*** The Official Digital Photography 101 Thread ***
11-23-2006, 08:59 PM
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*** The Official Digital Photography 101 Thread ***
I wanted to share some tips on how to make the best out of your pictures. I posted this from another forum that I belong to. I used some of this tips and I think they are great. There are more tips in THIS thread including rolling shots. Also HERE also a FAQ on photo filters.
Originally Posted by E46 Fanatics
Originally posted by Shinobi and I added several more tips:
1. Light Management Part I: First thing you should know is that there are optimal light conditions you should strive for when taking a photo (outside of a studio that is). The best light is early in the morning or late in the evening. Its generally referred to as "magic light". Colors are better, contrast is not as intense and shadows are softer as opposed to the light at high noon. Here is an excellent example of this:
Good Light: Warm colors, with smooth soft shadows
Bad Light: Light way too intense and colors are washed out
2. Light Management Part II: Another ideal condition to take photos is an overcast day, where the light is naturally soft, is not coming from any one direction and there is little to no shadow.
Good Light: This is my car BTW. Very little editing required, because the light was very good to begin with.
3. Light Management Part III: As much as possible...have the light BEHIND you. You want the colors of your car to come out so you need the light on the car, not against it. If you take a photo with the light in front of you, you'll have to use a flash. Otherwise, you'll get shadows instead.
Good Angle: Here the blue color seems normal
Bad Angle 1: At a different angle, the same color is now lighter and washed out
Bad Angle 2: The blue is muted because you're taking a picture of the car's shadow instead
Do not just park the car and walk around it to take photos. At some point, you will be facing the light and taking a picture of the car's shadow.
WORK WITH THE LIGHT, NOT AGAINST IT.
Another example, a picture of my old E39 M5:
4. Depth of Field. There are two main factors that enable you to control the depth of field in a photograph - the focal length of a lens and the aperture (measured in f-stops/f-numbers). The longer the focal length and the wider the aperture (lower f-numbers), the less depth of field (shallow DOF) you'll end up with. Wide aperture makes the background to blur and drawing the attention to the subject.
Here's an example:
5. Shutter Speed. Use slower shutter speed if you want to capture movement or if you're shooting in a low light environment.
I use a 1/5 second shutter speed for this picture:
6. Composition. A photo with the perfect lighting can look like crap with bad composition. Photography is art, so alot of it is imaginative and subjective, but some key things to remember are:
- Balance. If you have an element on one side, try to duplicate that or complement it on the other side. Here is a good example of that. The car is a little off centered, but you get the idea. The lighting here is excellent:
- Background. Make the effort to find a nice background for your photo.
Its very difficult to manage a background after the fact (unless you're a PS wizard), so its better to find a good location.
Avoid taking photos in common areas like your garage or driveway. Go out and look.
Keep it tidy. Do your best to avoid distracting elements in a shot. If you can't help it, they can be photoshopped out later.
For example, I photoshopped the light pole above the car and the one on the left and ended up with a cleaner picture:
Before:
After:
Also, an ideal background should have some colors that contrast the color of the car.
The green grass in this pic is a perfect contrast to a black car.
Here's another example of my M3:
- Rule of Thirds. By far the most widely used approach to composition is where the frame is divided into nine equally sized boxes using two vertical and two horizontal lines. The strongest four points in the frame are where the intersections of the lines occur, and any subject placed at these points will always have a strong visual appeal.
Here are some examples:
- Angles. As far as what angles of the car are good to take, you should browse through various car pics you can find. If you find an angle that appeals to you, then try to copy it. You can also use various lens types to achieve different effects.
7. Post-Processing. It's easy to take a photo and then manipulate it with Photoshop. Image editing with Photoshop is a whole other thing. Here are just couple basic tips:
- Use Photoshop to edit out distracting elements. That would include things in the background like trash cans, light poles, etc. Also, if you are taking pics on a parking lot, you can remove the parking lines. Edit out things on your car too, like paint chips and scuffs.
- Crop for perfect composition (reframe). To crop more subtly (when shooting), use your zoom lens to move in a little closer to the subject, removing distracting matter from peripheral areas of the photo.
- Use a noise-reduction program (third-party filter) like NoiseNinja to get much smoother surfaces or after shooting with high ISO (ISO 800 or more).
- Use Smart Sharpen filter for better result sharpening the subject. This should be the last step on image post-processing.
- Adjust Contrast or Levels for deeper dark colors and Saturation to bring out bright ones.
- And the most important: DO NOT put too much contrast on a picture.
Remember to AVOID blown-out highlights (whites) and loss of details (blacks).
For example, there's too much contrast in this picture, you can not see the details on the tires at all and also blown highlights - only whites appear on the sky:
Loss of details in blacks:
Whereas, you can clearly see the details of the tires in this pic without losing contrast:
Please feel free to add more tips & techniques with examples.
I will probably add couple more later that I didn't cover like moving shot and low light photography.
Mods, maybe this thread can be put as a "sticky" on the top?
1. Light Management Part I: First thing you should know is that there are optimal light conditions you should strive for when taking a photo (outside of a studio that is). The best light is early in the morning or late in the evening. Its generally referred to as "magic light". Colors are better, contrast is not as intense and shadows are softer as opposed to the light at high noon. Here is an excellent example of this:
Good Light: Warm colors, with smooth soft shadows
Bad Light: Light way too intense and colors are washed out
2. Light Management Part II: Another ideal condition to take photos is an overcast day, where the light is naturally soft, is not coming from any one direction and there is little to no shadow.
Good Light: This is my car BTW. Very little editing required, because the light was very good to begin with.
3. Light Management Part III: As much as possible...have the light BEHIND you. You want the colors of your car to come out so you need the light on the car, not against it. If you take a photo with the light in front of you, you'll have to use a flash. Otherwise, you'll get shadows instead.
Good Angle: Here the blue color seems normal
Bad Angle 1: At a different angle, the same color is now lighter and washed out
Bad Angle 2: The blue is muted because you're taking a picture of the car's shadow instead
Do not just park the car and walk around it to take photos. At some point, you will be facing the light and taking a picture of the car's shadow.
WORK WITH THE LIGHT, NOT AGAINST IT.
Another example, a picture of my old E39 M5:
4. Depth of Field. There are two main factors that enable you to control the depth of field in a photograph - the focal length of a lens and the aperture (measured in f-stops/f-numbers). The longer the focal length and the wider the aperture (lower f-numbers), the less depth of field (shallow DOF) you'll end up with. Wide aperture makes the background to blur and drawing the attention to the subject.
Here's an example:
5. Shutter Speed. Use slower shutter speed if you want to capture movement or if you're shooting in a low light environment.
I use a 1/5 second shutter speed for this picture:
6. Composition. A photo with the perfect lighting can look like crap with bad composition. Photography is art, so alot of it is imaginative and subjective, but some key things to remember are:
- Balance. If you have an element on one side, try to duplicate that or complement it on the other side. Here is a good example of that. The car is a little off centered, but you get the idea. The lighting here is excellent:
- Background. Make the effort to find a nice background for your photo.
Its very difficult to manage a background after the fact (unless you're a PS wizard), so its better to find a good location.
Avoid taking photos in common areas like your garage or driveway. Go out and look.
Keep it tidy. Do your best to avoid distracting elements in a shot. If you can't help it, they can be photoshopped out later.
For example, I photoshopped the light pole above the car and the one on the left and ended up with a cleaner picture:
Before:
After:
Also, an ideal background should have some colors that contrast the color of the car.
The green grass in this pic is a perfect contrast to a black car.
Here's another example of my M3:
- Rule of Thirds. By far the most widely used approach to composition is where the frame is divided into nine equally sized boxes using two vertical and two horizontal lines. The strongest four points in the frame are where the intersections of the lines occur, and any subject placed at these points will always have a strong visual appeal.
Here are some examples:
- Angles. As far as what angles of the car are good to take, you should browse through various car pics you can find. If you find an angle that appeals to you, then try to copy it. You can also use various lens types to achieve different effects.
7. Post-Processing. It's easy to take a photo and then manipulate it with Photoshop. Image editing with Photoshop is a whole other thing. Here are just couple basic tips:
- Use Photoshop to edit out distracting elements. That would include things in the background like trash cans, light poles, etc. Also, if you are taking pics on a parking lot, you can remove the parking lines. Edit out things on your car too, like paint chips and scuffs.
- Crop for perfect composition (reframe). To crop more subtly (when shooting), use your zoom lens to move in a little closer to the subject, removing distracting matter from peripheral areas of the photo.
- Use a noise-reduction program (third-party filter) like NoiseNinja to get much smoother surfaces or after shooting with high ISO (ISO 800 or more).
- Use Smart Sharpen filter for better result sharpening the subject. This should be the last step on image post-processing.
- Adjust Contrast or Levels for deeper dark colors and Saturation to bring out bright ones.
- And the most important: DO NOT put too much contrast on a picture.
Remember to AVOID blown-out highlights (whites) and loss of details (blacks).
For example, there's too much contrast in this picture, you can not see the details on the tires at all and also blown highlights - only whites appear on the sky:
Loss of details in blacks:
Whereas, you can clearly see the details of the tires in this pic without losing contrast:
Please feel free to add more tips & techniques with examples.
I will probably add couple more later that I didn't cover like moving shot and low light photography.
Mods, maybe this thread can be put as a "sticky" on the top?
Last edited by MR_X; 11-26-2006 at 08:39 PM.
11-23-2006, 09:10 PM
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wow, great F'ing pics!! maybe just re edit some things into simpler english, as even some of the more advanced picture takers, cant understand all of it that your saying, but wow, you have amazing talent!
11-23-2006, 09:17 PM
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I don't deserve the credit for the great pics. I just took some one else post and posted it here for others to use. BTW you don't need to have a expensive camera to produce this pics. I use a Canon S3 ($350) and I can make pics like that.
Last edited by MR_X; 12-01-2006 at 10:43 AM.
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11-23-2006, 11:57 PM
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Very good info, but I guess I'm a bit of a purist. I use digital cameras, but I think using Photoshop (or any such program) to "clean up" photos is a 
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
11-24-2006, 07:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Z Phil
Very good info, but I guess I'm a bit of a purist. I use digital cameras, but I think using Photoshop (or any such program) to "clean up" photos is a
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
99% of photographers who shoot digital use photoshop. not just to manipulate photos, but to do exactly what the OP said in this post...
11-24-2006, 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Z Phil
Very good info, but I guess I'm a bit of a purist. I use digital cameras, but I think using Photoshop (or any such program) to "clean up" photos is a
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
only use PS for the frame.
11-24-2006, 07:45 AM
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Originally Posted by vantage350z
99% of photographers who shoot digital use photoshop. not just to manipulate photos, but to do exactly what the OP said in this post...
11-24-2006, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Z Phil
Very good info, but I guess I'm a bit of a purist. I use digital cameras, but I think using Photoshop (or any such program) to "clean up" photos is a
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
If you need it, you're not good enough, and you won't improve your skills as a photographer. Plenty of professional photographers have been doing without such "easy bake oven" programs, and it shows in their work. I rarely give props anymore to photos because I can't often tell how much of the quality is due to the photographer's eye, and how much to a software program.
11-24-2006, 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by gr?
I shoot in RAW and a post processing program is required. Most pros will also shoot RAW so for people to complain that post processing makes up for a lack of skill is just plain ignorance. Post processing is the digital form of a dark room.
I agree
11-24-2006, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by gr?
I shoot in RAW and a post processing program is required. Most pros will also shoot RAW so for people to complain that post processing makes up for a lack of skill is just plain ignorance. Post processing is the digital form of a dark room.
Another aspect is viewing photos on a computer versus on paper. I am new to digital and the reason I bought the camera is for a long trip out of the country backpacking. I recently had some photos developed on proper film paper, and on an Epson printer, to see the difference. The biggest difference I noticed, however, was between either paper and the computer screen. The paper ("real") pictures looked like crap compared to the computer screen. Meanwhile, I have rarely been that disappointed in my film developments.
However, all this is a bit off topic, and I believe the above were good basic lessons in photography. You can make huge improvements in photos by following any of the above advice.
In conclusion: As nice and clean as the cars look, I am going to puke if I have to see another BMW!
11-24-2006, 06:21 PM
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A few more things I do for a photoshoot:
1) Look at reflections on the paint and windows. There are times when you'll get reflections of trees, telephone poles, other cars, people, etc. Try and minimize this with proper vehicle positioning. There are times that these can't be avoided but you can position yourself so that the reflections will be hidden by a fender, wheel, a/c pillar, etc. There are times when reflections will add to the photo, though. I unfortunately live in a flat area with lots of trees so I don't have many places that give the clean horizons as areas up in the mountains or coastal areas.
This shot below had a telephone pole in the rear fender area if I was positioned 1 foot to the right, so I shifted left and the pole is no longer in the reflection:
2) clear out debris on the ground, both foreground and background. I pick up trash such as water bottles, large rocks, and any miscellaneous debris. These can be cloned out in photoshop but the purists will complain
This location chosen for the EVO had some large rocks in the parking lot so we picked them up and tossed them off to the side. I try and remove objects that can take the focal point away from the car.
3) wheels turned towards the photographer: less tire, more wheel. I also try and have the emblem on the center cap or spoke facing rightside up (though I sometimes forget)
4) windows up, sunroof closed. This is personal preference, but I don't like shots with 1 window down and the rest up, or sunroof open. The only time I like the windows down is for vehicles with t-tops, targa, or a convertible.
5) focus on features of a vehicle that make it unique or things on the vehicle that are common but a certain angle or capture make it stand out more
Everyone in the import scene can identify the Skyline taillights
1) Look at reflections on the paint and windows. There are times when you'll get reflections of trees, telephone poles, other cars, people, etc. Try and minimize this with proper vehicle positioning. There are times that these can't be avoided but you can position yourself so that the reflections will be hidden by a fender, wheel, a/c pillar, etc. There are times when reflections will add to the photo, though. I unfortunately live in a flat area with lots of trees so I don't have many places that give the clean horizons as areas up in the mountains or coastal areas.
This shot below had a telephone pole in the rear fender area if I was positioned 1 foot to the right, so I shifted left and the pole is no longer in the reflection:
2) clear out debris on the ground, both foreground and background. I pick up trash such as water bottles, large rocks, and any miscellaneous debris. These can be cloned out in photoshop but the purists will complain
This location chosen for the EVO had some large rocks in the parking lot so we picked them up and tossed them off to the side. I try and remove objects that can take the focal point away from the car.
3) wheels turned towards the photographer: less tire, more wheel. I also try and have the emblem on the center cap or spoke facing rightside up (though I sometimes forget)
4) windows up, sunroof closed. This is personal preference, but I don't like shots with 1 window down and the rest up, or sunroof open. The only time I like the windows down is for vehicles with t-tops, targa, or a convertible.
5) focus on features of a vehicle that make it unique or things on the vehicle that are common but a certain angle or capture make it stand out more
Everyone in the import scene can identify the Skyline taillights
11-24-2006, 06:27 PM
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Originally Posted by icepig
I believe Phil was commenting more on gross manipulation, such as adding or removing objects.
