How I Shoot Car Events
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- Опубликовано: 9 дек 2021
- How do you shoot car events when there are a million people around and you (usually!) don't have the option to reposition the cars to your liking? I'll show you what I do to get interesting photos of cars at events and gatherings.
I recently shot at Luftgekühlt 7 in Indianapolis, and Autopia 2099, which is sort of like Radwood, but for EVs (I helped organize this event). I’m not sure I got any calendar photo hero shots of any cars, but I think I was able to communicate the feeling of these events, and that's what I was aiming for.
Hopefully these simple tips will help you find new ways of looking at shows and car events, and see different photo opportunities that you might have been missing out on.
Some gear I mentioned:
K&F Concept ND Fader Variable Neutral Density Adjustable ND Filter ND2 to ND400: amzn.to/3DJmLiw
Peak Design Travel Tripod (5 Section Aluminum Camera Tripod) amzn.to/3IQv5B5
Some photos:
Buy Sight Magazine 04: shop.sight-mag.com/produkt/si...
Autopia 2099 photos: autopia2099.com/photos
My Luftgekühlt 6 coverage on @RoadandTrack www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...
My Luftgekühlt 5 coverage on R&T
www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...
My Luftgekühlt 4 coverage on R&T
www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...
#Luftgekühlt #porsche #autopia2099
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Subscribe to the RUclips channel for new videos! / capturingthemachine
Find me on Instagram | / capturingthemachine
Purchase photo prints | capturingthemachine.com
Contact me | kevin@capturingthemachine.com 
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Some good stuff here! I've definitely tried some of these with varying degrees of success, but I'm definitely guilty of trying to wait for a clear shot instead of embracing the crowd. Will be trying to take this on board next car show I go to.
thanks so much Tom! Good luck 👍
Embracing the crowd is definitely something that I struggled with when shooting cars at these large gatherings such as Luft. Thanks for the informative video!
thanks for watching!
I want to see this video remade with a focus on something like a cars and coffee where you're in a Walmart parking lot with nothing but busy busy busy, cars close to each other with the sun coming up right over hoods or trunks, and harsh sun. That's where I'm practicing right now and it's tough for me. The setting you shot here, in my opinion, is still inherently interesting even if every car isn't completely isolated.
It's definitely harder in the situation you've described compared to Luftgekühlt, I'll give you that. 😆 A longer lens will allow you to focus on details and juxtapositions, and make the background a lot less relevant to the image, so you can isolate your subject from your location.
This isn't really what you asked, and I don't know what your photography goals are, so maybe this is way off base. But I would rather shoot a Camry in a perfect setting at golden hour with full control over the environment... than a Pagani in a crowded parking lot a noon. Cars and Coffee is a lot of fun, but being really good at shooting at a Cars & Coffee doesn't really prepare you for being a good car photographer. Practicing with *any* car, and having experience with good natural light, and a real location, and knowing when and how to reposition the car ... that will help so much more.
Then you can ask someone at the Cars & Coffee "let's schedule a real shoot sometime." 👍
@@capturingthemachine I appreciate the response and you're advice is appropriate for me. My long term goal is to be able to make money with my camera. Short term, I'm clocking hours behind the lens, making mistakes, and learning about myself as well as my gear. The light is awful at C&C, but I figure just because it's a difficult environment doesn't mean there won't be something to learn. I enjoy the process, and I learn from my mistakes so as long as I'm making incremental gains, I'm still on my path. I am going to take your comment about well placed camry's to heart though. I've had conversations with a few people with cool cars, but so far I'm not feeling ready to ask them to shoot their cars. I'm gonna think on this one, and come up with a plan to grow that side of my photography. Thanks!
@@minesaver you have a fantastic attitude! You'll do great, keep at it. Please follow up with updates, questions, or any other video subjects you think I should cover.
@@capturingthemachine Hey so an interesting thing just happened to me. I had someone message me on FB asking to buy a print of a picture I took. This is of course my end goal, but I am playing this one by the seat of my pants as I didn't think I was at this level yet. You were asking about potential video topics and if you didn't already make a video about it, pricing prints and selling in general would be a good topic.
Good tips! I was just at my first car show and snapped a lot of pictures, and I definitely followed the “don’t hide from the crowd” tip without realizing it. But I didn’t USE the crowd, and I’m realizing I focused so much on the cars themselves that I didn’t capture the energy and excitement of the people as you said. Instead I got pretty car shots… that I could’ve done anywhere, at any time. They’re not energetic, and don’t truly show that it was a car SHOW. Next time I bring my camera to a car show, I will have to revisit this and keep that in mind!
thanks for your comment! I'm sure they came out great, and it sounds like your head was in the right place. I'm not sure if I always manage to *use* the crowd to the fullest, but the key is to not get frustrated by having people around.
Thanks! I organize large classic car events with +200 cars and take a lot of pictures. You really got me there, I always find it to crowded with the cars standing so close and people walking in front of it when shooting. I totally agree with the dogs and the detailing. I will definetely try shooting with a slow shutterspeed when people walk by
very cool! Good luck with your shots (and with your events)!
LIKE YOUR EXPLANATION ON THE APPROACH. VERY NICE MAGIC SHOTS. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.
More excellent advice. Thank you for making these videos. Again, I learned more from you. I have always had the tendency to wait for clean shots of the vehicles but you are right, it is cool to see people admiring a vehicle.
thank you, and thanks for watching! 👍
Dude im loving all of your videos, theyre well thought out and I love the natural way of how you go about speaking about your topics. I hope these types of videos never stop!
thanks so much!
As an amateur portrait / sports photographer looking to delve into car phtography, your videos have been an excellent resource. Thank you!
thank you, I'm glad it's helpful!
Never thought about the existence of this many possibilities when it comes to meetings. The photos you showed in the video are just amazing, love the compositions and how they share a story. Lovely video overall, enjoyed it so much!
thank you so much!
I was at Luft 7 as well and the cars are staged so well that it was hard to not get people-free shots (admittedly I waited places for those moments). Most of my favorite shots are the more unique compositions and how I framed certain cars between people, architecture, and the shadows of the buildings.
Great video, advice, and shots!
thanks so much! Luft7 was great, it feels a little disingenuous for me to give tips for a "cars and coffee" and compare it to this show which had such a rich aesthetic and was so well thought out 🤣
Such great insight, thank you. Beautiful work, keep it up!!!!
Thanks so much, if there's a topic you ever want to see covered, please let me know!
Amazing, very clear and qualitative video ;) And your photos are awesome !
thank you so much!
Your videos are amazing, and I love your style since it represents what I want to do with photos too. I’m saving up for a 70-200GM2 and I’m really looking forward to be shooting at 200mm mostly
thank you so much! You will love the 70-200 😄
Really enjoying your videos - so many great tips. I recently got some great photos using a telephoto lens in the supercar paddock at Silverstone because it was the lens I had on the camera to shoot the race.
thank you! I would love to shoot some supercars at Silverstone someday, that sounds epic!
AWESOME STUFF MAN been shooting for 40+ years and learn everytime i shoot but got a few good tips from your stuff...thanks
thanks for this comment, Rob, you made my day! 👍
I'm takin' these tips to the Amelia Concours d`Elegance tomorrow - thanks for the great video man! Earned yourself a new sub
Awesome, good luck and thanks for the sub!
How some simple tips will save me for my next car event! Great video!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks!
Very good advice, thank you. I like the framing idea using people and foreground stuff.
Glad it was helpful!
Great perspective on shooting events. I have some great new ideas ffor the summer!
Awesome to hear this, good luck!
This video helped me alot..I ALWAYS gets frustraided at events with people running in the way. Thank you.
Glad it helped, thanks for watching!
Nice work and good info! I even saw my car in the background of one of your pics of a Singer.
Very cool! Thanks for watching!
Going to my first car event soon, this video helped me so much thank you!
Awesome, glad it helped!
love your vids man! 3 videos, 3 comments from me - normally I dont comment on any video. really, great job! keep going.
I appreciate it!
Thanks for these tips! I’m going to try all of these if i can!
Awesome, have fun!
I love it. I've been ALMOST a car guy for most of my life but I don't have the space or budget to really be a car guy. I do still attend car events whenever I can. My "work" with a camera is mostly portraiture with an emphasis on hair, but lately (and especially since finding your channel and instagram) I've been itching to shoot cars. I have tickets to a track event next month and I think I'm finally actually going to bring my camera. I have a few short telephoto fast primes but I might buy or rent a super telephoto for the day. Thanks for the inspiration and education. It's been a beacon of hope for an increasingly jaded portrait photographer looking for new thrills with a camera.
It's so cool to hear this, thanks for your comment! Glad you're finding news ways to have fun and challenge yourself 😄
wow i dont mean to be *that* guy, but this is awesome and 100% deservers more traction. This is fascinating and I wish more people could see this!
Feel free to be *that* guy any time if you come here and say such nice things - thanks so much! 😊
Very nice pictures and their explanations!greetings from Germany
thanks so much!
Nicely put!
thank you!
I did a double-take when seeing the sub count. I expected at least a 100k! 🙂 Keep up the good work! Happy shooting!
too kind, maybe someday, haha. 😅 Thanks for watching!
Super helpful!
thanks for watching, I'm glad it was helpful!
This channel is a hidden gem
thanks so much!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love your content.
thank you, Tobias! 🙌
Amazing, I'll tkae these tips into my next car meet!
👍
Thanks a lot!!!
thanks for watching!
Great tips!
Glad you like them!
Some great ideas! I feel like I was a pretty good wildlife photographer but I’m transitioning over to cars and feel like it’s my first day of high school. Loving some of the ideas on your channel
thank you! I've never really photographed wildlife before, but it's something I would love to try someday. Good luck with your car photos! If there's any topic/technique you'd like to see me cover, please let me know.
@@capturingthemachine i certainly will! Found your video on focal lengths really interesting. I sold a lot of my lenses recently and I’m looking at rebuying. I’ll have a 120-300 2.8 for track work and other things, but it weighs a ton.
Loving the look of the 35 1.4 for shooting inside a shop or the lifestyle shots around cars. I think I agree that for car portraits, I’ve been having better results with long lenses but I am liking wider things like a 35 up close.
Do you think wide apertures matter as much? Is 2.8 fast enough or do the 1.4s have much value for cars? I hear opposing views that the 24-70 2.8 is the best lens for versatility. But then others say it’s utterly soulless.
I’m wondering if a 35 and an 85 make the most sense? The 85 for when I have an isolated car and the 35 for when I need that documentary approach? I just hate the idea of being at a busy car show and changing lenses.
Your idea on long exposure with people walking by the car is utterly brilliant.
@@heymikeriley I am one of those people that thinks the 24-70 is soulless, but I understand the practicality. For me, it’s so easy to zoom instead of moving and changing perspective, and I think I end up missing things. Or worse, theres a temptation to default to 24mm and ‘try to fit everything in,’ which ends up being boring.
I haven’t used a 35mm in a long time, but I just got a 40mm 2.0 that I’m eager to try.
I’ve struggled with 85mm 1.8 for cars - it’s a wonderful lens, but it’s maybe too restrictive for me. I have owned three of the over the years, but always end up going with the 70-200 (a big heavy lens, but the versatility is worth it for me). 50mm is a nice sweet spot for me as far as primes with cars and events.
As for 1.8 versus 2.8 - as you know, bokeh is harder to achieve at shorter focal lengths, so 2.8 is fast enough for dramatic bokeh at 100mm, but 1.8 or 1.4 might be needed to have any bokeh at 35mm.
@@capturingthemachine thanks man, that’s really helpful! I’ve been wanting to buy a high end 50 for a while for other life purposes, I think I’m going to go that direction.
I’m picking up the sigma 120-300 2.8 tomorrow and while it’s a heavy lens, I think it’ll tick all of my long lens boxes when I need them. 35 and 85 have felt overwhelming to commit to and I don’t want to be swapping lenses at events. If the 24-70 is out, I guess 50 makes sense by default for the most versatility. Thanks for bouncing ideas! I look forward to challenging myself to find creative shots with one focal length instead of zooming around or endlessly swapping lenses like I’ve done in the past.
Great channel man!
Appreciate it!
I know i'm late to the discussion, but this is some great advice. By volume, I'm an event photographer, but I recently "discovered" an interest in car photography. I shot two cars-n-coffee events last week where I mostly tried to get car shots. Now, after watching your video, I went back and reviewed my keepers. I have to say that my favorites nearly all have people (and dogs!) as important elements of the composition. At my next show, I'm going to more deliberately approach it as an event rather than a bunch of cars lined up and see what happens. Thanks!
that's amazing, thanks so much for your comment!
Hey man, great tips! Thanks :)
thanks so much!
YOUR A GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER. THANKS.
I appreciate that!
Great idea’s. Doing my first car show.
Great to hear it, good luck!
Great tips, Thanks for sharing. I’m building a 74 911 on my channel and looking forward to seeing more.
-Spanky
awesome, thanks so much! I'll check it out
Great video
Thanks!
awesome!
thanks Doug! 🤩
Like like like love ❤
Big thanks!
That's one of my "favourite" issues, lol, people! Sometimes it's best just to go to these events with the mindset you're not there to shoot cars but you can capture the mood of the event. Or do those closeup detail shots. I used to really zoom into suspension linkages for some reason, or all the snaking hoses. I'd be the only amateur not taking wide pics or shots of the drivers milling around so they'd get nervous I was spying on their tech. If I'm not in the mood for shooting either of those I just stay away because I know I'll find myself feeling frustrated which helps no one. Locally I try to get to the show and shine meets early and shoot the vehicles arriving. The organizers line up the cars too close together in rows after that.
100% agree with you, thanks for watching!
Thank you for the tips! I definitely love a good doggy shot.
haha, thanks for watching!
@@capturingthemachine You're welcome!
It helps.. thankyou
great! no problem
I think I talked to you at an event last year. Crazy world.
Nice, do you remember what event?
I film car meets and I do the same for videos, I try to capture the feeling of being there and I definitely embrace the crowd and let people get in my shots and film them taking fotos and admiring a car and I also dont mind if they cross around my frame while im recording, I actually use that to my advantage such as frame blocking, masking techniques and match cuts.
The only technique I have not implemented is incorporating dogs into the videos, I have filmed many, but they don’t make the cut. I will try incorporating them in my next videos.
thanks for watching and the insights! The dogs tip I just sort of threw in to keep it fun and light, it sounds like what you're doing is working for you just fine 👍
Tomorrow I have my first car meet as a photographer, so obviously, came here for tips :)
awesome! I hope it went well 👏
I’m a car photographer and I got sample problem with crowds. I usually go earlier when cars are arriving. I start shooting details of the cars with 50mm. As soon as event is getting crowed I change lenses and shoot with 100-400mm.
that sounds like a good strategy! Thanks for watching 😄
Same here . . . get there early and hopefully there is an uncluttered background the cars pass while arriving. The organizers on the other hand appreciate if I share pictures or footage of lots of people so they can illustrate their shows draw crowds in an effort to draw more attendees and sponsors.
Have you done a photo edit tutorial? I lobe the colors and tones in your work.
thank you! I have not yet but it's something I want to do
I agree, this is good stuff. I too like to get the feel of the event, and use framing and cropping to eliminate people. I frequently shoot just a portion of the car, details. If I can give a suggestion, I would say, show less of you in your video, and more of the illustrative photos. They are good, they are examples of what you're talking about, and they need to be seen for more than a second or two. It took me much longer to watch this, because I had to take a pause at several photos.
thanks for the kind words and feedback 👍
Luft9 was my first Luft, but the point of Luft is the people, so I just integrated them into my shots.
well done 👏
👍👍👍
I done subscribed
thank you!
All I heard was "dogs" :)
Good video - love the tips. I often come home dissapointed cause I expected car photos with no interference.
thank you!
Really great video - loving your content. I’ve got a 50mm and an 85mm, I only have room for one of them for an upcoming trip to a car show, which would you recommend I use? Thanks
Thanks so much! An 85 can get beautiful shots, but the 50 will be a lot more versatile in this situation, especially if it’s the only lens you’re bringing.
@@capturingthemachine Thank you!
Another great video thanks! How did you edit these photos? Is it possible to give a quick run down of settings? My editing stinks
Thank you! Hard to say, I have some Portra film presets I like, and then I sometimes add a little more color or warmth. And try not to overdo the contrast. Overall, a light touch is what works best.
@@capturingthemachine Thanks man!
*VIDEO STARTS* @ 2:01
Kevin, I appreciate the commentary, but some of us have no patience. It's not you, it's us. 😁
hahaha, fair 😅
🎉❤
🙌
Another excellent lesson, thanks!
except for the dogs - I'm a dog lover but I'm so over seeing dog pictures in car event portfolios! ;)
thank you Michael! I guess dogs are still a novelty for me since I'm a cat person 😆
1. Embrace the crowd
2. Find details (using telephoto lens)
3. Find framing
4. Take pictures of dogs
I just want to a car show this Saturday
To take pictures and videos
Instead of the Crowd being where I wanted them to be they kept trying not to get in my way I had to keep telling to go ahead it ok lol
lol, that happens! Either embrace the clear shot, or sometimes if I'm doing a long exposure on a tripod, I'll look away or at my phone when I click the shutter, so people kinda of ignore the camera and walk through the frame it I'm not looking at back of the camera.
@@capturingthemachine hey that a good idea lol i didnt think of that, ill try that next time. thanks for the tip
Photography is how you feel it to be not how someone is telling you should be. I don't like shoots of car's with long focal lengths. But this is just me.
Fair enough 👍
What do you recon would CPL+ND combo be good, and which ND in particular? 8, 16, 32? Lower higher?
I wish I had a better answer for you! I use NDs pretty infrequently, so I'm ashamed to say I generally get cheap ones off amazon without much consideration. For the shots in this video, I had this variable ND filter: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JL4INGE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I am new to photographing cars. My background is in wildlife management, so naturally I did a lot of wildlife and macro photography. I shot some car photos for friends and some bicycles for myself as that is another hobby of mine. One thing I have struggled with is where to place the focus point. Often with the bicycles I take a bunch of photos with the focus point in different spots and search for one later that has everything I want in focus but this process can be very frustrating. I tried manually focusing with focus peaking but I don’t find the focus peaking in my system to be very accurate. I’ve tried it for landscape and some interior shots of my home gym and I am almost always let down by it.
When you say you're having issues with where to put the focus point, do you mean in terms of composition (what part of photo should be in focus) or a technical issue where it's not sharp in the area you're trying to focus on?
@@capturingthemachine
Sorry for the delay in responding. I was asking more from a technical standpoint. I have tried manual focus with focus peaking but I can’t seem to get the results I want, so I normally use single point AF. I used manual focus successfully for metro quite a bit but when subjects are further away the peaking seems to be misleading. So, when I’m trying to maximize how much of the car is in focus, I end up taking too many shots trying to make sure one will work.
@@daltonramsey9585 My eyes aren't sharp enough for manual focus, haha. I use single point and never really have an issue. If I want more of the car to be sharp I will go to a narrower aperture like f/8 or f/11.
@@capturingthemachine I used to shoot a lot of spiders with the Laowa 100mm macro so manual focus was my only option. Usually shooting at f8 or f11 for 2:1 reproduction and doing handheld focus stacks.
I’m using micro four thirds now so I usually stop down to f4 or f5.6 for cars. When using single point I just struggle with where to place the point. Would around the mirrors be the best?
@@daltonramsey9585 if it's a front view or a front-quarter, I always focus on the headlights (the 'eyes' of the car 😅). If it's a side view, yes, mirrors, or a door handle is a good place to put the focus point so it can 'grab' something , as opposed to the middle of a door panel.
hello, do you recommend the sony a6400 or 6500 for taking car videos ?
Sorry Cody, I don't know Sony at all, and I don't even consider myself more than a novice at shooting video!
Dogs...I have missed so many opportunities
🐕
Any advice for shooting cars at a dealership? It's unfortunately the best place to get access to a wide variety of new cars, but the locations and lighting are blah.
Inside or outside? If it's outside, and you can shoot just before sunrise or right after sunset, it could look really great.
as of today, i would like to tell you that today was the first time that i went to a car event, theres so many beautiful car, so many composition but...i dont bring my camera...why?...the battery...i should just rent a camera...
Awesome, good luck 👍
@@capturingthemachine i didt bring any camera or phone
its funny i get annoyed when people see me shooting and they stop because they don't want to ruin my shot, not knowing i want them in my composition.
hahah yes, I definitely know this feeling!
Dude your German "Skills" are from another planet 😅🤌🤝
lol… oh dear
Luft 7 was great, I shot some wonderful cars including @Pablo_the_Porsche ‘s Targa featured at 3:58
My camera backpack was stored in the trunk of that car for most of the event 😅
Why use an ND filter? I keep hearing about ND filters and Circular polarizing filters. Which to use? Why? As a beginner, should I care about this add-on, yet? @capturingthemachine
Hi, I realize the reason for using the ND wasn't explained in this video. A neutral density filter blocks light in, almost like sunglasses, so you can take a long exposure (10, 20, 30+ seconds) in daytime.
I have a video all about CPL filters here: ruclips.net/video/afqCWgSCYnk/видео.html