An Attempt to make a GMC truck look like its a king of the streets...

Joshuanikon

New member
So, I made the mistake of agreeing to give a free photoshoot ticket at a big car show... Since primarily I only do automotive stuff.. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get my name out to a new bunch of people.. so out of all the hundreds of cool and unique cars... I got the GMC with 28's... lol. o well.. I learned my lesson. So I went out to do the shoot and this is what I got.. enjoy and let'er rip. The Client wanted DUB magazine style photos.. so I picked up a magazine and replicated some of the styles I saw in the magazine.. I feel a beating coming. by the way I don't use photoshop... I am a Aperture and NIK geek.
 

Joshuanikon

New member
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Rick M

Senior Member
I find the last one to be the most impressive, the perspective and filling the frame makes it look larger. I like the composition of #2. The rest don't really make it look like the king of the road.

Now, If you replaced that whimpy ride with my F150, you would have the king of the streets :)
 

Joshuanikon

New member
lol. Im a ford guy too.. I took my ford out to scout the location.. Didn't spend a whole lot of time like I did with the GMC .. and my truck was dirty.. I still like my ford better!
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Joshuanikon

New member
here is another so so pic.. it was getting late and attempted a 200 mm shot with 2 sb 600 flash
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Wasn't happy with it.
no worries.. anytime cars,trucks or Fords are involved I'm good !
 
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Joshuanikon

New member
normally i like backgrounds to fall out... but this guys ref photos he liked were all crisp focus all over shots. I have some i shot with the nikon 50 1.4 at 1.4 that have great separation and bokeh
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
Typically, we like to see just one photo per thread, as per the Critique Forum Rules. It's difficult to offer input on several different images. That said...


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This one is okay, but only because the truck is white. I realize that the style of DUB Magazine is edgy, but typically B&W photos of vehicles is a big no-no. People want to see those awesome glistening colors.



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I like this one. It's different and offers a cool perspective. I like the lens flare and processing, but the composition is a bit weak. This doesn't look like an extended cab truck anymore, it looks like a blinged out golf cart. If the truck was more centered, it would look 10x better and you would have your money shot.



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The only thing I like about this one is that it will fit nicely in the Recycle Bin on your desktop. The lighting is flat, leaving the paint with zero depth and shine. It's also too far away.



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Another nice attempt. Getting down low is one of the keys of vehicle photography, though I would argue that here perhaps you got a little too low. The lighting is great, the background is great, but you're too far away again. This is another keeper if it had a tighter crop and a little better angle.



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Of all your submissions, I think this one is the best as-is. There's emphasis on the 28's, you have filled your frame with the truck against a cool background and have a low perspective. The only thing against this shot is the lighting could be better. Again, the paint looks a bit flat.



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Many of the same comments above also apply here. Flat lighting=flat paint, which combined with the full-on profile angle makes this one look very one dimensional. It looks like a truck painted on the wall.
 

Joshuanikon

New member
Typically, we like to see just one photo per thread, as per the Critique Forum Rules. It's difficult to offer input on several different images. That said...



Sorry! New here.


I was having difficulty getting the white paint to not glare out with the flash's .. this is my first time photographing a white vehicle.. in this respect.

I was having to walk the line with exposure to make sure I didn't lose the lines of the truck.. and keep the background like I liked it.. I did some blending on a couple with some lower and higher exposed pics to get a little better end result.. I am currently only stocked with 2 remote flash's and those are the Nikon SB 600s.. I am seeking a couple larger flash units that would have probably aided in giving off more.. and more even light. I am open to any suggestions if you have any on how I could of better done this.

Thanks for the input.
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
I am open to any suggestions if you have any on how I could of better done this.
As a fellow photographer, it's easy to understand your difficulties...because we all face them. Be it limitations on our gear, failing light situations, or any number of outside influences that cause us frustration. A white vehicle is the most difficult to show depth because the paint acts as a reflector in direct lighting. The angle is critical.

Looking at the above shots again, the ones that look the most flat are the ones in direct line of your flash or when the vehicle was hiding in the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings. Photo #4 is your best as far as paint depth goes because the truck is full on in natural sunlight. Photos #5 and #6 are the the most flat because they are being blasted with flash.

Some portable speedlight softboxes and stands will go a long way to solving these issues, and they are cheap solutions. Softboxes will soften your light and the stands will allow you to position your lighting above the subject and angle down. To me at least, it appears as though you laid your flashes on the ground and fired them upwards.
 

Joshuanikon

New member
you are correct.. There was a photo of a Denali I think it was that was done similarly in DUB.. lights flanking the corners and down low ( this was to set off the wheels).. the results are similar.. but, I believe this person was able to get an up and over flash as well.. it was a Darker color and this gave really good high lights on the body lines.
 
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