Tips On Shooting Car Shows

Stangman98

Senior Member
I have had some ask about shooting cars shows so here are some general tips.

1. Bring the widest angle lens you own. Unless you are going to a high end show, all the cars are going to be jammed together and trust me, you will not have enough room to back up and zoom in on just that one car.

2. FILTERS...I am not a huge fan of using them a lot, but lets face it, windshields are a pain in the ass. Make sure to bring a CPF if you have one. You don't want to get a great shot ruined by window glare

3. Luggage. Don't bring everything you own. Most owners don't want your bag straps or anything else swinging anywhere near their $10K paint job!

4. Talk to the owner of a car if you really like it. The owners love the attention (trust me I used to take mine to car shows, I know). This may lead you to be able to do a full shoot with just that car at a different location. It's about the owner feeling comfortable with you. Also, ask the owner to be in the shot. It will help with sales too.

5. Dress well. This doesn't mean show up in a suit. This means don't show up to a show with ripped jeans and your worst tee shirt. If you wanted to be treated well, try looking the part. People will take you more serious then.

6. SHOES SHOES SHOES. They better be comfortable because you are going to be doing a lot of walking. At big shows, you can put on 10-20 miles without even realizing it.

7. Business Cards. If you have them you had better bring them. If you don't you are just another fan walking around with a camera. Differentiate yourself.

8. Patience. We all hate it when someone walks into the shot. Let's face it, this is a car show where everyone walks around. You have to learn to be patience to get that shot. Some people pay attention to you shooting and some just don't care.

These are just some of the tips that I have aquired over the years. I have been on both sides of the lens at car shows. I was taking my car to shows for years and now I am the one shooting the cars.
 

SkvLTD

Senior Member
Just my 2 cents - shoot in raw and use clarity setting. This makes lots of otherwise "sharper iPhone pics" look really crisp and dreamy, which I'd rather see in photography as a car owner than something I could technically just snap myself these days with any old phone.
 

Eyelight

Senior Member
What drives (pardon the pun!) me nuts is when an Owner sets up his chair and ice chest in FRONT of his vehicle. :eek:

I wonder if that's the owners way of controlling or maybe just knowing who takes photos?? I could see some thinking they need to do such things.
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
On the car shows I have shot I used a flash on everything. Using a flash makes the chrome shine and fills in the dark places.

Here is a link to one of my galleries of car photos.
 

nikonpup

Senior Member
at some shows they will have a "drive around" it gives you a chance to shoot a car in a more open area if you can find the right spot. Ask the show officials or check online. much easier if they come to me, still no guarantee of a good shot.
At a big show plan on multiple days.
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
What lenses did you use primarily? Very nice shots. Loved the colors. Where was the show?

This was the 17th annual Cruisin the Coast that is held on the Mississippi Gulf Coast every year. This year had 7,042 registered cars and many just visiting that were showing off their cars. It is a GREAT event and there is no charge to see the cars. They are parked in many locations along the coast and rotate locations so the cars are being seen by everyone. These were shot with my Nikon D600 using a Tamron 24-70 F2.8 lens and my SB900 flash.

To find out more info click HERE.
 
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sonicbuffalo_RIP

Senior Member
cool grandpaw.....looks like a great event.....unfortunately they charge you up north. Just was wondering what range of zoom you used. I'll have to figure out which lens will do it for me.

Loved your pictures!
 

grandpaw

Senior Member
cool grandpaw.....looks like a great event.....unfortunately they charge you up north. Just was wondering what range of zoom you used. I'll have to figure out which lens will do it for me.

Loved your pictures!

If you are using a full frame camera I used from around 24mm to 50mm to get these pictures. The problem is that they are close together and that there is a lot of people looking at the cars, so you will need to shoot with a very wide lens to get the pictures you will want. Using a flash will help a lot even in the daylight hours especially under the hoods and around the engine area and with the interior shots. I have taken pictures a couple of times and used my flash for every shot.

When I shot with my D600 full frame camera I used my Tamron 24-70 F2.8 lens
When I used my D7000 with the smaller sensor I used my Sigma 17-50 F2.8 lens
 
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Thumper_6119

Senior Member
Contributor
I shot my first outdoor car show yesterday, and I wish that I had seen this thread before I had gone. Great tips here. I will go much better prepared for the next one.
 

ejronin

New member
I know this is a few years old, but I've also found that prior to shooting if you talk to the owner they'll point out things about their car they feel gives it more character or will sometimes open compartments you'd otherwise get beaten for touching. Once or twice, owners who I talked to first or asked if they had a problem with me approaching their car to take pictures, would herd people back to keep them out of the shot to be nice.

They want their car to look the best it can, so they've every incentive to help you get that reasonably quick shot or two.
 
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