Car Photography Tutorials - OVERVIEW
Canon EOS 350D - Canon EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM - 55mm 1/500 f2.8 ISO 100
An overview of all our tutorials and articles on how to improve your automotive photography skils, how to enhance your shots once you've downloaded them to your computer, behind the scenes look at how we work during a professional photo shoot ... and much more.
Virtual tuning in post processing |
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in Fast tips by Mark |
| Sometimes the car you want to photograph just doesn't exist in real life, so you start with a regular model and virtually customize it in post processing ... and this time I show you all the steps in a video |
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Running PhotoShop actions with a G13 or G510 gaming keyboard |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| I am a big fan of automating workflows in PhotoShop to speed up post processing, after a while I had a lot of ctrl and alt key combinations so I bought a gaming keyboard, first the Logitech G510 and later on I added the Logitech G13 |
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Scale car photography explained in detail |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| In this article I guide you into scale car photography, from the preparation over the setup including lights, aperture, shutter speed and then taking the shot ... a lot of these tips can be used on full size cars too. |
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Action photography using a car rig with suction cups |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| Suction caps are commonly used to attach a boom onto a car so you can position a camera at a fixed point from the car and take a photograph while the car is moving to create impressive action shots. |
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Buying a dual screen setup might be the best idea you ever had |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| Instead of going for one very large and expensive monitor why not invest in two smaller ones and expand your 'monitor real estate' even further, allowing you to post process photos full screen with all the tools out of the way. |
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Photographers need a website and a personal email address |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| I have seen it a thousand time, people trying to attract business with a general e-mail addres ... don't do this, just get a smal website and a personal email address. |
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Photographing a major motorsport event |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| Motorsport like car races are always very interesting events to capture as an automotive photographer, we explain how to make the best of your experience. |
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Creating a derelict at dusk look in post processing |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| Brand new cars always look good in an abandoned house location, and even better at dusk when the warm light is available, unfortunately finding both and still being safe enough to put an expensive car in front of the derelict house could be difficult. |
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Creating a photo from a showroom snapshot |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| Sometimes you just don't have the option of setting up a nice area for a shoot, for instance when you are in a showroom, but fear not, we show you how to make a photograph out of a snapshot in post processing |
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Using actions to add a watermark to your photos |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| We show you a way to add a custom watermark to all your photos, no matter if they are in landscape or in portrait orientation using actions that require no manual intervention. |
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Off camera flash car photography, part 2 of 2 : the shoot |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| You managed to buy the necessary items to get into off camera flash photography, in part 2 of our tutorial we explain how to use it. |
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Off camera flash car photography, part 1 of 2 : the shopping list |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| In this first part of the off camera flash tutorial I take you over the required equipment to get started using additional light sources. |
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FAST TIP : a polar filter in car photography |
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in Fast tips by Mark |
| In this tutorial I show you just how to use a polarization filter correctly and combine multiple layers together |
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Case study - deTomaso Pantera |
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in Case studies by Mark |
| I take a reasonably good shot and put it through some extensive post processing to create a photograph |
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FAST TIP : using soft light layers |
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in Fast tips by Mark |
| Post processing can be a tedious job that could take hours, but one simple trick will put some extra punch in your shots in a matter of seconds. |
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Post processing automotive event photographs |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| We all know the drill, we’ve been to a car show or outdoor event and we’ve encountered some amazing cars but our shots have bad backgrounds so we'll have to revert to post processing to get it right. |
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Use a mouse or a tablet for post processing |
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in Fast tips by Mark |
| Perhaps a mouse isn't the most appropriate option when working on automotive photos in post processing, so let's take a look at a pen and tablet. |
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Do I need a fistful of dollars ? |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| We get this question on a regular basis : how much do I have to invest to get started as a car photographer ? We explain our vision in this article : don't go for the cheapest way but get it right from the start. |
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Car photography that sells the car |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| Selling a high performance car isn't easy, but as they say : a picture speaks a thousand words. We'll show you how to get the winning shot that will sell the car quickly by selecting the correct background and perform the right post processing. |
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Black and white car photography and selective coloring |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| We take a look at how you can achieve the best results converting car shots into black and white one, we even take a look at selective coloring to put some color back into the image. |
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Case study - Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 |
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in Case studies by Mark |
| We take a look at one of the most difficult scenes, a black car during a bright, sunny summer day in the early afternoon. |
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Buying a tripod for car photography |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| A lot has been going on about tripods, do you really need one when your main objective is to photograph cars ? We go over the advantages and the problems and help you to select the best one. |
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Adding authentic looking motion to still images |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| Sometimes you just have to get a sharp image of a car, but spinning wheels would be nice, we explain you how to achieve this in post processing. |
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Case study - DOF, Depth of Field |
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in Case studies by Mark |
| This shot was taken while the black Ginetta was leaving the pit lane at a famous circuit in Belgium, it looked good straight out of the camera, but a little bit of tweaking made it perfect. |
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Behind the scenes of a professional car shoot |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| You've managed a nice exotic super car for a private photo shoot, but how do you manage an outdoor shooting ? We will explain 10 of the best tips for you. |
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Outdoor car show - Best practice tips |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| one of the best opportunities to get a nice, exotic super car in front of your camera is during one of the many outdoor car shows during the summer, we take you over some tips to get the best shots. |
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Sharpening techniques explained |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| A lot has already been written about how to make your images look better, getting them sharp is one of the essentials when it comes to improve your shots |
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Our TOP 10 tips for post processing using PhotoShop |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| In this tutorial we present you with 10 interesting and quick tips that will make your post processing automotive photographs in PhotoShop a bit easier. |
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Background replacement made easy |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| There are times you've managed to photograph a great looking car, but the background is far from good looking ... no problem, just replace it with a different one. |
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Filters in the digital age |
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in Intermediate level by Johan |
| On a forum you might have red a discussion about using filters before, is it necessary or not ? We give you some tips. |
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Race photography, a day at the track |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| You must admit that being track side must appeal to you, but it takes some technique to get the best shots from that position, we explain how to get it right. |
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Your second shopping list |
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in Intermediate level by Johan |
| You have all the basic equipment, and you feel comfortable working with it ... now it's time to take your gear to the next level. |
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Photographing an indoor car show like a pro |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| Indoor events and motor shows are great venues with many stunning cars, shooting them is not at easy as it might seem however. |
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Case study - Geneva 2009 Auto Show |
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in Case studies by Mark |
| In this in depth article we take a look at the specific settings and technique you could use for a high profile car show like the one in Geneva |
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Photographing scale cars |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| Scale cars are really magnificent, they allow you to admire cars you would normally rarely see in real life, photographing them is an art on it's own however. |
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Must have base equipment |
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in Basic level by Johan |
| In this article we talk you through the large amount of camera's you could buy to get started well in automotive photography. |
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Case study - Countach |
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in Case studies by Mark |
| In this specific case study we will take a look at how to remove unwanted clutter from the backdrop of a shot. |
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Make panning shots like a pro |
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in Advanced level by Mark |
| We all made these mistakes at first, but after gathering some more experience we could pinpoint these mistakes and share them with you so you can avoid them. |
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Lenses, what do all those characters actually mean ? |
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in Basic level by Johan |
| Looking for a new lens but got at bit confused with all those terms ? We explain them in understandable English for you. |
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DOF - Depth of Field |
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in Basic level by Johan |
| In this article we take a look at the different aperture settings you can use while photographing cars, setting your DOF can create some amazing effects. |
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Common mistakes when shooting a car |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| We all made these mistakes at first, but after gathering some more experience we could pinpoint these mistakes and share them with you so you can avoid them. |
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Old fashion digital photographs |
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in Intermediate level by Johan |
| In this tutorial we show you how to recreate the look and feel of the good old days on a modern day digital image. |
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The secrets behind a great car photo |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| Ever wondered why your shot doesn't look as good as the one of the same car in that magazine in front of you ? We give you a few tips to take better photographs here. |
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Our 60 second workflow on automotive photos |
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in Intermediate level by Mark |
| Only have a minute to spare ? Don't worry, that's more than enough to make your photograph stand out of the crowd. |
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10 tips for your first outdoor car shoot |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| You've managed a nice exotic super car for a private photo shoot, but how do you manage an outdoor shooting ? We will explain 10 of the best tips for you. |
Read more ... |
Taking care of your equipment |
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in Basic level by Mark |
| You should take really good care of your photographic equipment given it's price, but it also helps you to get better images in the long run. |
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Note : commercial use or publishing of our tutorials in any way, written or electronic, is strictly forbidden, we present these for your personal development only. None of our material may be published in any way without prior, written permission from the Car Photography Tutorials founder. All workflows and photographs are copyright protected and owned by the Car Photography Tutorials team unless stated otherwise
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Highlight article
Old fashion digital photographs
In this tutorial we show you how to recreate the look and feel of the good old days on a modern day digital image.
read more
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