Transports of Delight

Hi everyone, firstly congratulations to Gordon Simm for winning June’s Home Sweet Home Challenge. Don’t forget this month’s Transport of Delight Photo Challenge winner will be announced at the start of August, so make sure you submit your entry before the closing date of 31st July to be in with a chance of winning!

This month, my photography advice article is all about shooting your favourite ‘Transports of Delight’ – meaning all forms of transport, not just beautiful sports cars (although there is one of those!).

It could be your pushbike or moped. It could be a double-decker bus on your local route or a magnificent steam train in a museum – or even your own private jet! Or it could be a friend’s car or photos taken of vehicles on display at a classic car show; there are lots of those held around the country through the summer months, so keep an eye on your local paper.

It doesn’t have to be a portrait shot; you could shoot in close on an emblem or marque signifier. As always, take your camera wherever your imagination takes you.

My first choice of subject is my own car. My current wheels, that is; in fact I have owned 45 different cars since my first – a ‘bubble car’ I had as a 16-year-old. Put simply, I love cars! It’s an addiction… one that many others share.

So, I have shot my car, a Porsche Boxster, in various ways to inspire you to go out and shoot your own chosen subject.

All these shots have been taken using the ‘Raw’ setting on my Lumix G cameras, to enable a degree of post-processing.

Shot 1 - Beauty Shot

This shot is a straight ‘beauty’ shot of the car. Taken from my choice of a low viewpoint combined with a simple background, it’s the stunning sunlight reflecting in the bodywork that makes it work so well.

Most professional car shots are taken with low light reflecting in, not shining onto, the vehicle. I also decided to let the strands of tall grass come in from the bottom of the shot to add more depth. Finally, I have added a vignette to the sky in-post processing.

• Exposure one 30th of a second at f 5.6
• ISO 100
• Daylight WB
• 14-42mm zoom lens at 35mm on Lumix G2

Shot 2 - Into the Sunset

This second shot was taken at the same location. But rather than the sun being behind me and below the horizon, I decided here to shoot directly into the sunset.

I used a graduated ND filter on the lens, set to graduate down towards the car. I timed the shutter to release when the car’s flashing hazard lights were illuminated. I have lightened the side of the car in post-processing and also darkened off the foreground.

Obviously, timing is everything if you are racing the sun while it’s going down, otherwise you’ll just have to come back another day! Positioning myself so the sunburst was just ahead of the seat where I wanted it was also key to this image.

• Exposure one 60th of a second at f 6.3
• ISO 200
• Daylight WB
• 20mm pancake lens on Lumix GF1

Shot Selection 3, 4 and 5 - Sunset Close Ups

This is a series of shots taken closer in on the subject, all from the same session as Shot 2, above. They are intended to show you the various ways of shooting around your subject while the light is good.

For all three of these, I used the same Lumix GF1 camera with the settings similar to those for Shot 2, apart from on Shot 4, where I used pop up flash on the camera.

Again due to the timing, these were taken in rapid succession with post-production as a backup to ensure I got the effect I wanted each time. Experiment with angles and elements for a series of close-ups of your own – look at your subject from new perspectives and allow it to surprise you. You may surprise yourself!

• Exposure one 60th of a second at f 6.3
• ISO 200
• Daylight WB
• 20mm pancake lens on Lumix GF1

Shot Selection 6, 7 and 8 -  Drive Close Ups

This trio of shots was taken with the car simply parked on my drive; with close-up shots such as these, location is essentially irrelevant, but lighting remains crucial. They were all taken after the sun had set but there was still light in the sky, to give the nice reflections in the bodywork. I am sure you are all aware that a richly coloured sunset on a clear evening can be a photographer’s best friend!

• Exposure one 60th of a second at f 8.0
• ISO 200
• Daylight WB
• 20mm pancake lens on Lumix GF1

Shot 9 - Boxster

I included this shot to show how, as with the close-ups above, a detail shot can be quite effective. It was taken just after a heavy shower – though you could arrange to fake the spray of fresh water droplets easily enough.

I intentionally shot straight into the sun’s reflection to give a high-contrast look. One thing to remember to avoid is capturing your own shadow, or even your reflection, when you are dealing with a shiny surface.

• Exposure one 4,000th of a second at f 8.0
• ISO 200
• Daylight WB
• 20mm pancake lens on Lumix GF1

Shot 10 – With the Roof Off

I recently took a driving holiday in the picturesque county of Dorset in the South West of England. I took with me a camera bracket that enabled me to clamp my Lumix GF1 securely onto the rollbar in my car. (Never try to jury-rig such a setup or you risk losing your camera!)

I tried various shots and found I preferred this one taken into the sun. Obviously, road safety is your priority so please be sensible and don’t try to operate your Lumix G while you are driving. To get these shots on the move, I set the camera to delayed action – the setting that takes three frames after a timed pause – then pressed the shutter release and took off like a bat out of hell!

Seriously, though, I chose the stretch of road carefully – not just for the attractive location – to ensure I could see a long way for any approaching traffic. By the time the shutter went off, the car was approaching the road’s speed limit, which was sufficient to create the right amount of speed-blur for the background.

• Exposure one 60th second at f 8.0
• ISO 200
• Daylight WB
• 7-14mm lens at 7mm on Lumix GF1

Shot 11 - Going Urban

The current trend – and one that I am being asked for more and more in my professional role – is to supply ‘graphic’ HDR-style (high dynamic range) shots that look ‘gritty’ and ‘urban’; you may recall I wrote about Urban Photography a few months back.

To achieve that look this time, I decided to take my car to the grottiest multistorey car park I know. I wanted to provide a contrast shot of the immaculate, freshly polished vehicle against a gloomy, unkempt interior. After driving round and round looking at the various levels, I decided the top floor, with the cloudy sky as well as the urban setting itself, looked better than the interior after all.

I took the shot knowing that I would be adjusting the colour, contrast, sharpness, saturation etc. in post-production, so I shot accordingly. In all, I spent just one hour driving to and from the car park, including the shoot time itself, then half-an-hour post-processing the raw shots on my computer in Photoshop. But the result is very pleasing!

• Exposure one 400th of a second at f 8.0
• ISO 100
• Daylight WB
• 20mm pancake lens on Lumix GF1

So, whether you own (or can borrow) an ‘old banger’ or a Rolls-Royce – or whatever catches your eye on display at a vehicle show or museum – let’s see your shots!

As I mentioned earlier, your ‘Transports of Delight’ obviously don’t have to be cars. They could even be your own feet!

I look forward to seeing your examples of Transport Photography in this month’s Photo Challenge.

Have fun and good luck,

Phil Surbey