First car detail shot

JohnnyNapalm

As a "people" photographer, cars have always put me off as subjects. I got to spend some time around a BMW yesterday, and as usual, didn't get much that I liked. This was probably the best...what do you think?

black mamba

Hi Johnny,

Contrary to some beliefs, shooting cars is not easy. There are all sorts of considerations that come into play. One underlying theme, and it's common to most photography, is that the picture should try and tell a story and it should draw the viewers attention to a central area of focus.

I don't know what this picture is trying to say. And I don't know what exactly you want me to focus on.....is it the top grill, or the bottom grill, or the headlight, or maybe the lower air intake? When you do a close-up, or abstract car shot, you should be trying to emphasize a very particular feature or design aspect. In this case, I think your efforts were just a little too broad.

I encourage you to continue your pursuit of car photography. You'll find the challenge exciting and the satisfaction of getting it right very rewarding. I'll tell you....if you can shoot people well, shooting cars will be a snap. Keep at it and good luck.

Take care,

Tom

JohnnyNapalm

I guess that's precisely the problem I had. I took some shots of selective areas (grill, headlight, taillight, emblem, etc) but all seemed too restricted, too honed in. Then you start zooming out, and as soon as you can see a section in its entirety, it's a picture you've seen a hundred times. It's that balance that I definitely don't have an eye for yet...