mostly self taught Munis, but I'll see if I can dig up some good PS reference material for you. See how much cleaner the photo looks without any extraneous eye candy in the frame. On the other hand, Eugene's picture is so crazy and frenetic that it works perfectly.
I second this. Nifty 50 is awesome for many many things but you'll have to get used to physically moving where you stand since you can't rely on the zoom anymore. I love mine.
If you want more blur, you'll definitely need a lower f-stop. In addition, to further create that effect, you can try to increase the distance between your car and the overall "background" (in this case, the wall). That way you have enough space to push the background out of focus but at the same time, you can up the fstop to leave your entire car in focus (if that was your intent).
None the less they're beautiful pictures! The 8th photo beautifully shows that AMG badge! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the tips! I know the trick to keep my background far away for example, but when you increase the Fstop to bring your car into focus, won't you also loose the bokeh effect in the background?
Thanks for the tips! I know the trick to keep my background far away for example, but when you increase the Fstop to bring your car into focus, won't you also loose the bokeh effect in the background?
That's why he mentioned physically increasing/decreasing the distance of your car from the wall. Park an extra 10-15 ft away from the wall and you can raise the f/ and still achieve the desired bokeh. Nature's Photoshop!
That's why he mentioned physically increasing/decreasing the distance of your car from the wall. Park an extra 10-15 ft away from the wall and you can raise the f/ and still achieve the desired bokeh. Nature's Photoshop!
I am still a bit confused why you would raise the F stop. I thought you need the lowest numbers for bokeh. My lens gives me 2.8 as the lowest.
I am still a bit confused why you would raise the F stop. I thought you need the lowest numbers for bokeh. My lens gives me 2.8 as the lowest.
I hate the word bokeh. Sounds wet.
When you get such a low f/, your depth of field becomes extremely narrow. If you don't focus properly, you might be in focus only on a portion of the subject. I've taken what looked like great photos on the camera or mobile device, but when you actually see them a full resolution, I have crystal clear focus on something unintentional. In your case, photo two is completely out of focus. More than likely this has more to do with a longer exposure and not being on a tripod. Photo seven is focused on your passenger rear wheel, but the photo would likely have better composition if your focal point was something more "interesting" like headlight or MB star.
Another concept to always think about when composing a photo is the Rule of Thirds. Imagine your photo divided in to thirds...put the most interesting things at the intersections of the lines, or along the horizontal/vertical lines. Landscapes it always works to put the horizon on the top or bottom division line depending on the setting. When shooting the pics like what you posted, focusing on the intersections of the lines works really well. A google search explains this very well.
I have used 70-200mm f2.8 (full frame) lens for a while and it was great. I recently swapped for an APS-C mirrorless camera and I use a 90mm f2 lens and it is absolutely amazing. Super sharp, great depth of field.
But the best tip I can give you os to use a circular polarizer filter ! It will get rid of most nasty reflections on cars and make any car look much better (when used properly).
I would advise going on a photography course or two. These should teach you about how to properly use the equipment you have and most importantly how to compose a shot. There's also a lot of sites or there you could peruse. I go to dpreview a lot.
Im into photography and cinematography in general.. more travel and street photography however.. I am practicing my composition and editing. This is all a hobby ofcourse, maybe one day ill get really good at it haha
Sony A6300 w Sigma 16mm F1.4 if anyone is curious... Shot this at F3.5 1/30.. looks amazing on my screen but MBWorld really takes from the quality lol
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