[mcalc55]

Advice on how to take good pictures?

We're having a Charlotte meet tomorrow night and I've never taken pictures with a high quality camera before but I plan to. Are there any "go to" angles or positions that tend to work well in a variety of environments? We'll be in a parking deck/lot

[MikeRR]

3/4 shots are the best in most situations in my opinion, also you should shoot from the height of the car.

But car photography is all about composition, you have to see the whole picture including the background to get a good result.

[metrickid]

Don't use a tight crop, don't park on grass and try to use the surrounding to your advantage. If you are in a parking lot, think about where the lines are and how they will look at the photo. They eye picks up all the small details and if they are "annoying" you will only look at that instead of looking at the car.

Avoid parking...

• in front of things that can "stick" out of your car
• in front of annoying stuff in the background that takes the eye away from your car

Always turn the wheels away from the camera so that you don't just see a lot of tire but you see the actual rim instead. And move the car between shots, don't just walk around the car and take photos from different angles.

Here is a friend of mines website, take a look at how the pros do it and try to mimic some of the images - http://www.dejansokolovski.com

[mcalc55]

Awesome this was all really helpful guys. I'll post the results and see how it goes!

[M.barnes]

All very good tips.

On top of that all the basics of photos apply, iso100, over 60th second if hand held, shoot in raw if possible, and never under estimate what a little bit of photoshop will do, just a slight vignette or curves tweak can make a big difference to how a photo "pops".

Surroundings are really important too as said. No distractions, lines that lead the eye, background colours that contrast etc

[M3AWD]

my advice is when taking 3/4 shots, keep a larger gap in front of the car than behind.. it gives the pic a "motion" effect if you know what I mean.

[inChargeOfIT]

Polarizing filter!

Also, cloudy/overcast days are usually better to shoot over sunny clear days for shooting cars. The clouds give a lot more depth to the paint and highlights the curves. Tripod if you have one (especially in the evening). Take a few detail shots like headlights, instrument displays, etc.