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Kind of detailing related...new photo gear


shane@detailedreflections

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We are constantly trying to increase exposure to detailing through our work. We do this not only in hopes of obtaining new clients, but also to inspire people to maintain their own possessions. Our business is small, like primarily word of mouth small. It keeps it so we aren’t overwhelmed, but steady enough. Lately it seems as though we’ve been accelerating a bit in terms of work. Time will tell if it’s monentum or a pre winter spike.

One area I’ve lacked on is marketing and exposure. I’ve had more than one friend or client tell me I need to take better photos of our work. Tell the story a little bit more through images. Previously I’d been shooting photos either off of my phone (which as good as cameras on phones are, they are not true photo gear) or with my “more than a decade old” Nikon D80. I went on the assumption that if I’m heading the same thing from multiple sources that aren’t connected, there has to be something to it. 

After much thought (I could have bought a lot more detailing supplies for the investment dollars), we made the leap and ordered a Nikon D750 full frame camera. Not only does it shoot in full frame glory, it also has HD video capability. Once I get through the learning curve again and improve at settings, we should have images that are higher quality than ever.

This change will not only help us showcase our work and ability, but it will help us to show defects and how we worked with them. One thing we pride ourselves on outside of the quality of our work is that we will take the time to help a client or enthusiast gain knowledge. This may be viewed as somewhat counterproductive to growing a business since if clients have the knowledge and ability to do the work themselves, they don’t need to pay us. We believe there are enough clients out there waiting to be found that we won’t run out of work. And by helping someone interested learn, we may spark something within them and turn them onto something they may have never discovered otherwise. And better than taking hard earned money from someone who wants to learn, is to teach them. 

In the future, we hope to share more write-ups here with better photos and better explanations of our processes and techniques. 

So wanted to share some excitement with you guys about our growth and new capabilities. 

So here it is...our new photo/video equipment. Nikon D750 with an accessory grip and an SB-600 speedlight. We also have a video handle. Video make take a bit longer for us to get right. But we will work on it this winter. 

Enjoy!

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Can I make a recommendation

 

You will want a good way to diffuse that light from the flash, the bigger the better. The problem with flash photography and cars is that a shiny clear really reflects the hotspot. Get yourself a stand, a softbox and a remote cable/transponder for the flash. Or you can find a white wall or ceiling and use as a bump flash, but the problem with that is consistency from image to image; as light fall off is logarithmic, the distance between the wall and the car won't be consistent (nor will the camera to wall distance, amplifying the fall off even more). A flash on a stand will allow you to have WAY more control of how you illuminate the vehicle. 

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Nice setup.. I have the D3200, not FF but a good DSLR.. would love to know what settings you are using to get good pixel depth etc as  I know shooting cars can be challenging at times.. Be nice to hear what others are doing when getting off the auto settings on cameras.

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35 minutes ago, avimore said:

Very nice, that looks like some serious gear!  Look forward to your future write-ups and the pictures this baby will produce.

Can I ask what made you decide to go with this specific camera?

I chose Nikon since that’s what i had previously. The full frame offers a little different field of view than the dx lenses do. Knowing I was going to have it for a while, I wanted to make an investment in a camera I can grow with. Another feature that was important to me was the video aspect. To be able to make high quality video has a value for the business, as well as the family. 

25 minutes ago, moons21 said:

Nice setup.. I have the D3200, not FF but a good DSLR.. would love to know what settings you are using to get good pixel depth etc as  I know shooting cars can be challenging at times.. Be nice to hear what others are doing when getting off the auto settings on cameras.

I haven’t even had a chance to try shooting a car with it yet since it just arrived a day ago. I’ve just been playing with snapping around the house to get comfortable with it. I stopped shooting for a number of years previously so when I was taking photos for the business it was pretty much point and shoot. I’m trying to get away from that and take not only higher quality images, but better images. More use of angles, settings, etc. As I develop settings, I’ll be happy to share them. My first vehicle shots with it will be tomorrow. We have two vehicles coming in tomorrow and one on Saturday. 

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25 minutes ago, pirahnah3 said:

Great rig! I have a D300 myself and really love it. That 12-24 it appears you have on there is a great lens, but was not a FF lens if I remember properly. The SB600 is a great flash and will serve you well. 

Thanks guys!  The lens is actually a 24-120. I have a 50 prime and a 70-300 from my D80. Neither is a full frame lens though.

How have you been?  It’s been a while. I’ve been pretty busy lately!

14 minutes ago, richnmib said:

The D750 is a great camera and will last you a very long time.  I love my D610 but given the chance I would buy the outfit you have, minus the flash.

Thanks for the compliments!  I’m curious why you would have forgone the flash?  I didn’t purchase it with this setup, I had it from my previous camera. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hold on to it. Even if I find I get better results without it. I’m going to experiment and see what results we can come up with.

I’ve actually considered having my wife make me large black curtains that we could drop to create a dark backdrop and really control the lighting. I have to think it though and how it would work out for us. Any thoughts?

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1 minute ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

Thanks for the compliments!  I’m curious why you would have forgone the flash?  I didn’t purchase it with this setup, I had it from my previous camera. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to hold on to it. Even if I find I get better results without it. I’m going to experiment and see what results we can come up with.

I’ve actually considered having my wife make me large black curtains that we could drop to create a dark backdrop and really control the lighting. I have to think it though and how it would work out for us. Any thoughts?

That is a good flashI have 3 Adorama strobes and 3 Yongnuo flashes, several soft boxes and umbrellas so my lighting is covered.  

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53 minutes ago, richnmib said:

That is a good flashI have 3 Adorama strobes and 3 Yongnuo flashes, several soft boxes and umbrellas so my lighting is covered.  

And now that makes perfect sense. I need to learn more about lighting. Tex sent me some good info on strobe lighting that I’ve been reading. I’ll probably make some more purchases in the near future. I think I’m going to pursue some black backdrops to better to do shots in the shop without a bunch of background images clogging it up. The Black should also let the lighting really do its job I think. 

 

Thoughts?

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