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How Do I Take Good Car Shots?

davey g-force

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I need some help, so I thought I'd ask the experts in this forum.

I can't seem to get any good photos of my car. If you have a look at my pics in "My Ride" thread (in my signature) you'll see what I mean.

I can't seem to get any good, sharp pics showing the true shine of the paint etc. All my pics turn out blurry / fuzzy. It just doesn't do the car justice.

Do you guys have any suggestions or know what I'm doing wrong? I have a Cannon "point and shoot" type 6 MP camera. I know its nothing fancy but it was supposed to be a pretty good camera when I bought it and I'd expect it to take better photos than that.

I think my angles etc are ok - it may be just something to do with the light or camera settings? All suggestions welcome, thanks guys. :thumbsup:
 

NVN07

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Hey mate...

I see what you mean with the pics. They seem to be a bit 'noisey', not sure if these cameras have an ISO setting but if they do you might want to cheack that and put it on the lowest setting or a low setting. Also don't shoot under direct sunlight, shot either on an overcast day or in a shadowed area, making sure there is still enough light tho.
This is all i can think of anyway...
Just try a few things, don't be affraid to play with your camera settings, try some differnet agles and some different surroundings. Other than that good luck!
 

davey g-force

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Thanks for the suggestions mate.

It does have an ISO setting but I can only choose between "HI" and "Auto" lol. So I guess I'll leave it on auto.

I'll have a play with some other settings - although I think that's what may have caused this to start with!
 

Turd Ferguson

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even consider a tripod. yes overcast days are good rather than direct sunlight.

my trick is to just take pics from any angle and position, i can end up with 50+, but only 5 i actually like. but it works for me.

try having a play around with the settings, mine has a useful scene position feature where i can choose between sporting, landscape, sunrise , night etc with a press of a button.
 

flyjoe180

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As NVN07 said, too high an ISO setting can cause the 'noise' you see in your photos (the pixel-looking distortion). This can also be caused by over-exposure. If you have a time value setting try increasing the shutter speed setting, use a faster preset (such as sport), or plain old auto should do it. When you focus be sure to get the focal length on the subject before taking the shot; in 'automatic' mode the camera will set the 'ideal' exposure and focal lengths. The brightness of the background seems to indicate over-exposure.

As already suggested, try taking photos in lower light to bring out the car's detail, preferrably with any sun or light source behind you. Hope this helps, I'm not familiar with your particular model of Canon but use a Canon 400D SLR and a 750IS compact digital.
 

davey g-force

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Cool, thanks for the suggestions guys. :thumbsup:

I will try playnig with the shutter speed and see if that helps. I'm pretty sure everything's already on Auto though. :hmmm:

Sounds like lower light might be the go too. Thanks again...
 

Turd Ferguson

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whats the exact camera model if you can remember?
 

Sharoo

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I find my small canon does the same sometimes.. I got a tripod from ebay- this exact one- ( Table Top Mini Tripod Pocket Webcam Small Digital Stand - eBay Tabletop Mini Tripods, Tripods, Tripods Supports, Cameras Photo. (end time 07-May-10 06:05:46 AEST) ) and instead of using it as an actual tripod I screw it in, close the legs and use it as a handle, steadiess the camera sooo much and makes for a clearer shot. Even try setting the timer so that after you press the button your hand steadies..
 

davey g-force

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I find my small canon does the same sometimes.. I got a tripod from ebay- this exact one- ( Table Top Mini Tripod Pocket Webcam Small Digital Stand - eBay Tabletop Mini Tripods, Tripods, Tripods Supports, Cameras Photo. (end time 07-May-10 06:05:46 AEST) ) and instead of using it as an actual tripod I screw it in, close the legs and use it as a handle, steadiess the camera sooo much and makes for a clearer shot. Even try setting the timer so that after you press the button your hand steadies..

Good suggestion, thanks for that. They're not that expensive either by the looks of things...
 
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