Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories.—Walter Benjamin
SEMA and the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) along with the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) have announced that the next Collector Car Appreciation Day will be celebrated on July 12, 2024. This is an annual event that is designed to raise awareness of the role that automotive restoration and collection plays in American society.
One of my favorite places to appreciate classic cars are photographing them in car museums. Here are some tips that I have to be useful when shooting classic cars in tight spaces like museums as well as indoor car shows:
Don’t be frustrated by the lack of space and crowded working conditions you’ll typically encounter. Instead turn that situation to your advantage by finding small details in the automobiles and try to capture them in sharp focus.
Get as close as possible to the car but no so close that you incur the wrath of the museum staff. At indoor shows, before making any images of a car you may be able to talk with the owner and ask about their car telling them why you want to photograph it. With their (typically) enthusiastic approval, you should begin making photos by first working in close and gradually backing off (or zooming out) until extraneous non-car details or people start appearing in the frame, then crop them out in-camera, which is what I prefer to do.
Use Wide-angle lenses or wide angle zooms that will let you fill the frame with part or even the entire car while making sure any distractions, like people or maybe another car, are eliminated. Be sure that your zoom lens allows close focusing. I once purchased a zoom lens specifically for photographing cars—I didn’t read the specs, just the hype—only to discover that it didn’t focus close enough to do me any good. It was an expensive mistake.
Important Exposure tip: Don’t forget that you should slightly underexpose black cars and overexpose white cars. Otherwise they will all end up looking like 18% grey cars. That’s where you camera’s auto bracketing function will come in handy.
Most Importantly…
The most important thing you need to make interesting photographs of cars is starting with the right attitude. A passion for your subject is always a plus and enables you to look beyond the surface of a car to see its essence, its soul.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography with new copies and used copies that are available from Amazon.