Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ― Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
You have to love cars if you want to make interesting photographs at any car show, indoors or outdoors, A passion for the subject , whatever it might be, that you’re photographing is always a plus and enables you to look beyond the surface of a car to see and maybe capture its essence, its soul.
A Tip for Indoor Shows and Museums
When inspecting a car that might make an ideal photographic subject, you don’t have to be an expert on a particular marque or even cars in general, but you should be curious and polite. That’s why, before making any pictures it’s always a good idea to say hello to the car’s owner if they’re nearby.
If you get to talk with the owner, be sure to ask them a question or two about the car, even if it’s “how long have you had it?” Most car people can talk for hours about their pride and joy because there was never a project that didn’t have some interesting twists and turns. Having restored an unusual car like a 1961 Arnolt Bristol, I know how that goes. The kind of folks that own interesting cars often have many interesting stories to tell about their cars well before it reaches the state where you would want to photograph it.
How I made this shot: To photograph this classic Bentley at The Vehicle Vault, I used a Nikon D780 with a AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR kit lens at 24mm with an exposure of 1/25 sec at f/13 and ISO 8000.
If the owner is not around and the light is good—it doesn’t have to be perfect— just shoot it as is and try to select an angle that minimizes any placards installed or maybe use a composition that make it easy to remove later with Photoshop. Sometimes, as in the case of the 1906 Success below, it’s impossible so just go with the flow and make the shot. I had never seen a Success before and this may be the only chance I might ever get to make a photograph of one. So try different angles and be sure to bracket/
How I made this shot (Left): The camera used was a Nikon D780 with a AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f/4G ED VR kit lens at 24mm with an exposure of 1/40 sec at f/13 and ISO 8000.
During the winter you will find that museums, indoor shows, and private collections are available whatever the weather may be but they also produce their own set of unique challenges, including color balance but more often than not it’s exposure. I’ve beaten that topic to death on this blog, so I’ll give you a link to check out here.
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