Someone school me on how to take pictures, please.

[Last_in]

Alright so I waxed my truck this morning and took some shots of it around town. Problem is, I suck at taking pictures. Any tips for making these look better?

 

This is the camera I'm using, fujifilm finepix S1800 12mp, I have no idea what setting is best to use in different situations so I just put it on 'auto'. I'm going back out tonight to try some night shots, any tips? The camera is my roommates, he got it as a gift and doesn't know much about taking pictures either.

 

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/IMG00005-20110827-1752.jpg

 

I hate how the sun reflects off the truck in most of the pictures I have, maybe I have to move and take different angles, I don't know.

 

 

Well, here are some from today. Tell me what I can do to improve these shots.

 

 

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0138.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0139.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0149.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0123.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0103.jpg

 

 

I tried the panoramic setting.

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz243/Dakota740408/1998%20Dakota%20Sport/DSCF0136.jpg

[Berto]

The automatic setting is going to be fail for night pictures. It will want to use the flash. Unless you have an automatic setting for no flash? Make sure you take a tripod.

[TTQ B4U]

I don't know the settings on the camera well and the dial shown is a little obscured. If there's a P or Program mode, it will be better than full on auto as you'll be able dial down exposure values. Overall though, if you're not familiar with the gear and some aspects of photography, I'm not sure if what we'll say will make much sense.

 

Aperture or A mode is a good way to start but then the camera has such a small sensor, it's not necessarily going to yield much in the way of background blur or bokeh. What you can do to help isolate the subject and get that effect is to stand back and zoom 75-100% of the way in.

 

In terms of sun/reflections, the camera lacks a polarizer so that's a no-go. You can however and likely will get better results between 7-9pm as the sun will be low. Keep it behind you. The way the camera is capturing the color is typical of Fuji. They don't yield the best colors in daylight. You can even see where it's White Balance is off. Then it is a sub $300 super zoom. Photoshop will be your friend there.

 

Get low too. Standing shots for cars are usually boring. All other typicals apply, rule of thirds, horizon lines, keeping an eye on the histogram and avoid over exposure.

 

I hope the above is some help.

[mrs.cos]

I posted a great How To for car shots- I wonder if we can get it made a sticky?

[TTQ B4U]

Here's a signature file for you created from one of the shots you said wasn't what you were looking for.

 

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/137576253/original.jpg

Edited August 28, 2011 by TTQ B4U

[mrs.cos]

I also suggest not shooting at 1-2 pm in the afternoon.

 

Color Temps are not a cameras coloring friends. Sunlight affects the colors, and im trying to dig up the exact thing i read years ago, but basicly the color spectrum during mid day lighting (9am-5pm) is the harshest light to shoot in.

 

Sunrise (cool tones) Sunset (warm tones) will dramatically change your pictures.

 

*warning- wall of text crits you*

 

 

 

http://www.3drender.com/glossary/colortemp.jpg

 

 

While this article is geared towards Landscape photography, it pretty much clears up what i am bumbling to say.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/composition-4.shtml

 

• A —
  Reflected Light — also Called Bounced or Diffused Light:
  Description: This type of light is created by having direct sunlight hit a surface and be reflected on an adjacent surface. For example, in the Canyon Country of the Southwestern United States, a canyon running north-south or so will be directly lit by the sun on one side while the other side is lit by reflected light. This reflected light bounced off the first side of the canyon onto the other side. Reflected light reduce contrast by bouncing light into the shadowed areas on the opposite side of the canyon. Reflected light will take the color of the object it is reflected on. In a canyon the light will take the red color of the canyon wall on which it bounced and give this color to the shadowed areas on the opposite side of the canyon. As a result the shadows will have a warm, red glow to them. The narrower the canyon, the more prominent this effect is. It reaches maximum intensity in the narrow confines of slot canyons where the light bounces from one side to another multiple times. The further the light bounces in a slot canyon the redder the light gets.
   
  Quality: Soft and even. Canyon walls reduce contrast by bouncing light into the shadowed areas on the opposite side of the canyon.
   
  Color: Tinted light. Intense colors tinted by the color of the surface on which the light is reflected. Your eyes may not see the exact colors but your film will.
   
  Shadows: No shadows.
   
  Contrast: Low contrast
   
   
  Reflected Light
   
  This drawing depicts a typical reflected light situation in a canyon setting. The sunlight hits the left-side rock formation and is reflected onto the right-side formation.
   
  Other types of light are present in such a scene making it complex as far as light is concerned. We have shadows cast by the rock formations, directly lit areas, and backlit areas. The possibilities for different types of images in such a situation are numerous and worth investigating.
   
  _________________________________________________
   
   
  
• B — Overcast Light
  Description: Found on cloudy days this light is both soft and bluish in color. It comes from the entire sky which acts as a diffuser for the sun light.
   
  Quality: Soft, diffused light. The whole landscape is enveloped in shadows. Shadows, which are by nature bluish, are responsible for the blue cast found in overcast conditions. This cast is often unnoticeable to our eyes but clearly present on color film.
   
  Colors: Tinted light (bluish cast).
   
  Shadows: Soft to nonexistent
   
  Contrast: Low
   
  Recommended contrast adjustment:. If you shoot digitally add a contrast-enhancement curve (S-curve) to your file to compensate for the naturally low-contrast of digital sensors.
   
   
   
  _________________________________________________
   
  
• C — Open Shade:
  Description: A subject is in open shade when it is located in a shaded area on a sunny day. It is called open shade because, when the photograph is exposed for the shadows, the shadowed areas "open up" and look soft and colorful. In effect exposing a photograph for the open shade area of a scene means overexposing areas lit by direct sunlight. A classical use of open shade in portrait photography consists of posing the subject in a shaded area, with a directly lit area behind the subject, while using fill-flash to soften the contrast between shadows and highlight. In landscape photography flash is rarely used because it often looks unnatural. Therefore, open shade landscape photographs rarely include areas lit by direct sunlight.
   
  Quality: soft, diffused light
   
  Colors: Tinted light with a blue cast tendency. Intense but may have a bluish cast.
   
  Shadows: No shadows. Shadows are not present
   
  Contrast: Low contrast
   
  Recommended contrast adjustment: If you shoot digitally add a contrast-enhancement curve to your file to compensate for the naturally low-contrast of digital sensors.
   
  _________________________________________________
   
  
• D — Backlight:
  Description: A subject is backlit when the sun is located behind the object and the camera is pointed towards the sun. In a typical backlight situation the subject is in the shade with a rim of light surrounding it. The sun may or may not be visible depending on how you position yourself. You can either hide the sun behind the subject or have the sun visible, as a bright spot or a sunstar, in the photograph.
   
  Quality: rim of light around the edges of the subject. Sun star if the sun is in the photograph and the aperture is closed to a small opening such as f16 on a 35mm camera.
   
  Colors: The light is not tinted. Colors are weak since the direct sun shining through the scene, as well as the high contrast ratio, will combine to wash out the color.
   
  Shadows: Shadows are present. They will be oriented towards the camera and will look as if they are moving towards the viewer.
   
  Contrast: High contrast
   
  Recommended film or contrast adjustment: moderate contrast film such as Fuji Provia or color negative film. If you shoot digitally avoid adding a contrast-enhancement curve to your file. The contrast crated by the digital sensor should be high enough.
   
   
   
  _________________________________________________
  
• E — Direct Light
  Description: Direct sunlight, from approximately one hour after sunrise and before sunset. Unfiltered by clouds and un-diffused by anything. This is light which is both intense and direct, unforgiving in many ways, revealing the most intricate aspects of the landscape, and casting strong shadows. Usually best avoided in color photography, it can lead to some interesting results in black and white where color is not a concern and strong contrast is acceptable. Nevertheless, do not discount it completely with color film as there are instances where it can work great.
   
  Quality: Direct light is both harsh and intense. Glancing light. A polarizing filter is often necessary if you shoot at about a 90 degree angle to the sun.
   
  Colors: The colors are not tinted. Direct sun washes out the colors in the scene. Expect low color saturation and washed out colors in the final print.
   
  Shadows: Shadows are present. Strong cast-shadows- the darkest shadow, caused by the object’s blocking of light from the source.
   
  Contrast: High contrast
   
  Recommended contrast adjustment: If you shoot digitally avoid adding a contrast-enhancement curve to your file. The contrast created by the digital sensor should be high enough.
   
  _________________________________________________
  
• F — Morning and Evening Horizontal Light
  Description: The soft, warm, horizontal light of sunrise and sunset. Horizontal because in the morning and in the evening the sun is just above the horizon casting rays of light parallel to the horizon. This is excellent light for photography, especially color photography, due to its combination of low contrast, warm tones and enveloping quality causing a strong three-dimensional quality to the objects in the scene. Objects lit directly by this light seem to glow, as if illuminated from within. Learn to use sunset and sunrise light and you will be forever amazed at the images you will create at the beginning and the end of the day.
   
  Quality: Soft, enveloping light. Pleasing to the eye. Able to reveal many details of the landscape while retaining some of the mystery in the scene in front of us. A transitional light, at the verge of dusk and dawn, it marks the transition between light and day. Because it changes very rapidly I recommend you shoot continuously, perhaps exposing images every 5 to 10 minutes or so, and that you do not second guess yourself about when the light is at its peak. You can edit your images later on when you are back in your studio.
   
  Colors: Tinted light with a warm overtone to it. The light at sunrise and sunset is tinted red, orange, pink, or other warm colors.
   
  Shadows: Shadows are present. Mild at the break of dawn or just before the sun dips below the horizon at sunset, they grow progressively stronger and deeper as the sun rises in the sky.
   
  Contrast: Low contrast when the sun is just above the horizon, growing increasingly higher as the sun moves higher in the sky.
   
  Recommended contrast adjustment: . If you shoot digitally you may want to add a contrast-enhancement curve to your file depending on the contrast of each photograph.
   
  

 

Edited August 28, 2011 by damreds

[Last_in]

Thanks for the tips guys, I have been reading more and more on what you guys said. There is a program mode, I played with it a little bit, this evening I might go out to try some more. There is a lot more to this than I thought, I found a few websites that had some info too.

 

Here's a signature file for you created from one of the shots you said wasn't what you were looking for.

 

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/137576253/original.jpg

 

That is sweet! Thank you! I would rep you, but I can't rep anyone.