..at least this one. I made this photograph of a limited edition Jaguar with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IIN and showed it to my friend Steve who had borrowed the camera to make a few shots of it for his club’s newsletter. While looking at it, he said, “I just don’t see like that.” So I thought it might be fun to give you some idea of how I came to make this particular image.
A Colorado Springs Land Rover dealership celebrated the groundbreaking of its new Jaguar dealership and invited people to bring their cars to the site for an informal show. All kind of interesting cars showed up including a Sterling Moss limited edition XK-R Jaguar coupe. I was only planning on making some snapshots and only brought one lens a Canon EF 16-35mm zoom, which based on the 1.3 multiplication factor that this camera produces, might have been a better choice for an indoor show. The first image I made was just a “walk up to it and click” shot and shows the lines of the car and a few of the distinguishing characteristics (stripes/wheels) of the XK-R and a whole lot of stuff around it. I walked around back and made another similar uninspiring image of the XK-R’s back. Then I went back to the front and made a shot similar to the first one but from a lower angle; I didn’t like any of’em and walked away.
Later on after I was thinking about the XK-R, remembering that it was such a unique car (there’s less than a dozen in the world) it needed a shot that made a statement. Two things stood out for me: the red fender strips ala Corvette’s Grand Sport, and three-piece racing wheels atypical of the standard luxo Jag. With the camera in P mode, I racked the lens out to 16mm (effective 21mm) and started looking at the front left wheel because I liked the lighting on that side of the car.
I knew I had to shoot from a low angle with the camera pointing up to minimize background clutter, so I am either knelling down to get this low perspective. While composing this shot, I saw those two little powder-puff clouds in the background and damn near yelled “Eureka” when I clicked the shutter. I made only one exposure. I had been shooting all day and found that exposure compensation tended to be the standard stuff: underexpose black cars, overexpose white ones, but this silver car was as Goldilocks once said “just right.”
The image was originally shot as a horizontal and I opened it later in Photoshop, I preferred a vertical orientation better. And no I didn’t crop anything. I seldom do preferring to get what I like in the viewfinder and since the EOS 1D Mark IIN shows 100% of the shot, what I saw was what I got. There is little or no tweaking other than processing the RAW file using Adobe’s Camera RAW. Some people tell me that, “it doesn’t look a Jaguar,” but they are missing the traditional “growler” cap in the center of the wheel.
Joe Farace is the author of a new e-book called “15 Tips for Better Car Photos” that’s available from Flatbooks.com.
TIP: Ask owners to remove any placards that are placed under their windshield (windscreen if British) wipers.
It’s getting to be car show season again: If you get to the show early and you should placards may not have already been placed under the windshield (windscreen if you’re British) wiper and the added benefit to being an early bird is that it’s also less crowded so people won’t walk into your shot. Most owners can talk for hours about their cars because there never was a restoration project that didn’t have some interesting twists and turns. While chatting ask them to also remove any show placards such as the identification cards placed on the dash or under the windshield wiper. Don’t do it yourself! Always ask the owner before touching any part of his or her car! It’s best to have them to remove any show placards, so ask politely
This Nissan-powered hot rod (above) was photographed at the SEMA auto show in Las Vegas—with the hood up! (Sometimes you can’t always get what you want.) Exposure with a Canon EOS 5D was 1/40 sec at f/4.0 and ISO 800.
You don’t have to be an expert on a particular marque or even cars in general, but you should be curious and polite when inspecting a car that might make an ideal photographic subject. If you see the owner, ask them a question. People who own interesting cars often have interesting stories to tell about their cars before it reaches the state where you would want to photograph it. If the owner is not around and the light is perfect, just shoot it as it is and try to select and angle that minimizes the placard or makes it easy to remove using Photoshop later in the digital darkroom.
This Allard above was captured using a Canon EOS D30 that had been converted to infrared-only capture (www.lifepixel.com.) Exposure through an eBay purchased Russian 16mm f/2.8 lens was 1/160 AT F/16 and ISO 200 in Av mode.
Joe Farace is the author of a new e-book called “15 Tips for Better Car Photos” that’s available from Flatbooks.com.
The day (sometimes days) before a race is usually reserved for practice and there may be one or two sessions depending on the size of the event. NASCAR races usually have additional practice time they call “happy hour” but the purpose is the same—to allow competitors to fine tune the cars’ suspension setups to extract maximum performance. You can use that time to practice as well, by working on techniques, checking lens selection and picking out places for around the track that will product dramatic action-filled shots, all of which will enhance your performance on race day too.
But don’t forget people! Don’t just photograph beautiful cars; make photographs some of the people too. At some races, you may be able to get into the pits and photograph the drivers on practice day, with their cars. Many International car events have beautiful models on hand who are always glad to pose with the car for you. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the images of Ferrari fans (aka Tifosi) above was made in the parking lot of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day for the penultimate US Grand Prix using an Olympus E-1. For me this was a perfect place to use Program mode along with the E-1’s built-in flash for fill.
Be sure to use fill flash when photographing people at the track. I used a Canon EX 550 flash for the photographs of the two Team Audi drivers ( right) in the pits after American LeMans Series practice at Mazda Speedway at Laguna Seca. Camera was a Canon EOS 1Ds with 28-135mm lens with an exposure of 1/60 sec at f/4 and ISO 200.
All images courtesy of Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance
The 2012 Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance on May 6, 2012 will showcase more than 150 classic & vintage automobiles and motorcycles. A 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross will be among the 2012 show highlights. Formerly owned by Steve McQueen and currently on display at the San Diego Auto Museum, the motorcycle has been gently restored by current owner Rob Phillips.
Amid restoration, Phillips’ repair team found an “uncirculated” 1960 Lincoln head penny in a small round plastic case tucked away in the cavity between the engine and frame. Whether the coin was placed for luck or because it is dated in the same year as McQueen’s son, Chad was born, is uncertain, but its placement and the personal connection to McQueen adds to the endearing and unique character of this motorcycle. Chad McQueen is expected to attend the 2012 Greystone Mansion Concours d’Elegance in support of the 1970 Husqvarna that belonged to his father.
Select motorcycle highlights include: 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross (formerly owned by Steve McQueen), 2000 Harley Davidson Military, 1972 Harley Davidson Baja 100, 1959 Honda CL 175 and the 1959 BMW R69. Additional motorcycle highlights include: a 2006 Boss Fly, 1974 Harley Davidson SX 125, 1978 Harley Davidson MX 250, 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross, 1956 BSA Catalina Scrambler, and a 1958 MV Augusta Gran Sport.
The Greystone Concours d’Elegance takes place Sunday, May 6, 2012 from 10:00am-4:00pm at Greystone Estate, Beverly Hills, CA.
Tickets are $108 per person when purchased in advance and $133 at the door. Ticket sales are limited to 3000 and ticket purchase includes, at no additional cost, unlimited food and drink, program book and poster, access to the estate grounds and mansion, as well as a two for one admission to the Peterson Automotive Museum.
Free parking at Beverly Hills Parking Structure (450 N. Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills) Guests will be picked up at the parking structure and transported to and from Greystone Mansion via shuttle. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.greystoneconcours.org.
