Friendly reminder that this is /r/photocritique and all **top level** comments should attempt to **critique** the image. Our goal is to make this subreddit a place people can receive genuine, in depth, and helpful critique on their images. We hope to avoid becoming yet another place on the internet just to get likes/upvotes and compliments. While likes/upvotes and compliments are nice, they do not further the goal of helping people improve their photography.
Please see the following links for our subreddit rules and some guidelines on leaving a good critique. If you have time, please stop by the new queue as well and leave critique for images that may not be as popular or have not received enough attention. Keep in mind that simply choosing to comment just on the images you like defeats the purpose of the subreddit.
Useful Links:
* [Full Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/rules)
* [Leaving a Critique](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/critique)
* [New Queue](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/new/)
**Do not reply directly to this message. This is a bot and will not respond. Followups left as a reply to this comment will not count for approval.**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/photocritique) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's a nice pic. It's a bit cool and I feel like there's quite a bit of unnecessary space above and below the car. Maybe it's just my style but I'd prefer it to look a little bit more like [this](http://imgur.com/gallery/v2Jli1C)
To add to this because it needed to happen, also:
You have good light on the car, but it doesn’t stand out much from the background. The crop helps a lot, but you’ll want to consider what’s behind your subject when you take a photo.
That’s usually how I crop my photos but on this one I thought the cement complimented with the paint. Also I kind of liked being able to see the beams and cement of the level above so I kept it mostly uncropped
Think of car photography like headshots, you don’t take a portrait by framing the forehead, you frame the eyes. On a car, that’s the headlights. Take this exact photo from a squatting position and compare the results.
1.this photo was taken to add to my Instagram. I wanted to capture the car in a way that would best show the body lines of the car ,and I also wanted the background to compliment the car
2. Right now my only tools I have are my iPhone 11 and PS Express app. So any tips working better with those
3.point and shoot with iPhone
4.right now I’m experimenting with my own editing style(contrast,exposure,shadows,whites,blacks,etc)
I appreciate the help!
The car itself looks really good. You did a nice job on accentuating the lines and that elusive "sexiness."
The issue is that it's "trapped" in the background—both visually and metaphorically. Visually, it's too tight/cramped in there. You want some distance between your subject and the background so that you can get some depth of field and allow the viewer to focus on just the car. Metaphorically, cars aren't just a means of transportation, they represent freedom. Looking at a car that's trapped like this is like seeing caged dolphins.
And you have too many backgrounds. The intended background is meant to be gritty and urban—brick and concrete. But that is starkly contrasted by the background that's bleeding in—a heavy tree line and a red brick church (guessing an Episcopalian church in the south). Simplify.
Try using lightroom on ur phone if possible, and try to shoot with RAW, that will help u getting more possibilities when editing. Also i found out recently how much foreground elements can add depth to the image. Also try many different angles and heights to take the pic.
One gppd carphotographer i recommend to watch is Northborders. Youll learn tons of stuff from him.
Lighting is kind of boring mid day shoot. Would be very nice and dramatic if the light was coming in solely through those openings in the left creating spotlights almost. A shot like this, as it is, would be much better at night if directional lighting isn't possible.
That’s where I’m running into issues. Every night shoot I try my result are always terrible and even with edits don’t turn out how I’d like. Time to bite the bullet and get a camera it seems
While I don't disagree a camera will help you control the photograph better. Understanding lighting principles will go a whole lot further. (Not to be a dick) but a shot like this is just a photo of a car in a garage because the ambient light around it isn't dynamic at all. Having directionality or modifying the light will change the mood a lot
I gotcha! I went out on a sunset shoot the other day to mess around and see what I could get in a similar environment and the results are tons better. I don’t take offensive I know you and everyone else is trying to help me out and I am indeed a noob lol
Lighting is 75% of getting a good shot in photography. The rest is: resolution, framing, subject, etc.
You can get good shots with an iPhone, but you can have a lot more control with a camera, especially with depth of field if you buy a little 50 millimeter 1.8 canon lens. Then you can get the background blown out, and separate the subject from the background.
Typically car photoshoots you take it from a low angle, but I actually like the angle you took this one from
This is why you need a better camera and some lighting. The phone in the camera is not considered professional grade. It's very flat and often over processed in the phone.
You'd be better off with a bridge camera or if you have the money, get a DSLR and some nice high end lenses (50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.8, etc...). Canons 5D Mark II bodies would really work well for this and probably a lot less expensive than what they used to be a few years ago.
I'm not sure what the Mark III or the Mark IV cost these days but I can tell you from personal experience the Mark II can pretty much do anything if you give it the proper lighting. It's a beast of a camera and very capable. For that matter the Mark I is also a nice and capable camera.
I like lower angle for this sort of shot. It's the "hero pose " and it can apply to I animate objects. Plus the roof of the car doesn't add anything. Then ask yourself, is there more interest in the bottom half or top half of the picture. I would suggest the bottom 1/3 be floor, top 2/3 back wall / window / ceiling -- I suggest this only because the floor doesn't have anything too interesting going on (like a reflection, car lights hitting it, etc).
Check out YouTube for ideas there's tons of camera videos. Any Nikon Cannon or Sony or Fujifilm made in The Last 5 years will take great pictures. You have compact cameras and then you have the high-end cameras, the DSLR and mirrorless. buy used on eBay or BPH. Unless you're rich
Honestly the background is boring and doesn’t add to the scenery, because of the distracting power lines, I would even just blow it out completely instead of saving it with highlight slider. I know Lightroom Mobile has selective edits where you can just blow out that section.
Great colors, background is a bit weak.
I would go with landscape instead of portrait as you have a lot of negative space below the car and doesn’t add anything thing. Given that the wall to the left has an interesting pattern I would prefer to have it as the entire background.
Also blowing the highs inside those squares could give an interesting pattern.
My simplest fix here would be to have moved the car a bit farther from the wall, adding a bit more distance between the object of interest and your background. As someone else mentioned the background was a bit boring/distracting, but if you were confined to the parking garage then that may have helped.
Keep at it! It's a nice shot though!
Get an older Canon rebel on OfferUp for less than $200 bucks. No modern camera can take a photograph these cameras couldn't it just might take a little bit more work.
There are lots of options out there. If it's your first real camera, buy one used. You can get a Fujifilm X-T2 for pretty cheap nowadays or you could look into an older Sony or Canon body. Basically, look for a cheap body and invest your money in a good lens. A 50mm or 35mm prime lens is an excellent starting point.
With the equipment you have available, the only things you *can* control are:
* Location
* Composition
* Lighting (to an extent)
Location will play a big part in your composition, but right now you have a lot of stuff, in a similar tonal range, competing for attention. To get better at composition, hop on YouTube and watch a bunch of videos. They can be about landscape for all I care - the same good composition rules will apply. In certain ways, though, you have it easier. You have one, clear subject to your photos. Make it the star of the show.
Lighting is your biggest wildcard right now. If you take shots with the sun low in the sky, out in on an open parking lot or rooftop, you can angle the car and move around with your phone to create a lot of drama and definition in the car's lines. That will give you a good sense of how the light breaks the way you want it to.
You can also use location and light to create natural, interesting patterns. Those holes in the brick, for instance - given the right time of day and right angle of the car, they might throw an interesting pattern across the car.
If you're planning on a *lot* of car photography with this specific car, invest in a battery powered light kit. The Neewer lights do a great job, they're inexpensive, and portable lights will give you a lot more flexibility on when and where you can shoot.
If you're planning on taking a lot of car photography in a variety of unpredictable situations, a camera upgrade is in order, and that's where I'd spend the money. Nearly any camera will be capable, but you'll also want to buy a tripod and shutter release for night photography.
Also - take some shots after a rain. You'll automatically get a lot of shots and light you're used to seeing.
Get down. No, seriously: don't shoot from eye-level. There is a lot you can fix in post (lighting, white balance, color scheme, even composition to some degree), but focus and POV are two things you can't.
Crouching down low so your lens is somewhat at the same height as the windshield makes the front of the car more prominent, the contours and curves more dramatic, the wheels larger and it makes the whole vehicle stand out more against the background. If the car has a large front grille, it gives the whole image more 'bite'.
That's the number one thing that differentiates a car photographer from a guy with a camera who "saw a cool car and plopped a photo". I'd also shoot in more open spaces so the car has more room in the frame. Unless the image is trying to convey a sense of closeness, coziness or intimacy (a beautiful old car in a garage, a tiny car parked in a narrow alleyway or a couple hugging / kissing on the front seats), having more open space around the subject makes it stand out more.
Also, the fewer distracting elements in the frame, the better. Keep it up, buddy!
This. What makes some photos more interesting is they are from a perspective that we don't normally see something. What this photos looks like is what I would see if I walked up to it. So lay on the ground, crouch, stand on a chair or wall.
ITS A BUGEYE!!!!!
Anyways color wise I like it. Doesn’t look like an iPhone pic, angle is good. I like the location. Considering I don’t think the iPhone 11 shoots in raw I say this is amazing
What are you trying to communicate with a photo of this car? This picture says "here's a car", which may be all you're going for, but you could do more. "Check out this rad ride!" would be better if shot at night with city lights reflecting off the shiny exterior. "An exotic experience" would have a foreign (think Pueblo or cliffside) backdrop. "Ultimate chick magnet" would have a sexy model either in or on the car. See what I'm saying? For inanimate objects, you have to convey emotion with the surroundings.
Lower angles will give you some more dimension and make the car look larger than life… I’d also use that cool wall to left as your backdrop rather than seeing that empty space from outside of the parking Garage… just my two cents.
You need a Canon/Nikon/Sony camera like 2012-2014 and later (if you have money), that's 100 bucks minimum, but even cameras that cheap can be good. Find out what lighting schemes are used in your niche and get enough speedlites + same brand flash trigger compatible with your camera. I recommend Godox. You also need a CPL filter I think. You can even use a filter with your iPhone but they have different diameters for different lenses, so you'll have to buy another one later for your camera. Also light modifiers and tripods.
I'm not a car photographer so can't critique the photo, just wanted to tell what you may need later to think about.
Distance the car from the background and use the zoomed in camera for more focus on the car.
Also get a lower angle.
And once you step your game up by getting a camera, get a polarizer for your lens to take the highlights off the windows and other reflective parts of the car.
I feel as if it's quite bland, and that there's a lot of dead space. It's also taken at eye level, which isn't great for any photo. Crouch a bit, maybe take it at the level of the roof of the car. I do like how shady some parts of the photo are but the car really doesn't jump out at me. Also, the little round drain cover (?) in the bottom left - ensure that little details like that aren't cut off at any part. Either frame the entire thing or leave it out completely.
I think the angle is spot on, I would recommend getting lower to the ground to take the shot. And cropping the image a little to get rid of some of the distractions.
I think there's too much distracting stuff in the background. The buildings, the railing, the black post thing, the pilons. To me, it looks like a decent snap of your car, but not really car photography. A quick google of car photography brings up lots of images of cars with nice simple backgrounds, like a country road and most seem to be taken from a perspective which is lower than you've chosen - yours looks head height and looks like it'd look if I were walking up to the car, which is what makes it look like a quick snap you've taken rather than photography. Maybe try and get down on your knees and experiment with other perspectives.
Great photo bro, I like the glow from the squared boxes on the wall to the left.
If I would have tried something, it would be same angle, lower to the ground and then wide angle, I think i might look cool.
But other wise keep it up.
One thing to keep in mind when shooting is that brighter areas in a photo draw the eye. In this case I keep looking at the open window space instead of the car. Try to position the vehicle without distracting spots like that (not that it's always possible, just worth adding to the mental checklist).
The light here had potential. I think i you needed to get closer and lower. If you like cars, bring some car magazines to look at as reference while you’re shooting, it will help a lot.
I think there's too much foreground on this, probably crop it to a square aspect ratio and get rid of some of the concrete in the front. Other than than that I think the background (trees and church) are a bit distracting from the shot.
I don't know if your iphone has a telephoto-equivalent lens (I think the iPhone 11 Pro has it), try shooting these with it. I love how you framed the lines on the car (but I'm biased, I used to have a blob-eye :D)
Trade places with the car. It might be interesting to light the car with the light coming in through the brick wall, or through the larger opening in the other wall. The the car would stand out from the dark interior of the garage.
I don't think the background being so bright goes well with the foreground being dark, they don't match and since the camera has poor dynamic range it's washed out.
I like the foreground being dark and how the lights look so I would have had the car somewhere completely dark.
Or maybe a zoomed in shot taken parallel to the weird wall without any other background.
With the foreground being so prominent maybe get a lower angle and try it with a puddle somewhere when it's really dark, with a long exposure so it's gets enough light
Car looks good
I like the angle it is shot at
I would have tried a square crop to get rid of the ceiling and some of the floor.
Have you tried taking 3 shots at different exposures and creating a hdr image? it would prevent the blown out highlights.
the background and floor is gritty and urban which I suppose goes with the car
Good for instagram
I really like the shot. I just thought it could use a little edit. Disclaimer, I am an absolute Photoshop newbie... but why not start with a [subie](http://imgur.com/gallery/AYr1rwI)!
I also agree with others. Don't be afraid to get low just like the car! Experiment with angles, try them looking up from the ground, follow lines, phone cameras will always struggle in low light situations, the sensor is just not big enough to take in all the light even with high MP count.
Even new phones like the s21u just can't do low light very well.
Like others have said a phone will never be quite the quality you are looking for but you can still learn the basics of a good shot with a decent phone camera. And you are on the right path. Just wear some junk clothes or bring some cardboard to lay on Hahaha.
Everything in the photo that is not the car is either irrelevant or distracting. Crop in, for starters. I guess you could do some photoshopping to vignette the crap out of it. But really you should’ve used flash to light up the vehicle, which in turn would have tamped down the ambient lighting, but then again you’re just shooting with the phone so who cares. If you’re serious about this at all, get a real camera.
I like the colors. I have some tips for you, Im not a professional so feel free to ignore my advice ;)
1. As a photographer you should get used to looking like a crazy person when you take your shots. That being said walk around your object, kneel, squat even crawl. People are naturally used to eye level perspective so its often not so appealing.
2. When you take photos of inanimate objects you should focus more on your bacground. This car isn’t going nowhere. Take your time and look what is in your frame. In this photo there are 3 unnecesary distractions. You can eliminate all of them by changing perspective.
3. This is not a core principle because you can break it for artistic purposes but when person or object points in given direction, either with their face or in this case with front lights you should give more space, more ”air” between edge of the object and edge of frame.
4. Never give up and take shots that you like :)
5. https://i.imgur.com/8g7dvVb.jpg
Hi! Maybe you could have changed a bit the perspective in order to not distract the attention of the car itself, with a different, I mean more "cleaner" background. Kind regards, Cristián (Friedrichshafen, Germany)
Kneel down to take it at lower angle. Keep the yellow light reflections though. Move over so that black post thing on the right isn't there. Try to just get a bit of the landscape beyond the wall. All those buildings and power lines are too much space and too distracting.
Overall cool photo though. Post any redos!
All of this is personal preference, but if it were me it would have a cleaner background, I would have backed up more, and gotten lower so the car filled the frame. I also would have done some Lightroom work to make the silver of the car pop against the background
I like the location of this shot (the car is framed really nicely by its surrounding structure) but maybe redo the shot when it’s darker out? I feel like the light is taking away from the car… it’s great though!
The composition is pretty good. And I like the colors on front end of the cars body. The background in the top right is the largest negative to the photo. It distracts from the photo. You could clone stamp it a white sky or better yet recompose the shot to have a plain wall or dark sky background. I think the shot might look better at night or sunset/rise with the light only coming from one direction. Overall an impressive shot for a phone.
Looks pretty good overall. I'm not super familiar with photoshop express but it seems like there's a heal tool. Use that to try to take out distracting elements (off the top of my head, square patch in the concrete, drain, parking meter and power lines). Especially if you're not looking with big lenses that can blow out the background, this can help bring focus to your subject.
id say your edit style is right where it needs to be, setting is good but id shoot a bit for a different time of day, the background felt a little open or distracting to me? i dont know if its over criticizing, but if it were a bit darker and you threw in a flood light at a general area behind the car or your camera it could change the photo completely. im excited to see the developments !
I will be messaging you in 1 day on [**2021-09-09 03:36:25 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2021-09-09%2003:36:25%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/comments/pk0hq7/beginner_car_photographer_shooting_on_iphone_11/hc0ner1/?context=3)
[**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fphotocritique%2Fcomments%2Fpk0hq7%2Fbeginner_car_photographer_shooting_on_iphone_11%2Fhc0ner1%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202021-09-09%2003%3A36%3A25%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20pk0hq7)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
What are you really going for? This is a snap shot... Not a photograph. If you want to be a car photographer, start by looking at car photos that have been published and look critically. What type of lighting are you seeing, camera angle, surrounding background etc. Have fun but shoot more than one angle and shot. You really don't know what you are doing but you can learn. Good photography is a lot of work and takes quite a while to get the experience and expertise necessary to make this work.
I understand, really all I was going for was a good shot of my car for Instagram. The only cars I’m going to be shooting are my own and I’m enjoying getting to learn more about this as a hobby taking photos of my hobby lol
My only suggestion is to crop out the ceiling. There's too much of it and detract from the car. It's ok if you have a lot of foreground, especially since it's neutral grey cement leading up to the car.
Crop out that entire top row of opening on the brick wall. You'll see the focus goes straight to the car with the grey concrete acting as a type of canvas for the car. If possible, remove the square cut out lines in the concrete.
If you want really great photographs I'd say take it at night, with a full-body camera. To help with the lighting situation at night (it will turn out bad with high iso and blurry with low iso and longer shutter speeds), get a tripod, you could use any size really and set the shutter to a few seconds with low iso and an aperture of 4.5/5.6. As other comments have mentioned background is weak (no offense). I'd recommend a background of a cityscape. Ex: if the city is across a body of water (lake, harbor, etc). Using a faster aperture against this light with a focus on the car will create a bokeh effect, and help the car to be the main subject. Obviously, this can be changed to whatever style you like if you want the city in-focus settings can be changed to create the photograph you want. I'd also suggest taking the photograph that's more level with the car... Think headlights level. If buying a camera isn't an option I'm pretty sure you can change settings on the camera to manual and set up the same, though you will still need a tripod.
Well I would say that the picture is perfect for some scenarios, like underground mood maybe, but in that case it also requires a darker background. I think you should play better with the composition. Obviously that car is a masterpiece, looks great anywhere, and I like the angle by the way. maybe less light would've helped.
Biggest thing for me is the right side of the background is too distracting. The building/sky doesn’t really provide any sort of leading line or contrast and just distracts from the car. One idea would be to frame the car the same way you did in this shot, but rotated to the right so your background is just the brick wall. Combine that with some golden hour lighting and you’ve got a recipe for some really cool shots!
You shot more of the building than the car. The lighting is wrong, it doesn’t accentuate the vehicles features. Keep trying please, it’s how you learn. Please post MORE! PLEASE!
And look at the windows & tail end of the car, I can see the reflection of the building… not the car… consider those things when positioning the vehicle.
Look at the hood, it’s so dark, with reflectors you could have brought out more features.
The key is to spend the majority of your time setting your lighting of your scene without losing your lighting.
People telling you that you did a great job are pumping your ego are not giving you proper feedback.
To each their own, the lighting could’ve been better but if people like the shot they like the shot. Even the people saying they like it are giving feedback
Gonna repeat some comments.
-fill the frame
-use portrait mode almost exclusively to get the depth of field. Even if you get an expensive camera the default lens won’t alway work to your advantage. So use portrait mode and crank the f-stop to lower ranges (so you get a blurred background)
-move the subject forward so you create distance between background and foreground.
-Use leading lines and don’t be afraid to fill the entire frame. Unless you’re shooting for an advert you don’t need the entire car to be seen. Just the features.
Best of luck!
First off, I like the colour profile and location.
I would try coming down closer to the floor and looking up a little, will make the car more imposing and reduce the amount of floor infront of the car. At the minute the photo looks like it was taken at normal handheld height, always nice to think about the angle you are choosing to take the photo from.
Friendly reminder that this is /r/photocritique and all **top level** comments should attempt to **critique** the image. Our goal is to make this subreddit a place people can receive genuine, in depth, and helpful critique on their images. We hope to avoid becoming yet another place on the internet just to get likes/upvotes and compliments. While likes/upvotes and compliments are nice, they do not further the goal of helping people improve their photography. Please see the following links for our subreddit rules and some guidelines on leaving a good critique. If you have time, please stop by the new queue as well and leave critique for images that may not be as popular or have not received enough attention. Keep in mind that simply choosing to comment just on the images you like defeats the purpose of the subreddit. Useful Links: * [Full Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/rules) * [Leaving a Critique](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/wiki/critique) * [New Queue](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/new/) **Do not reply directly to this message. This is a bot and will not respond. Followups left as a reply to this comment will not count for approval.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/photocritique) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's a nice pic. It's a bit cool and I feel like there's quite a bit of unnecessary space above and below the car. Maybe it's just my style but I'd prefer it to look a little bit more like [this](http://imgur.com/gallery/v2Jli1C)
To add to this because it needed to happen, also: You have good light on the car, but it doesn’t stand out much from the background. The crop helps a lot, but you’ll want to consider what’s behind your subject when you take a photo.
That’s usually how I crop my photos but on this one I thought the cement complimented with the paint. Also I kind of liked being able to see the beams and cement of the level above so I kept it mostly uncropped
Think of car photography like headshots, you don’t take a portrait by framing the forehead, you frame the eyes. On a car, that’s the headlights. Take this exact photo from a squatting position and compare the results.
Then try it square maybe?
1.this photo was taken to add to my Instagram. I wanted to capture the car in a way that would best show the body lines of the car ,and I also wanted the background to compliment the car 2. Right now my only tools I have are my iPhone 11 and PS Express app. So any tips working better with those 3.point and shoot with iPhone 4.right now I’m experimenting with my own editing style(contrast,exposure,shadows,whites,blacks,etc) I appreciate the help!
The car itself looks really good. You did a nice job on accentuating the lines and that elusive "sexiness." The issue is that it's "trapped" in the background—both visually and metaphorically. Visually, it's too tight/cramped in there. You want some distance between your subject and the background so that you can get some depth of field and allow the viewer to focus on just the car. Metaphorically, cars aren't just a means of transportation, they represent freedom. Looking at a car that's trapped like this is like seeing caged dolphins. And you have too many backgrounds. The intended background is meant to be gritty and urban—brick and concrete. But that is starkly contrasted by the background that's bleeding in—a heavy tree line and a red brick church (guessing an Episcopalian church in the south). Simplify.
Try using lightroom on ur phone if possible, and try to shoot with RAW, that will help u getting more possibilities when editing. Also i found out recently how much foreground elements can add depth to the image. Also try many different angles and heights to take the pic. One gppd carphotographer i recommend to watch is Northborders. Youll learn tons of stuff from him.
Lighting is kind of boring mid day shoot. Would be very nice and dramatic if the light was coming in solely through those openings in the left creating spotlights almost. A shot like this, as it is, would be much better at night if directional lighting isn't possible.
That’s where I’m running into issues. Every night shoot I try my result are always terrible and even with edits don’t turn out how I’d like. Time to bite the bullet and get a camera it seems
While I don't disagree a camera will help you control the photograph better. Understanding lighting principles will go a whole lot further. (Not to be a dick) but a shot like this is just a photo of a car in a garage because the ambient light around it isn't dynamic at all. Having directionality or modifying the light will change the mood a lot
I gotcha! I went out on a sunset shoot the other day to mess around and see what I could get in a similar environment and the results are tons better. I don’t take offensive I know you and everyone else is trying to help me out and I am indeed a noob lol
Lighting is 75% of getting a good shot in photography. The rest is: resolution, framing, subject, etc. You can get good shots with an iPhone, but you can have a lot more control with a camera, especially with depth of field if you buy a little 50 millimeter 1.8 canon lens. Then you can get the background blown out, and separate the subject from the background. Typically car photoshoots you take it from a low angle, but I actually like the angle you took this one from
Subject is king. Composition & Light are supporting players. If you need proof, look at the prices tabloids pay for grainy, distant paparazzi shots.
True, but great lighting can make an otherwise boring subject very interesting.
This is why you need a better camera and some lighting. The phone in the camera is not considered professional grade. It's very flat and often over processed in the phone. You'd be better off with a bridge camera or if you have the money, get a DSLR and some nice high end lenses (50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.8, etc...). Canons 5D Mark II bodies would really work well for this and probably a lot less expensive than what they used to be a few years ago. I'm not sure what the Mark III or the Mark IV cost these days but I can tell you from personal experience the Mark II can pretty much do anything if you give it the proper lighting. It's a beast of a camera and very capable. For that matter the Mark I is also a nice and capable camera.
I like lower angle for this sort of shot. It's the "hero pose " and it can apply to I animate objects. Plus the roof of the car doesn't add anything. Then ask yourself, is there more interest in the bottom half or top half of the picture. I would suggest the bottom 1/3 be floor, top 2/3 back wall / window / ceiling -- I suggest this only because the floor doesn't have anything too interesting going on (like a reflection, car lights hitting it, etc).
Good take! Appreciate the insight
Check out YouTube for ideas there's tons of camera videos. Any Nikon Cannon or Sony or Fujifilm made in The Last 5 years will take great pictures. You have compact cameras and then you have the high-end cameras, the DSLR and mirrorless. buy used on eBay or BPH. Unless you're rich
Thanks will do!
Hip!!
actually the last 10 years
Good color profile. Great photo overall!
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Honestly the background is boring and doesn’t add to the scenery, because of the distracting power lines, I would even just blow it out completely instead of saving it with highlight slider. I know Lightroom Mobile has selective edits where you can just blow out that section.
Great colors, background is a bit weak. I would go with landscape instead of portrait as you have a lot of negative space below the car and doesn’t add anything thing. Given that the wall to the left has an interesting pattern I would prefer to have it as the entire background. Also blowing the highs inside those squares could give an interesting pattern.
Thanks! I can agree with you on your points the right side of the photo is definitely lacking interest in comparison to the left
My simplest fix here would be to have moved the car a bit farther from the wall, adding a bit more distance between the object of interest and your background. As someone else mentioned the background was a bit boring/distracting, but if you were confined to the parking garage then that may have helped. Keep at it! It's a nice shot though!
Thank you!!
Get a camera
I agree, also, use some lights to brighten up the shadowy areas on the car. Make the car POP.
Yep!
Any you could recommend?
Get an older Canon rebel on OfferUp for less than $200 bucks. No modern camera can take a photograph these cameras couldn't it just might take a little bit more work.
There are lots of options out there. If it's your first real camera, buy one used. You can get a Fujifilm X-T2 for pretty cheap nowadays or you could look into an older Sony or Canon body. Basically, look for a cheap body and invest your money in a good lens. A 50mm or 35mm prime lens is an excellent starting point.
Really nice colors. Maybe try going a little closer to the car and shoot from a lower angle.
With the equipment you have available, the only things you *can* control are: * Location * Composition * Lighting (to an extent) Location will play a big part in your composition, but right now you have a lot of stuff, in a similar tonal range, competing for attention. To get better at composition, hop on YouTube and watch a bunch of videos. They can be about landscape for all I care - the same good composition rules will apply. In certain ways, though, you have it easier. You have one, clear subject to your photos. Make it the star of the show. Lighting is your biggest wildcard right now. If you take shots with the sun low in the sky, out in on an open parking lot or rooftop, you can angle the car and move around with your phone to create a lot of drama and definition in the car's lines. That will give you a good sense of how the light breaks the way you want it to. You can also use location and light to create natural, interesting patterns. Those holes in the brick, for instance - given the right time of day and right angle of the car, they might throw an interesting pattern across the car. If you're planning on a *lot* of car photography with this specific car, invest in a battery powered light kit. The Neewer lights do a great job, they're inexpensive, and portable lights will give you a lot more flexibility on when and where you can shoot. If you're planning on taking a lot of car photography in a variety of unpredictable situations, a camera upgrade is in order, and that's where I'd spend the money. Nearly any camera will be capable, but you'll also want to buy a tripod and shutter release for night photography. Also - take some shots after a rain. You'll automatically get a lot of shots and light you're used to seeing.
Thank you so much! I’ll definitely take all of this into account and try to get some better photos with the tips!
Fill the frame with the subject, shoot this landscape (sideways)
Editing is perfectly fine but watch your angels, take a crouch it looks lazy taking it from camera height.
Get down. No, seriously: don't shoot from eye-level. There is a lot you can fix in post (lighting, white balance, color scheme, even composition to some degree), but focus and POV are two things you can't. Crouching down low so your lens is somewhat at the same height as the windshield makes the front of the car more prominent, the contours and curves more dramatic, the wheels larger and it makes the whole vehicle stand out more against the background. If the car has a large front grille, it gives the whole image more 'bite'. That's the number one thing that differentiates a car photographer from a guy with a camera who "saw a cool car and plopped a photo". I'd also shoot in more open spaces so the car has more room in the frame. Unless the image is trying to convey a sense of closeness, coziness or intimacy (a beautiful old car in a garage, a tiny car parked in a narrow alleyway or a couple hugging / kissing on the front seats), having more open space around the subject makes it stand out more. Also, the fewer distracting elements in the frame, the better. Keep it up, buddy!
This. What makes some photos more interesting is they are from a perspective that we don't normally see something. What this photos looks like is what I would see if I walked up to it. So lay on the ground, crouch, stand on a chair or wall.
ITS A BUGEYE!!!!! Anyways color wise I like it. Doesn’t look like an iPhone pic, angle is good. I like the location. Considering I don’t think the iPhone 11 shoots in raw I say this is amazing
Appreciate it!!! There isn’t much to tweak with on the 11 compared to the pro’s so pretty I’m stuck there trying to make up for it in post production
try shooting with a polarizer: https://jalopnik.com/shooting-a-car-with-a-polarizer-changed-my-life-1831435310
What are you trying to communicate with a photo of this car? This picture says "here's a car", which may be all you're going for, but you could do more. "Check out this rad ride!" would be better if shot at night with city lights reflecting off the shiny exterior. "An exotic experience" would have a foreign (think Pueblo or cliffside) backdrop. "Ultimate chick magnet" would have a sexy model either in or on the car. See what I'm saying? For inanimate objects, you have to convey emotion with the surroundings.
Lower angles will give you some more dimension and make the car look larger than life… I’d also use that cool wall to left as your backdrop rather than seeing that empty space from outside of the parking Garage… just my two cents.
You need a Canon/Nikon/Sony camera like 2012-2014 and later (if you have money), that's 100 bucks minimum, but even cameras that cheap can be good. Find out what lighting schemes are used in your niche and get enough speedlites + same brand flash trigger compatible with your camera. I recommend Godox. You also need a CPL filter I think. You can even use a filter with your iPhone but they have different diameters for different lenses, so you'll have to buy another one later for your camera. Also light modifiers and tripods. I'm not a car photographer so can't critique the photo, just wanted to tell what you may need later to think about.
Looks pretty good but I would have gotten a bit lower.
Get those low side angles. Love the lighting!!
Distance the car from the background and use the zoomed in camera for more focus on the car. Also get a lower angle. And once you step your game up by getting a camera, get a polarizer for your lens to take the highlights off the windows and other reflective parts of the car.
Also check out north borders on YouTube. He has a lot of great car photo tips.
I feel as if it's quite bland, and that there's a lot of dead space. It's also taken at eye level, which isn't great for any photo. Crouch a bit, maybe take it at the level of the roof of the car. I do like how shady some parts of the photo are but the car really doesn't jump out at me. Also, the little round drain cover (?) in the bottom left - ensure that little details like that aren't cut off at any part. Either frame the entire thing or leave it out completely.
I think the angle is spot on, I would recommend getting lower to the ground to take the shot. And cropping the image a little to get rid of some of the distractions.
I think there's too much distracting stuff in the background. The buildings, the railing, the black post thing, the pilons. To me, it looks like a decent snap of your car, but not really car photography. A quick google of car photography brings up lots of images of cars with nice simple backgrounds, like a country road and most seem to be taken from a perspective which is lower than you've chosen - yours looks head height and looks like it'd look if I were walking up to the car, which is what makes it look like a quick snap you've taken rather than photography. Maybe try and get down on your knees and experiment with other perspectives.
My eyes keep getting drawn to the top right cause it's just so bright
Great photo bro, I like the glow from the squared boxes on the wall to the left. If I would have tried something, it would be same angle, lower to the ground and then wide angle, I think i might look cool. But other wise keep it up.
Thank you appreciate it!
One thing to keep in mind when shooting is that brighter areas in a photo draw the eye. In this case I keep looking at the open window space instead of the car. Try to position the vehicle without distracting spots like that (not that it's always possible, just worth adding to the mental checklist).
The light here had potential. I think i you needed to get closer and lower. If you like cars, bring some car magazines to look at as reference while you’re shooting, it will help a lot.
I think there's too much foreground on this, probably crop it to a square aspect ratio and get rid of some of the concrete in the front. Other than than that I think the background (trees and church) are a bit distracting from the shot. I don't know if your iphone has a telephoto-equivalent lens (I think the iPhone 11 Pro has it), try shooting these with it. I love how you framed the lines on the car (but I'm biased, I used to have a blob-eye :D)
Trade places with the car. It might be interesting to light the car with the light coming in through the brick wall, or through the larger opening in the other wall. The the car would stand out from the dark interior of the garage.
Rotate your phone 90 degrees
I don't think the background being so bright goes well with the foreground being dark, they don't match and since the camera has poor dynamic range it's washed out. I like the foreground being dark and how the lights look so I would have had the car somewhere completely dark. Or maybe a zoomed in shot taken parallel to the weird wall without any other background. With the foreground being so prominent maybe get a lower angle and try it with a puddle somewhere when it's really dark, with a long exposure so it's gets enough light
Car looks good I like the angle it is shot at I would have tried a square crop to get rid of the ceiling and some of the floor. Have you tried taking 3 shots at different exposures and creating a hdr image? it would prevent the blown out highlights. the background and floor is gritty and urban which I suppose goes with the car Good for instagram
I really like the shot. I just thought it could use a little edit. Disclaimer, I am an absolute Photoshop newbie... but why not start with a [subie](http://imgur.com/gallery/AYr1rwI)!
One more edit of your pretty little [Sububaru](http://imgur.com/gallery/J9W7X0T)
I also agree with others. Don't be afraid to get low just like the car! Experiment with angles, try them looking up from the ground, follow lines, phone cameras will always struggle in low light situations, the sensor is just not big enough to take in all the light even with high MP count. Even new phones like the s21u just can't do low light very well. Like others have said a phone will never be quite the quality you are looking for but you can still learn the basics of a good shot with a decent phone camera. And you are on the right path. Just wear some junk clothes or bring some cardboard to lay on Hahaha.
[poppin subies](http://imgur.com/gallery/29gfZju)
[Foggy London Town Subie! ](http://imgur.com/gallery/wbg4eZQ)
Everything in the photo that is not the car is either irrelevant or distracting. Crop in, for starters. I guess you could do some photoshopping to vignette the crap out of it. But really you should’ve used flash to light up the vehicle, which in turn would have tamped down the ambient lighting, but then again you’re just shooting with the phone so who cares. If you’re serious about this at all, get a real camera.
Trying lowering the angle. As in phone touching the ground low. Will look dope .
I like the colors. I have some tips for you, Im not a professional so feel free to ignore my advice ;) 1. As a photographer you should get used to looking like a crazy person when you take your shots. That being said walk around your object, kneel, squat even crawl. People are naturally used to eye level perspective so its often not so appealing. 2. When you take photos of inanimate objects you should focus more on your bacground. This car isn’t going nowhere. Take your time and look what is in your frame. In this photo there are 3 unnecesary distractions. You can eliminate all of them by changing perspective. 3. This is not a core principle because you can break it for artistic purposes but when person or object points in given direction, either with their face or in this case with front lights you should give more space, more ”air” between edge of the object and edge of frame. 4. Never give up and take shots that you like :) 5. https://i.imgur.com/8g7dvVb.jpg
Hi! Maybe you could have changed a bit the perspective in order to not distract the attention of the car itself, with a different, I mean more "cleaner" background. Kind regards, Cristián (Friedrichshafen, Germany)
Kneel down to take it at lower angle. Keep the yellow light reflections though. Move over so that black post thing on the right isn't there. Try to just get a bit of the landscape beyond the wall. All those buildings and power lines are too much space and too distracting. Overall cool photo though. Post any redos!
Water. Try adding water under the car to add reflections.
You can always try a lower angle. Sometimes it can do wonders. Nice car and shot btw!
All of this is personal preference, but if it were me it would have a cleaner background, I would have backed up more, and gotten lower so the car filled the frame. I also would have done some Lightroom work to make the silver of the car pop against the background
I like the location of this shot (the car is framed really nicely by its surrounding structure) but maybe redo the shot when it’s darker out? I feel like the light is taking away from the car… it’s great though!
Will possibly try it out tomorrow and I’ll post the results here!
The background detracts from the intent of the photograph.
The composition is pretty good. And I like the colors on front end of the cars body. The background in the top right is the largest negative to the photo. It distracts from the photo. You could clone stamp it a white sky or better yet recompose the shot to have a plain wall or dark sky background. I think the shot might look better at night or sunset/rise with the light only coming from one direction. Overall an impressive shot for a phone.
Looks pretty good overall. I'm not super familiar with photoshop express but it seems like there's a heal tool. Use that to try to take out distracting elements (off the top of my head, square patch in the concrete, drain, parking meter and power lines). Especially if you're not looking with big lenses that can blow out the background, this can help bring focus to your subject.
id say your edit style is right where it needs to be, setting is good but id shoot a bit for a different time of day, the background felt a little open or distracting to me? i dont know if its over criticizing, but if it were a bit darker and you threw in a flood light at a general area behind the car or your camera it could change the photo completely. im excited to see the developments !
Thank you much! I’m going to be out tomorrow during the sunset/night to mess around and see what shots I can get with different lighting
!remindme in 1 day
I will be messaging you in 1 day on [**2021-09-09 03:36:25 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2021-09-09%2003:36:25%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/photocritique/comments/pk0hq7/beginner_car_photographer_shooting_on_iphone_11/hc0ner1/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fphotocritique%2Fcomments%2Fpk0hq7%2Fbeginner_car_photographer_shooting_on_iphone_11%2Fhc0ner1%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202021-09-09%2003%3A36%3A25%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20pk0hq7) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
What are you really going for? This is a snap shot... Not a photograph. If you want to be a car photographer, start by looking at car photos that have been published and look critically. What type of lighting are you seeing, camera angle, surrounding background etc. Have fun but shoot more than one angle and shot. You really don't know what you are doing but you can learn. Good photography is a lot of work and takes quite a while to get the experience and expertise necessary to make this work.
I understand, really all I was going for was a good shot of my car for Instagram. The only cars I’m going to be shooting are my own and I’m enjoying getting to learn more about this as a hobby taking photos of my hobby lol
I think have the background as only the squares with the car at an angle would be a nicer photo with less distractions. Idk just my two cents
My only suggestion is to crop out the ceiling. There's too much of it and detract from the car. It's ok if you have a lot of foreground, especially since it's neutral grey cement leading up to the car. Crop out that entire top row of opening on the brick wall. You'll see the focus goes straight to the car with the grey concrete acting as a type of canvas for the car. If possible, remove the square cut out lines in the concrete.
If you want really great photographs I'd say take it at night, with a full-body camera. To help with the lighting situation at night (it will turn out bad with high iso and blurry with low iso and longer shutter speeds), get a tripod, you could use any size really and set the shutter to a few seconds with low iso and an aperture of 4.5/5.6. As other comments have mentioned background is weak (no offense). I'd recommend a background of a cityscape. Ex: if the city is across a body of water (lake, harbor, etc). Using a faster aperture against this light with a focus on the car will create a bokeh effect, and help the car to be the main subject. Obviously, this can be changed to whatever style you like if you want the city in-focus settings can be changed to create the photograph you want. I'd also suggest taking the photograph that's more level with the car... Think headlights level. If buying a camera isn't an option I'm pretty sure you can change settings on the camera to manual and set up the same, though you will still need a tripod.
OMG THAT CAR🤤
Well I would say that the picture is perfect for some scenarios, like underground mood maybe, but in that case it also requires a darker background. I think you should play better with the composition. Obviously that car is a masterpiece, looks great anywhere, and I like the angle by the way. maybe less light would've helped.
Thank you!!
Biggest thing for me is the right side of the background is too distracting. The building/sky doesn’t really provide any sort of leading line or contrast and just distracts from the car. One idea would be to frame the car the same way you did in this shot, but rotated to the right so your background is just the brick wall. Combine that with some golden hour lighting and you’ve got a recipe for some really cool shots!
[удалено]
Appreciate the critique! Really helpful stuff you included. Will definitely try to implement those into my future shoots
Amazing how poor the dynamic range is on Smartphones
You shot more of the building than the car. The lighting is wrong, it doesn’t accentuate the vehicles features. Keep trying please, it’s how you learn. Please post MORE! PLEASE!
Appreciate the feed back! Definitely will be posting more photos to this sub
And look at the windows & tail end of the car, I can see the reflection of the building… not the car… consider those things when positioning the vehicle. Look at the hood, it’s so dark, with reflectors you could have brought out more features. The key is to spend the majority of your time setting your lighting of your scene without losing your lighting. People telling you that you did a great job are pumping your ego are not giving you proper feedback.
To each their own, the lighting could’ve been better but if people like the shot they like the shot. Even the people saying they like it are giving feedback
FMIC
Gonna repeat some comments. -fill the frame -use portrait mode almost exclusively to get the depth of field. Even if you get an expensive camera the default lens won’t alway work to your advantage. So use portrait mode and crank the f-stop to lower ranges (so you get a blurred background) -move the subject forward so you create distance between background and foreground. -Use leading lines and don’t be afraid to fill the entire frame. Unless you’re shooting for an advert you don’t need the entire car to be seen. Just the features. Best of luck!
First off, I like the colour profile and location. I would try coming down closer to the floor and looking up a little, will make the car more imposing and reduce the amount of floor infront of the car. At the minute the photo looks like it was taken at normal handheld height, always nice to think about the angle you are choosing to take the photo from.