Car Photography Tutorials - OVERVIEW

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Canon EOS 350D - Canon EF-S17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM - 24mm 1/250 f5.6 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.

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Virtual tuning in post processing

Thumbnail in Fast tips by Mark - 388768 views
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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10 tips for your first outdoor car shoot

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 176486 views
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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Make panning shots like a pro

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 155057 views
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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FAST TIP : a polar filter in car photography

Thumbnail in Fast tips by Mark - 142713 views
In this tutorial I show you just how to use a polarization filter correctly and combine multiple layers together

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Post processing automotive event photographs

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 134586 views
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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Our TOP 10 tips for post processing using PhotoShop

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 113428 views
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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Photographing an indoor car show like a pro

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 100623 views
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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Scale car photography explained in detail

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 92976 views
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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Car photography that sells the car

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 89442 views
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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Action photography using a car rig with suction cups

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 88013 views
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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Creating a photo from a showroom snapshot

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 87116 views
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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The secrets behind a great car photo

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 86859 views
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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Behind the scenes of a professional car shoot

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 82541 views
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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Off camera flash car photography, part 2 of 2 : the shoot

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 80102 views
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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Must have base equipment

Thumbnail in Basic level by Johan - 77856 views
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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Adding authentic looking motion to still images

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 77645 views
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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Photographing a major motorsport event

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 74804 views
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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Lenses, what do all those characters actually mean ?

Thumbnail in Basic level by Johan - 69453 views
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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Common mistakes when shooting a car

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 67839 views
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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Buying a dual screen setup might be the best idea you ever had

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 65875 views
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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Off camera flash car photography, part 1 of 2 : the shopping list

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 63512 views
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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Case study - Lamborghini Murciélago LP640

Thumbnail in Case studies by Mark - 63156 views
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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Background replacement made easy

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 61275 views
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

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Johan - 61142 views
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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Running PhotoShop actions with a G13 or G510 gaming keyboard

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 60998 views
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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FAST TIP : using soft light layers

Thumbnail in Fast tips by Mark - 59011 views
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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Our 60 second workflow on automotive photos

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 58422 views
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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DOF - Depth of Field

Thumbnail in Basic level by Johan - 57032 views
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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Case study - deTomaso Pantera

Thumbnail in Case studies by Mark - 57003 views
I take a reasonably good shot and put it through some extensive post processing to create a photograph

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Outdoor car show - Best practice tips

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 55820 views
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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Race photography, a day at the track

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 55428 views
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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Creating a derelict at dusk look in post processing

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 54096 views
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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Photographing scale cars

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 53467 views
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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Case study - Countach

Thumbnail in Case studies by Mark - 52791 views
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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Buying a tripod for car photography

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 52389 views
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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Photographers need a website and a personal email address

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 48472 views
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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Do I need a fistful of dollars ?

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 48417 views
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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Your second shopping list

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Johan - 48322 views
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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Using actions to add a watermark to your photos

Thumbnail in Advanced level by Mark - 48239 views
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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Case study - Geneva 2009 Auto Show

Thumbnail in Case studies by Mark - 48206 views
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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Case study - DOF, Depth of Field

Thumbnail in Case studies by Mark - 47948 views
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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Sharpening techniques explained

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 46959 views
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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Black and white car photography and selective coloring

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Mark - 45986 views
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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Old fashion digital photographs

Thumbnail in Intermediate level by Johan - 44732 views
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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Use a mouse or a tablet for post processing

Thumbnail in Fast tips by Mark - 23754 views
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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Taking care of your equipment

Thumbnail in Basic level by Mark - 23026 views
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

Sharpening techniques explained

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

read more

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