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.

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.

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.

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.

Mary has loved Mazda Miatas for a long time; she thinks that they are just so darn cute. In the past few years she’s test driven several Miatas, liked them, but could never afford one. When diagnosed with breast cancer she decided that life was too short to wait and she wanted to start running in SCCA autocrosses on one condition– in a WHITE MIATA!

We began looking at early Miatas, only some of them were not white but all of them were interesting. It started with the white 1990 model with BBS wheels that we came close to purchasing until the salesman let it slip that the car had recently been repossessed from a stripper who had stopped payment on the check and had hid the car is a stable with some horses. While test driving the car, she noticed that it made some funny noises (maybe they were whinnies) but when we heard that tale Mary decided to pass.

Mary and I haunted the usual car search websites and one Saturday, we compiled a list of cars and went in search of the affordable, prefect Miata. We started with a black ’96 with steel wheels. While the miles were reasonable the car had seen hard use as an urban assault vehicle. The husband of the really nice old, hippie couple who owned the car pointed at the hump in the hood and said “see that! You wrap a half a chicken in aluminum foil and drive up to the mountains and lunch will be done when you get there.” I don’t think the Colonel’s secret herbs and spices included Castrol and STP.

We called the next two owners on our list and left messages and decided to go take a look at a car that was further away. Along the way we drove by a Mazda dealer and asked if they had any Miatas we could afford. “Nope,” the nice saleslady said but Bob in Parts is trying to sell his ’93.” It’s got a lot of miles (186,000 it turns out) “but the engine is all chrome and get this,” he says excitedly, “It has teeth.” Fresh from the mouth of “Ralph the Shark” there’s stainless steel teeth chomping away in the front grill. The engine is a work of art, but when Mary tries to sit inside, the smell of tobacco smoke stops her in her tracks. “We can get somebody to de-stinkify it,” says Bob.

©2012 Cliff Lawson

Update: Since this was written Mary has undergone surgery and radiation therapy and last year was declared “cancer free” by her oncologist. The Miata is now gone from the garage but it not forgotten and she still talks about this car and misses it.

As part of the launch of their new Defender series of tires Michelin sponsored a survey to identify the most annoying driving behaviors. The leading response? Tailgating (cited by 94% of those surveyed). In fact, compared to other annoyances, tailgating edged out drivers who cut other drivers off (91%), drivers who change lanes unexpectedly (85%), and drivers who don’t signal (85%).

Tailgating is a form of aggressive driving and almost three quarters (74%) of survey respondents reported they had been tailgated by another driver past six months. Ironically, only 11% admitted to tailgating another vehicle. It’s always, as Arlo Guthrie once sang, “the other guy” which is why it’s important to leave enough room between you and the car in front of you.

Michelin’s newest tire, the Defender, has an advanced design which allows it to stop shorter–up to 31 feet or two car lengths—potentially the difference between having an accident and avoiding one. In addition, Michelin Defender tire comes with a 90,000 mile warranty and increases fuel-efficiency, providing a potential savings of up to $250 in fuel @$3.50/gallon over the life of the tires.

Tip #4: Be sure to make images of parts of cars. Don’t be frustrated by the lack of space and crowded conditions found at shows. Use that to your advantage by finding small details, such as the delicate nature of a Bugatti’s grille or the sensuous lines of a street rod’s fender and capture them in sharp focus. It doesn’t make any difference if you’re using a one-time use camera or the newest digital SLR.

Tip #5: Get close to the car. Begin by working in close and gradually back off until extraneous non-car details or people start to appear in the frame. Wide-angle lenses and wide angle zooms let you fill up the frame with part or even the entire car while making sure distractions are eliminated. Make sure your zoom lens allows close focusing. I once purchased a wide-angle zoom lens only to discover it didn’t focus close enough to do me any good. On the other hand, my old Tamron 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 Di lens focuses as close as 9.8- inches. Since I purchased my lens (a while ago) Tamron has replaced this lens with the SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II that focuses even closer at 9.4-inches!

Tip #6: Explore unconventional views of the car. Tilt the camera to provide a dynamic image. The crowds at most car shows—although they are some of the most polite people you will find anywhere—make it almost impossible to use a tripod(and some venues prohibit them) so I seldom bring one. Monopods can provide a steady platform for low light conditions, such as end of the day shots or you can use a tabletop tripod or on-the-ground low angle shots.

Tips #7: Dress for success. Dress comfortably and wear the kind of clothing you won’t be afraid to get dirty when trying to get an interesting camera angle. For outdoor shows, be sure to wear a hat to keep the sun off your head and like the song says, “be sure to wear sunscreen.

to be continued…

You can find more tips about photographic cars in Joe’s eBook “15 Tips for Better Car Photos.”

Tip #1: To make interesting photographs at a car show, whether indoors or outdoors, you gotta love cars. A passion for the subject you’re photographing is always a plus and enables you to look beyond the surface of a car to see its essence, its soul.

Tip #2: Before making any pictures try to talk to the car’s owner. You don’t need to be an expert; just be curious and polite. 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. One of the best ways to get to know the owner involves asking questions covered in the below tips.

1/200 sec at f/7.1 and ISO 320

Tip #3: Do not make photographs with the hoods—or bonnets if they are British—raised. Many owners like to display the cleanliness or sparkling chrome underneath but that’s not always the best way to photography a vehicle because it breaks up the car’s lines There are times, such as in the above image, where the car needs to have the hood up. Who makes that determination? You do. If the owner nearby, ask them owner if they would close the hood so you can make a photograph of the car. In exchange, offer to give them a print or e-mail them a JPEG of the finished image, both of which positions you as a photographer who cares.

Tip #4: It’s also a good idea to remove show placards such as the identification cards placed on the dash or under the windshield wiper. Ask the owner before touching any part of his or her car! It’s always best to have them do it, so ask politely.

to be continued…

You can find more tips about photographic cars in Joe’s eBook “15 Tips for Better Car Photos.”

The reference image of a classic Porsche Speedster was photographed using a Canon EOS 30D that was converted for infrared capture using an exposure of 1/100 sec and f/16 at ISO 200. It was captured as an RAW file and opened in Adobe Camera RAW.

The original RAW file was converted into monochrome using Adobe Camera RAW and opened in Adobe Photoshop where it was dust spotted and tweaked. I  used the clone stamp tool to remove the two guys who were standing behind the car in the background. Tip: When hand coloring a monochrome file, you must work with an RGB or CMYK file. You cannot work with the grayscale image that ACR produces, so you have to first change the image’s Mode (Image > Mode > Color RGB.)

Start by adding a Color Layer (Layer > New > Layer > Color) and then select Color from the Layer palette’s Mode pop-up menu. Once you have a Color Layer, you can paint directly on top of your image using Photoshop’s brush tool while all the time leaving the background layer untouched. To apply the Brush tool for this specific image I worked with a mouse instead of a graphics tablet and stylus because that’s what I’m used to using. But if you like using a tablet and stylus and are good at it, the process should go smoother and faster.

Next, select an airbrush from Photoshop’s Tool Bar. You can use the bracket keys on your keyboard to make the brush smaller (left bracket) or larger (right bracket). I picked a color by clicking on the Foreground/background colors at the bottom of the tool bar. This pops up a color picker and I chose a blue that reminded me of my 1966 Mustang convertible. You can also choose any color from the Swatches Palette (Window > Swatches) simply by clicking on a color. After painting, you can fine-tune the chosen color by reducing the Opacity of the Color Layer or by adjusting the colors in Color Balance (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance).

When hand coloring, the Eraser tool is your best friend. Even if you use a graphics tablet and stylus it’s impossible (for me anyway) to paint around small details, so don’t try. Just paint and then use the Eraser tool with the image set at a high magnification so you can see those small details and erase the blue or whatever color in case you “go outside the lines.” I also used the Eraser tool to remove the blue color from the car’s trim areas such as chrome strip, rocker panel moldings, and logos. This process requires a small brush and patience but makes for more finished looking job.

You can keep adding additional layers—one for each different color—until you think you’re finished. In this case, I used a pale yellow on the wheels and while dedicated Porschephiles will probably cringe at this color scheme on a classic Speedster, I thought it added an element of fun. You can use whatever colors make you smile. A little tweak with Curves to bump of the contrast and cropping to remove some of the grass at the bottom of photo and you’re finished.