taking photographs ready for printing

[rushworks graphics]

not sure if this is the right threat, so apologies if its not.
i have a client who wants us to take some photos of his model hot rod cars for us to then print. whats going to give us the best results? i had thought of this>>> putting a white sheet over a box for the back ground and having it setup outside as the model cars have nice paint work. they also have chrome on them, but i don't want the chrome to get washed out with the sun light or the white background. anyone done anything like this? would like to get this right as it will be a regular thing.

thanks!

 

[Gino]

I’d imagine using polarized filters might help, but if you want to make sure the glare remains low and still get the good light….. drape some diffusion cloth around maybe by making a frame and wrapping that with your cloth and shoot through one side.

Also, turn your on-camera flash off and use an off-site flash if needed.

 

[signcrafters london]

Hire a professional.



(Sorry, just kidding. Always wanted to post that.)

 

[wetgravy]

Whenever I do shots of vehicles for customers I generally find a privately owned piece of blacktop and "rent" out the blacktop for a day, have the fire department come and hose off the black top (creates an awesome effect photo wise when wet) and if I need a white backdrop will have some polystyrene 4x8 free standing panels (really just needs a 1x2 frame, and a right angle stand bracket from 1x2's ... and maybe a cinder block to keep it from shifting) and layer them behind the car to make a fake wall. If you see seems ... white gaffers tape works great for that. then it's just photography skills and knowing how not to bleach out vehicles with too much light ... dusk/dawn/shade are your best friends.


as for model cars ... build a light box (semi transperent sides, sloped wall to prevent edges, soft white lights and a little bit of time and practice)

This is an easy way to do it ... http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html but you can get more complex.

oh, and for the love of all that is unholy ... use an slr or dslr with a zoom lens to do macro shots of small things like model cars .. you can rent them for cheap at local photo hobby stores.

 

[rushworks graphics]

we have a good dslr with lenses etc....so thats good! good idea gino on the filters, will make they are on when the pictures are taken. i'll take a look at that link wetgravy, thanks! appreciated as always.

 

[showcase 66]

Whenever I do shots of vehicles for customers I generally find a privately owned piece of blacktop and "rent" out the blacktop for a day, have the fire department come and hose off the black top (creates an awesome effect photo wise when wet) and if I need a white backdrop will have some polystyrene 4x8 free standing panels (really just needs a 1x2 frame, and a right angle stand bracket from 1x2's ... and maybe a cinder block to keep it from shifting) and layer them behind the car to make a fake wall. If you see seems ... white gaffers tape works great for that. then it's just photography skills and knowing how not to bleach out vehicles with too much light ... dusk/dawn/shade are your best friends.


as for model cars ... build a light box (semi transperent sides, sloped wall to prevent edges, soft white lights and a little bit of time and practice)

This is an easy way to do it ... http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html but you can get more complex.

oh, and for the love of all that is unholy ... use an slr or dslr with a zoom lens to do macro shots of small things like model cars .. you can rent them for cheap at local photo hobby stores.

+1

Walmart had a pretty cheap light box a couple years ago. not sure if that helps any.

 

[jmcnicoll]

Hire a professional is the right answer if you do not have the experience or equipment to do it right. It really depends on what the customer will accept. If they want true pro looking shots that are sharp and can be enlarged you need to have knowledge and equipment. If they will accept shots that look like and amateur shot them go with it.

jim

 

[JasperST]

The answer given above for diffused lighting is the key. Set it up with a sheet or something and mount the camera on a tripod. That will make a big difference. I also use a remote shutter release. You don't need a lot of bright light for a static object like that.

The big problem is going to be finding the right sized bikini model to drape over the hood.