Shooting a car show

marsapan111marsapan111
edited August 2014 Posted in » Nikon D3200 Forum
Hello, I have been mostly photographing real estate with my D3200, but I have been asked to photograph a car show (in 2 days) and I'm wondering what would be the ideal lens and settings for this type of photography. It's Carmel so could easily be overcast in the am and then sunny later in the day. For real estate I have been using a Tamron af 11-18mm, which I manually focus and have had pretty good results with. I also have the kit lens, a promaster circular polarizer lens, lens hood and tripod. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • marsapan111marsapan111
    edited August 2014
    I did purchase your cheat sheets, but those only refer to the kit lens!
  • ohyeaharohyeahar
    edited August 2014
    I don’t really have any settings tips since it kind of depends on your lighting situation, but here are some thoughts on composition.

    Your 11-18mm is a great lens for what you’re about to shoot. The wide-angle perspective can make the cars larger than they seem which is often desirable.

    You may want to take a 35mm f/1.8 with you for those shots where you need a normal perspective or if you need stop down to f/1.8 for low-light or narrow depth of field.

    Remember to also shoot a lot of close-ups of the details of the cars and not just have shots of the entire cars.
  • brutobruto
    edited August 2014
    The kit lens may cause some issues owing to the difficulty of using a polarizer on a lens which rotates when it focuses. If you are manually focusing with a tripod it is a little easier, but still something of a nuisance. For that reason, the suggestion of a normal lens is good, since it can be more easily polarized when hand holding.

    Closeups with the wide angle can be quite dramatic, especially with unique details, but beware of overdoing it. Personal opinion here, but the exaggerated perspective, low shot of details, and the amusing linear distortion can become a cliche if you're not careful.
  • PBkedPBked
    edited August 2014
    Hi,
    Just my twopence worth on composition. Don't be afraid to get down low and shoot up rather than just standing and looking down. Those details @ohyeahar and @bruto mentioned can be quite striking when shot from different angles. Also be aware of reflections from the cars' bodywork. Some reflections enhance the shot, the wrong reflections will ruin them.
    Regards,
    PBked
  • marsapan111marsapan111
    Thank you all for your great tips and suggestions. I will update after the event tomorrow.
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