Tips on photographing your car - from simple to professional.

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s fans of extremely photogenic Buicks,

This week's Hagerty's newsletter had some basic photo tips for photographing your pride and joy using the simpler camera available in smart-phones or equivalent point and shoot digital cameras.  It isn't great advice, but there are a few good ideas:

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2015/12/08/Cellphone-Car-Photos?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=Hagerty%20Weekly%20News%2012-9-2015

For some better advice there is a entire website devoted to professional photographers who specialize in photographing cars!  You can't get much more specialized than that!

http://www.carphototutorials.com/

Most of this stuff will be over the head of anybody who isn't a hard-core users of Photoshop.  However, their starter tutorial has some good basic ideas and has advice most of us can use:

http://www.carphototutorials.com/10_tips_for_your_first_outdoor_car_shoot.html

The one bit of advice I can heartily second is to use a polarizing filter if you can fit it to your phone or camera.  If you use polarizing sunglasses, you know how much it helps to cut the glare while outdoors.  Any car with a good quality paint job is extremely shiny.  That shine is so strong that it overloads the digital sensor of even the best digital camera - as a result the beautiful color of your car will get washed out.  A polarizing filter reduces that glare so the actual color of the car gets rendered by the camera.  Polarizing filters are an inexpensive way to get better photos of all cars - especially at car shows.

Of course, most of you can't photograph your cars right now - at least outside.  Rather silly that Hagerty ran that article at this time of year!

Cheers, Edouard 

[Mister T]

Thanks for posting those links Edouard. All my car photography, as well as everything else, has been by trial and error, guesswork, and pure blind luck.

One of these days, I'm going to take some photography courses, especially since I recently bought a brand new Canon D70 camera.

[elagache]

Dear Tom and mid-60 Buick photographers,

Thanks for posting those links Edouard. All my car photography, as well as everything else, has been by trial and error, guesswork, and pure blind luck.

Same here!  Perhaps the only difference is that I started out as a kid and have been stubborn about it all my life.  Since I've become a very overgrown kid, that leads to a lot of hours on task! 

One of these days, I'm going to take some photography courses, especially since I recently bought a brand new Canon D70 camera.

Congratulations!! 

I got the Canon 70D for Christmas last year and really do like it - even if I hardly know how to use it!  Do you have one of those "missing manual" books like David Busch guide?

http://www.amazon.com/David-Buschs-Digital-Photography-Guides/dp/1285765265/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450021002&sr=1-1&keywords=david+busch+canon+70d

Even with that book I've only scratched the surface of this camera.  I need more time to get to know how to use it.  It is an extremely capable camera!

Enjoy that camera!

Cheers, Edouard

[Mister T]

Dear Tom and mid-60 Buick photographers,

Thanks for posting those links Edouard. All my car photography, as well as everything else, has been by trial and error, guesswork, and pure blind luck.

Same here!  Perhaps the only difference is that I started out as a kid and have been stubborn about it all my life.  Since I've become a very overgrown kid, that leads to a lot of hours on task! 

One of these days, I'm going to take some photography courses, especially since I recently bought a brand new Canon D70 camera.

Congratulations!! 

I got the Canon 70D for Christmas last year and really do like it - even if I hardly know how to use it!  Do you have one of those "missing manual" books like David Busch guide?

http://www.amazon.com/David-Buschs-Digital-Photography-Guides/dp/1285765265/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450021002&sr=1-1&keywords=david+busch+canon+70d

Even with that book I've only scratched the surface of this camera.  I need more time to get to know how to use it.  It is an extremely capable camera!

Enjoy that camera!

Cheers, Edouard

Thanks Edouard, I haven't heard about that book, but saved the link for future purchasing reference. I'm still learning things about my Canon EOS Powershot Rebel after 6 years of owning it. The 70D is a big upward step, but I'm up to the task.    I'm already looking at new lenses...

[elagache]

Dear Tom and mid-60s Buick shutterbugs . . .

Thanks Edouard, I haven't heard about that book, but saved the link for future purchasing reference. I'm still learning things about my Canon EOS Powershot Rebel after 6 years of owning it. The 70D is a big upward step, but I'm up to the task.    I'm already looking at new lenses...

Hmm, which lens did your 70D come with?

I'm not sure why I went for it but I got my 70D with the 18-135 super versatile lens.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-S-18-135mm-3-5-5-6-Lens/dp/B008UGMLWQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450496015&sr=1-4&keywords=canon+18-135mm+stm+lens

It isn't perfect.  At 18 mm there is a bit of cropping at the edges, but if you keep yourself between 24-135mm it is a awesome lens.  I have a 80-300mm lens that I bought for wildlife photography, but it now only gets used for that.  Even at car shows the 18-135mm lens is so much more handy.  Why walk when you can zoom?

This isn't a recommendation exactly and I don't know how cheap you can get those lenses.  When I bought the camera it was only $200 more.  Still, if you need a little temptation . . . consider yourself tempted! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[Mister T]

Dear Tom and mid-60s Buick shutterbugs . . .

Thanks Edouard, I haven't heard about that book, but saved the link for future purchasing reference. I'm still learning things about my Canon EOS Powershot Rebel after 6 years of owning it. The 70D is a big upward step, but I'm up to the task.    I'm already looking at new lenses...

Hmm, which lens did your 70D come with?

I'm not sure why I went for it but I got my 70D with the 18-135 super versatile lens.

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-S-18-135mm-3-5-5-6-Lens/dp/B008UGMLWQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450496015&sr=1-4&keywords=canon+18-135mm+stm+lens

It isn't perfect.  At 18 mm there is a bit of cropping at the edges, but if you keep yourself between 24-135mm it is a awesome lens.  I have a 80-300mm lens that I bought for wildlife photography, but it now only gets used for that.  Even at car shows the 18-135mm lens is so much more handy.  Why walk when you can zoom?

This isn't a recommendation exactly and I don't know how cheap you can get those lenses.  When I bought the camera it was only $200 more.  Still, if you need a little temptation . . . consider yourself tempted! 

Cheers, Edouard 

Greetings Edouard,

That's the very same lens that came with my camera. A local camera store was running a Black Friday special which included it. In shopping around, their price was better than anything I found elsewhere, including B & H in New York.

I'm thinking about something in the 300 mm range though......

[elagache]

Hi Tom and mid-60s Buick shutterbugs, . . .

I'm not sure why I went for it but I got my 70D with the 18-135 super versatile lens.

That's the very same lens that came with my camera. A local camera store was running a Black Friday special which included it. In shopping around, their price was better than anything I found elsewhere, including B & H in New York.

Good for you!  How do you like that lens?  I've been using mine for just about a year and overall I am pleased although it is disappointing that you lose a bit of image at maximum wide angle.

I'm thinking about something in the 300 mm range though......

I picked up an 80-300mm when I got my previous Canon (the Rebel 1Ti.)  It is perfectly good for photographing wildlife.  I haven't found much else that it can be easily used for.  There are some distant landscape opportunities and if you want to create a photo that includes the Moon it's is good for that.  Unless, you really have those sorts of applications in mind, you might not find it worth the cost. 

Certainly you might try buying a lens from some place were you can return it, and return it if you indeed don't find it as useful as you imagined.

Enjoy your new camera!

Cheers, Edouard

[Mister T]

Hi Tom and mid-60s Buick shutterbugs, . . .

Good for you!  How do you like that lens?  I've been using mine for just about a year and overall I am pleased although it is disappointing that you lose a bit of image at maximum wide angle.

I picked up an 80-300mm when I got my previous Canon (the Rebel 1Ti.)  It is perfectly good for photographing wildlife.  I haven't found much else that it can be easily used for.  There are some distant landscape opportunities and if you want to create a photo that includes the Moon it's is good for that.  Unless, you really have those sorts of applications in mind, you might not find it worth the cost. 

Certainly you might try buying a lens from some place were you can return it, and return it if you indeed don't find it as useful as you imagined.

Enjoy your new camera!

Cheers, Edouard

Salute Edouard,

I haven't had the opportunity to use it much yet. In fact, I just found the CD user manuals today after misplacing them a few weeks ago. Hopefully I can play with it during the Christmas and New Year's vacation.

I'm not concerned about using a 300 mm lens all that much. I still have my original Canon 35 mm film camera and about a dozen rolls of film!! Just cannot seem to part with stuff like that. 

Skoal, Tom

[elagache]

Dear Tom and mid-60s Buick packrats!

I'm not concerned about using a 300 mm lens all that much. I still have my original Canon 35 mm film camera and about a dozen rolls of film!! Just cannot seem to part with stuff like that. 

Oh yeah!  I still have my own 35 mm SLR that I got as a teenager in 1976!  I did manage to use up all the film before before upgrading to a DSLR in 2009!

The only problem is where to put all that stuff!

Cheers, Edouard