Car Photography: simple, creative ways to make your Toyota look like a Ferrari

jmeyer | Photography Tips | 24/01/2013 16:00pm

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Car photography often conjures images of Ferraris and models in bikinis, but unless you’re a very famous photographer, we’re guessing you’re like us and drive something a little more modest.

Whatever it is you drive, many photographers don’t realise the potential their cars have for great still life photography. In this tutorial we show you some simple ways to shoot creative car photography that’s safe at any speed.

All of us have a camera and most of us have a car, so why not combine the two and set yourself a little project this weekend, which is to capture some artistic images of your motor?

It’s labour intensive, but a good polish before you head off will save hours of cloning later! When you arrive on location for your car photography shoot park it so the best background area is behind your car.

A good tip is to angle the front wheels before shooting, so they’re visible and give the car a more aggressive and pleasing stance.

When you’re ready to shoot, a wide-angle lens will help you take in much more detail so don’t be afraid to shoot from quirky angles. In fact, we encourage it!

Leave the camera in an Auto or Semi-auto mode so you can forget about exposure and concentrate on the best angles that will transform your daily driver into a work of art.

Car photography in the field: use a grad filter

All images by Ben Birchall

In the field
A great piece of equipment to help your car photography is a polarising filter. Not only will it increase overall colour saturation and contrast, but it will also render the glass surfaces transparent. Take a look at the windscreen on this image to see just how effective this impressive filter is.

PAGE 1: Essential car photography tips
PAGE 2: Classic Car Photography: Get the look
PAGE 3: How to shoot creative car photography