Car Photoshoot Advice

[Unknown_Camerman]

Hi,
I'm a newbie to all this...so I'm hoping you can help out.

I have a Nikon D60 camera, with a standard lense (I think). I need to do a photoshoot of a bright blue car but before I do I need to know what settings & configuration will return the best results.

Venue: Unknown at the moment, possibly dark multistory car park, or wooded area in the shade, or it could be in an open area in bright sunlight.

Type of picture required: Various, some distance shots, some close ups, some macros, some blurred. Basically the more variation of shots I can get the more choice I have.

So off the top of my head I will be needing a tripod, and if its dark I'll have to set the ISO as low as possible and use a long exposurer. However thats where my knowledge stops!!

Additionally, if I could do some moving shots that would be great, but mine just come out blurry or out of focus.

So any advice you can give me, would be appreciated. Many thanks.

P.S. I have been told a polariser will come in handy for removing reflections.

[yelvertoft]

Hello and welcome to WPF.

So, let me see if I've understood your request correctly....
To paraphrase, you want to take pictures of a blue car, but you don't know what sort of lighting it's going to be in, it could be anything between very bright and very dark, you don't know if it's going to be static or moving, the kind of results you are looking for are "various", and you want us to tell you here which settings to use in the camera to give you "the best results". Hmmm, that's quite a tall order.

Firstly, read the "sticky" threads at the top of this sub-forum:
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...isplay.php?f=6
That will give you some idea of how the different settings will affect the result.

For the moving shots, you need to fully understand the different autofocus modes you have on your camera. Read the manual and then experiment with the different AF modes on a range of moving objects. Practice your panning technique, moving the camera to keep the subject at the same point in the frame as it passes by -get your mate to drive up and down the road at different speeds as you follow his movement through the viewfinder. Practice is the key here. Learn what the different settings do by reading the threads I've pointed you at and also fully understanding the AF modes on the camera, then get out there and practice.

Regarding the polariser, it will reduce reflections, but only in certain lighting conditions, and you know how to use one - practice is again the answer. Describing how to use a polarising filter via written text is a bit of a non-starter, you have to be looking through the viewfinder to see what's happening as you rotate the filter.

Hope this helps.

[Alex1994]

What is the photoshoot for? Are you looking to make a nice portfolio, sell the car...

If it's dark consider using the flash or a tripod.

If it's bright, the camera's electronics are so clever that they will sort it out for you.

[tom123]

When shooting a car (and therefore having lots of time), I'd recommend HDR work. I think cars are very good for HDR. If you want to use a complex lighting scheme this can get very very complex. If you want to play it simple and don't want to bring any special equipment, wait for a cloudy day. Good luck!