I am trying to get into the whole photography scene, i have always had an itch for it but never gave it a shot now i have picked up a camera nd am going for it. Here are a few shots i took in my backyard i do not know anything about camera angles and i know nothing about editing but this is what i have any help will be greately appreciated.




Thats my fav one so far

 

What kind of camera did you buy? Judging from the shadows, try to avoid shooting midday or mid-afternoon.

Your very first photo is the strongest because you framed the car in the corner which draws more attention to it. Just straighten the wheel next time.

The second one you could have turned the wheel towards the camera to focus on the actual rim itself. Nobody cares about what kind of tires you have

#3 is the samething. Make sure the wheels are completely straight or angled towards the camera so you don't look at tire tread. Also a slightly lower perspective may have been better.

The rest of the photos I can group into the same cateogory, don't cut off the car! lol. Unless your focusing on something specific (ie: Emblem, brand name of some sorts, something in particular) always keep the whole car/subject in the frame. #5 would've been very nice if the entire car was in the photo.


As an example on the wheel thing. In this photo that I took, the car's wheels are completely straight and makes the car have an aggressive stance. If the driver were to turn the wheels towards me you'd see nothing but tire and the car would look as if it was going in reverse or something. On a side note when I look at it I could've improved it by having him turn the wheels slightly to the right so the rims barely touch the body of the car itself in the photo.



Another example is this photo. Imagine if the front wheels were straightened out... wouldn't have a very good look to it right? It wouldn't really give the car that "I'm here" feel. It would just look like a boring parked car. (besides the crazy paint job right haha). Since the wheels are now turned they become the main focus along with the body of the car and everything flows together.

 

Wow that really did help alot, i guess its just the little things that you pick up while takin pictures that help you out. And i do see how just the position of the tires can really change a picture. When is the best time to shoot, to minimize shadows? Or what can i do to make the shadow make the picture "pop".

 

Not in broad daylight.. i think close to sunset is a good time

 

Direct sun is bad!! Overcast days and towards the afternoon when the "golden light" is out which is 5:30ish+ is the best time (factor in DST). The evo photo was taken at probably around 3ish in the afternoon, but their was a water tower to the left in the photo which cast a shadow over the car eliminating direct sunlight from hitting it. As you can see in the background it's very bright and sun + white car = FTL haha. Use your surroundings to your advantage.

The 5.0 was done at an old farm at around 4PM. If you look at this photo the sun was behind the car but the two hay covering areas blocked the direct sunlight. You can see how bright it is at the other end of the covering and from the forward reflection on the car. You can click the pic for a bigger resolution...


But take note that all of these photos are heavily processed and I have about 5-6years of experience in Photoshop. Just to give an idea, here is the unedited version of that 5.0 photo I just put up. If I didn't tell you I bet you never would have guessed there was people lounging and making kissy face on the hay barrels


Here's an example of overcast. No direct sunlight due to the clouds and everything is evenly displaced with no hotspots.


This is an example of the "golden light". The sun was barely visible on the horizon which gives a soft light.

 

Ok im slowly pickin up on things i guess, how do i learn more about photshop i mean i have played around with it but my pictures still look the same?

 

This might help you out a little.

What they call the 5:00 ish shooting time is the golden hour, set your gear up and your shot by 4:30 lock off your tripod and wait for the right time, brick a reflector incase you have some shadows.

Also 7:00 can also be a golden hour too.

Avoid 3:00 because the sun is right above you & you get raccoon eyes, or in your cars, large hard shadows which aren't pretty.

Learn to frame your shots and horizon. comp* can not be thought, it'll have to come with experience.

Frame it right, shoot it properly with fstop and white balance, do little post work on it & you'll find out that photography isn't all that hard to take simple decent looking photos.

 

Thanks to all, i plan on going out to ccc to take some pics on the beach should i look out for the same stuff or do different situations cause for different looks?

 

Make sure the sun is behind you not in front of you.

 

Solid advice do not agree with it all but thats whats is all about... best advice is to take your camera with you everywhere shoot as much as you can... Yea you will look like a tourist but you will learn a lot....