went out yesterday, for the brief moment the sun was out to take some photos.

im trying to catch my car in direct sunlight as it looks deep red with golden glitter in it. so i park it in the sun and take a couple of snaps. they looked pretty good on the small screen on the back of the camera but when i put them on the p.c. i was quite disapointed with the pics.

you can just see some of the other colours of the paint on the bottom of the bumper but with the naked eye those colours faded out to gold glitter sparkling down the doors before turning to solid red at the back end :headvswal .

is there any photographers in the house who can give me a few pointers, be most apreciated.

cheers si

I reckon the camera is settinng up the aperture and exposure based on the mettalic paint being quite bright and resulting in underexposed photo's. To combat this point the camera at grass or tarmac and push the button half way thus setting the cameras exposure and aperture and then poinnt at car to focus and hey presto potentially correctly exposed photo's!

I believe most digital camera's beep when you push button halfway lettinng you know exposure and aperture is set.

Experiment, point at something really bright then turn to subject and photograph and likewise point at something really dark and then photograph same subject and see the differences.

Experiment, point at something really bright then turn to subject and photograph and likewise point at something really dark and then photograph same subject and see the differences.

 

the photo on the right was used with the flash on as i was trying to bring out the glitter(didnt work :headvswal )

so then i took the photo on the left no flash(didnt work :headvswal )

will try your technique, the next time the suns out whenever that may be.

thanks for that bud.

Turn the flash off. Don't need that in the daytime, sun should be enough.

your best option Si is to use a proper 35mm film camera. Digital is great but it still doesnt reproduce a picture like a nice SLR can. I used to take colour reversal pictures (SLIDES) and they are even better. You could also try using a filter from cokin they make a really big range of FX filters.

 

http://www.cokin.com/

 

HTH..Vini

By pointing at different objects and then depressing the shutter button halfway may not work as the AF (auto focus) and AE (exposure) will now be set for the wrong image. Fine for AE but not for AF. ie. Your focus may be out.

If you can change the Light Metering mode on the camera, switch it to 'Evaluative' to divide the image into multiple zones for measuring the light. 'Center Weighted Average' averages the light from the entire frame but gives greater weight the the subject matter at the center of the frame, or where ever your AF frame position is set. 'Spot AE Point' measures the light within the AE point frame.

The 'Spot AE Point' should appeear in your view finder or LCD display and looks like [ ]

The 'AF Frame' will be a solid rectangle frame.

Try changing these settings to get the best image.

 

Depending on your camera, you could move the AE point to a darker or lighter part of the image and keep the AF point in the center. Thus measuring the light in a different place of you choice.

But like Yampiedog said, experiment!!!! You can always delete the rubbish pics afterwards!

Andrew :D

the early morning light is supposed to be best and midday worst

 

try using a very small aperture with a reasonable shutter length - that should give you a small depth of feild hence blur the background and make the car stand out ( i might have just made that up though :eek: )

 

regards,

 

alex

By pointing at different objects and then depressing the shutter button halfway may not work as the AF (auto focus) and AE (exposure) will now be set for the wrong image. Fine for AE but not for AF. ie. Your focus may be out.

If you can change the Light Metering mode on the camera, switch it to 'Evaluative' to divide the image into multiple zones for measuring the light. 'Center Weighted Average' averages the light from the entire frame but gives greater weight the the subject matter at the center of the frame, or where ever your AF frame position is set. 'Spot AE Point' measures the light within the AE point frame.

The 'Spot AE Point' should appeear in your view finder or LCD display and looks like [ ]

The 'AF Frame' will be a solid rectangle frame.

Try changing these settings to get the best image.

 

Depending on your camera, you could move the AE point to a darker or lighter part of the image and keep the AF point in the center. Thus measuring the light in a different place of you choice.

But like Yampiedog said, experiment!!!! You can always delete the rubbish pics afterwards!

Andrew :D

 

im gonna have to write that down :D

Some very good avice without doubt, But a digital camera will only take a picture that is basically a representation of what is there. Unless you spend an absolute fortune on one. So therefore you are never going to get the results that you are after using one. What camera are you using mate? to even think about anything half decent you will need >6MP. I was using a Fuji 6 MP up until recently and although it was a fantastic bit of kit. It wasnt up to the job. But as yampi and andrew said play about at least with a digi you aint wasting film? :D

ahh vince - only the older generation rely on film these days...

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............ runs and hides :tongue:

the early morning light is supposed to be best and midday worst

 

try using a very small aperture with a reasonable shutter length - that should give you a small depth of feild hence blur the background and make the car stand out ( i might have just made that up though :eek: )

 

regards,

 

alex

 

Agree with the morning light, you can get some stunning photos with morning sunshine!

Not sure on the small aperture though. I thought that with a high aperture value (f/8.0) ie. closing the shutter, you bring the entire range from foreground to background into focus. By lowering the aperture (f/2.7) it allows you to blur the backgroung and sharpen up the forground, ie. the car.

Some very good avice without doubt, But a digital camera will only take a picture that is basically a representation of what is there. Unless you spend an absolute fortune on one. So therefore you are never going to get the results that you are after using one. What camera are you using mate? to even think about anything half decent you will need >6MP. I was using a Fuji 6 MP up until recently and although it was a fantastic bit of kit. It wasnt up to the job. But as yampi and andrew said play about at least with a digi you aint wasting film? :D

 

Yeah, film SLRs are still the dogs danglies!! Unless you are a gazillionaire and can get one of those fancy digi ones!

Agree with the morning light, you can get some stunning photos with morning sunshine!

Not sure on the small aperture though. I thought that with a high aperture value (f/8.0) ie. closing the shutter, you bring the entire range from foreground to background into focus. By lowering the aperture (f/2.7) it allows you to blur the backgroung and sharpen up the forground, ie. the car.

 

 

yep that might be it :D

I'm not 100% sure myself!! LOL!

You need to ask the guy who took the pics of you Zed a while back, now they were impressive!!

I just found this page and thought it might "shed a bit of light on the subject" Oh my god they get worse :rofl: :headvswal

 

http://philip.greenspun.com/photography/building-a-digital-slr-system

Some very good avice without doubt, But a digital camera will only take a picture that is basically a representation of what is there. Unless you spend an absolute fortune on one. So therefore you are never going to get the results that you are after using one. What camera are you using mate? to even think about anything half decent you will need >6MP. I was using a Fuji 6 MP up until recently and although it was a fantastic bit of kit. It wasnt up to the job. But as yampi and andrew said play about at least with a digi you aint wasting film? :D

 

its a Kodak Z750 5.0mp its quite a good everyday camera, ive borrowed it off my dad, so not sure about all the functions,

i know you can change the aperture and stuff, will have to have a play with it.

If you change the aperture and allow the camera to set exposure or vice versa you will in theory get the same colours reproduced but changing the aperture does alter the depth of field (how much is in focus and how much is out) but I can't remember which way. However if you start going to long on exposure you have to be able to hold the camera still for long enough so may need a tripod or solid surface to rest it on. Secondly if you want long exposures you could set the timer on the camera, this way you stop that slight movement which will blur long exposures as you aren't holding the camera.

 

I bet you are now thinking information overload!

 

I bet you are now thinking information overload!

 

just a bit mate, i think my heads gonna explode.

especialy seen as ive just read an old car mag(max power cough cough it is old though..honest) it has an article on paint jobs, and it reckons its almost imposible to get a true representation of flips and pearlesant paints as a camera cant pick up all the colours that a human eye can :headvswal wish id bothered to read it now lol, still gonna try and see how close i can get it though, thanks for all your advice.

I work with motoring magazines (same photographers that do Car, Max Power etc) and they all use digital not film - they are slightly more expensive cameras than amateurs use!

 

As someone (was it CJ?) said time of day makes a big difference. I've found the last hour before dusk works well - the light has a golden tone. Midday light can be too white and have a bleaching effect.

 

Also, experiment with the angle you let the light strike the car and where you photograph it from.

 

Flips in paint are hard to capture but it can be done. I don't think they ever look as good as they do in real life though - even with a pro £30K camera set up.

I work with motoring magazines (same photographers that do Car, Max Power etc) and they all use digital not film - they are slightly more expensive cameras than amateurs use!

 

As someone (was it CJ?) said time of day makes a big difference. I've found the last hour before dusk works well - the light has a golden tone. Midday light can be too white and have a bleaching effect.

 

Also, experiment with the angle you let the light strike the car and where you photograph it from.

 

Flips in paint are hard to capture but it can be done. I don't think they ever look as good as they do in real life though - even with a pro £30K camera set up.

 

well mines a 4/5 tone flip, so maybe ill be taking snaps forever :headvswal especialy without a pro camera

well mines a 4/5 tone flip, so maybe ill be taking snaps forever :headvswal especialy without a pro camera

 

 

Don't give up yet - try lots of angles.

 

Bear in mind pros may be using filters and reflectors (which can be coloured / tinted as well) too.

Alternatively get yourself a good old fashioned SLR as Vini suggested and get a film rated 50 or lower (normal is 100 or 200) This increases the number of 'pixels' in the film hence giving better colour results, just go into a decent camera shop and the 'geeks' will know. You can then get film developed, send me the negatives and i will put them on CD for you or just get them done onto a CD at the shop.

Filter wise I would recommend a polarising filter for a SLR, you can adjust the polarising effect and make blues bluer and greens greener (Postcard photographers use them for beach shots etc...)

...Not sure on the small aperture though. I thought that with a high aperture value (f/8.0) ie. closing the shutter, you bring the entire range from foreground to background into focus. By lowering the aperture (f/2.7) it allows you to blur the backgroung and sharpen up the forground, ie. the car.

Yep, that's right.

Wide aperature eg. f2.4 = shallow depth of field = only the subject is sharp.

Small aperature eg. f22 = deep depth of field = area in front of and behind subject in focus, possibly to the horizon.

 

 

Don't expect a digital camera to 'see' the same as a human eye though.

Can be very difficult to capture some things.

the last hour before dusk works well - the light has a golden tone. Midday light can be too white and have a bleaching effect.

 

 

That's it in a nutshell really. digi cameras are great and allow you to change apertures and stuff manually. I find morning/evening always gives the best results. it's hard to get a true representation of colour midday or bright sunshine. The thing I don't like about digi cameras is all these pre-programmed settings that rarely give the results you want. Go manual, fiddle with it and as said, take dozens of photo's, deleting the ones you don't want. And never rely on the little screen on the back. I've taken photos that look crap on the monitor but surprised when downloaded and printed.