Finding Places to Take Pics of your Car

[DTrem13]

Hi all. How does everyone find these cool places to take pics of their car? Do you know what to look for or already have places in mind? Or just like drive around looking for places? I'd really like to take some new pics, but can't seem to really find anywhere. I think I'm just not looking hard enough! Teach me your ways

 

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[egott_91]

I always like pictures of cars by old buildings (hence my theme for this months photo contest) so when I wanted pictures of my car by an old building I had to go searching since I didn't know of any. Luckily I was able to find a couple old warehouse buildings about 5-10 minutes from my GF's house. Other than looking for places, there aren't too many ways to find a spot...

[JJ Stin]

There is a old dragstrip near my house, that could be my next photoshoot. Kinda grown up though.

[Beemer]

The lighting is even more important than the location. Try early mornings or late afternoons.

[Sinisterc6]

I check out the cars section on pintrest and use that for ideas

[Vink70]

Its just a knack you get... Its not really something that can be taught. Its all about location, lighting, and the talent of the person behind the camera and the angles they pick.

[Sinisterc6]

I like old roads and garages

 

 

 

 

[=Stephens=]

scenery is what makes it with great lighting

[MichiganSRT8]

like people have said, its really something you just pick up from tips and tricks and playing around with it yourself and figuring out how and when to go out to places. Best thing is a great DSLR though, one can be picked up for fairly cheap and will help immensely. In college I would have time to jump around at night so i got alotta practice, practice makes perfect man!

 

HDR on this one is over the top but the comp is pretty cool

 

[GerryC]

lighting and angle is important, especially when trying to capture the body lines. what a lot of people also do is look for physical contrast between their car and the backdrop. a gleaming paintjob against a dull rusted barn for example, really makes the car stand out and give the photo some character.

 

it also helps to be familiar with the advanced settings on your camera. this part I still haven't quite nailed down yet lol

 

 

[jimmyzeet]

For the OP I would say just start looking in industrial parks and other places like that. You would be surprised what you can find. Also parks provide some nice wooded backgrounds. Also parking ramps can be really interesting but it's hard to avoid all the white lines reflecting up on your paint.

 

Car Craft about 10 years ago did a really good article on how to take pictures of your car and most of my ideas come right from that. Their biggest tip was the background should not draw your eyes away from the car at all since your car is the star. It should be free of large horizontal or vertical lines that make your car seem to have things growing out of it. Like trees, powerlines, fences or houses. I agree early morning or late afternoon is the best. Some guys like shots in front of old building or planes and each to their own.

 

The shot below is probably my favorite of the hundreds I have taken of my car. Park in front of a field somewhere and lay on your stomach. The subtle key to this shot is to get all four wheels to show. Seems weird but it really makes a difference. Nothing in this shot to take away from the car. I even picked up a lot of the little rocks in the foreground.

[greasehog]

This is a friend of mines picture...

[nefarious]

I'm constantly on the look out for new and exciting places to shoot photos. Just keep an eye out during your normal driving routine. You'd be surprised what you can come up with.

 

And just because everybody else seems to be using this to show of their picture I might as well join in.

[randyfox]

^^^Very cool picture.

 

To echo what has been said so far, it really boils down to keeping your eyes and mind open to what you see in your travels. Most, if not all, of the pictures I have taken of my cars have been at places I have seen while driving around.

 

What also helps is an uncluttered background. Remember, the focus is vehicle, not the background. It should be interesting, but not distracting, and offer good contrast for your vehicle. Make sure there is nothing "growing" out of it too. So many shots are ruined by trees, poles and other items that draw the eye up and away. Keeping your vehicle in it's "natrual habitat" is key as well. Cars on pavement, trucks can be off road, etc.

 

And as it has been said before as well, lighting! Early morning or evening is ideal for most vehicles colors. Of course, there are exceptions to this, some colors really need mid day sun to get the most out of the paint. If you have a DSLR, I recommned a circular polorizer for the lens to cut down on harsh glares, especially on glass.

[sluggoZ]

Hi all. How does everyone find these cool places to take pics of their car? Do you know what to look for or already have places in mind? Or just like drive around looking for places? I'd really like to take some new pics, but can't seem to really find anywhere. I think I'm just not looking hard enough! Teach me your ways

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

This is one of my favorite pics....

[lasers]

I am becoming a big fan of simple, plain backgrounds.

 

[tuckdaddy]

i jsut kind of see stuff when im on the road, the other day going to coffee and cars here in San Antonio i drove through marion and saw this spot and here are a couple that i got!

 

I still need to pick up a flash pod though!

[MBX5]

I use my phone 90% of the time and living in CO we have all kinds of landscapes to use on backgrounds. The latest one I took came out kind off cool because of the water in the bricks and the truck I found. Haha

[Kyles03]

Anytime I drive somewhere I'm always looking for new places. I like to mix it up between backroad/country settings, buildings/old buildings and just plain parking lots. But I don't like to drive too far in fear the truck or car will get dirty lol.

[southtexasplayn]

i jsut kind of see stuff when im on the road, the other day going to coffee and cars here in San Antonio i drove through marion and saw this spot and here are a couple that i got!

 

I still need to pick up a flash pod though!

 

Driven by there my whole life and never thought to stop there for pictures. I may have to go try it out sometime.

[tuckdaddy]

Driven by there my whole life and never thought to stop there for pictures. I may have to go try it out sometime.

 

Let me know when you do! There were some other angles I wanted to get! Just got a bit chilly on me!