Muska

Yea i remember you saying you got it for a bargain price! i used to own a Rallye myself, it was the best VW i've owned. the one i'm shooting is a bit special, VR6 engine everything inside has been leathered and porsche paint. hopefully this cloud will clear later.

nomad

i did a ZX shoot that made the front cover, one of my fav photographers called RJ.MUNA once said
"you photograph the reflection, not the car" pity i didnt understand what he was on about until after this shoot,
basically what he means is you light the reflection as can be seen by these vids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoY-c...1&feature=fvwp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP_4t...e=channel_page
cheers nomad

Muska

Nomad, thats a goal of mine to have a cover shoot. I've worked for performance VW freelance for 18months now so i'm hoping my time will come when i can deliver the goods.

The wedding album i made arrived today...
10 mini albums for family/friends

Hard protection case



Photojacket






It cost a fortune but i am so so pleased with it and the quality is just unreal, these pictures just don't do them justice (and i blew out the whites on the page with the flashes!)

More page shots here:
/
Matt.

StephenC

looks the absolute bollocks Matt, if you had any doubt over whether or not to do that proffesionally surely your questions have been answered?! Stop using the D3 aswell, they seem to make everything look perfect (not jealous at all)

Muska

Thanks Stephen, as it goes i took my first booking for next year two nights ago and i'm currently negotiating a second and possibly a late booking for this year. Things are moving fast! I can hardly even find time to design new business cards and sort my website design!
i give the album to the B&G later, i can't wait. These pics really don't do it justice!

I should add, thank you to all of you who gave great comments about the pictures i posted up from the wedding, it's partly because of you that i decided to push myself and go for it. thank you all.

StephenC

Two edits of a trackday from May

snoop69

Popped up the stables this afternoon as the daughter was havinga lesson.

Whilst waiting i grabbed a few of young Bethany practising jumping.

It was also my first attempt at equestrian with the mkII so any advice would be appreciated.

1. Warm up with the trotting poles.


2. Lining up for the first jump.


3. Cleared no problem.


4. A bigger one cleared.


5. Lets go this way.


6. This is easy.


7. Good boy, have a cuddle.

Muska

WOW i think they are the best i've seen you post mate! The last one just looks dream like. I think that deserves to be seen in print, large.

snoop69

Thanks very much bud & your right, im the same when it comes to land/seascapes,
I just cannot get a decent pic

Muska

I shot my friends Rallye tonight. I was hoping for a nice sunset to crack the grads out but it wasn't to be. this was my backup plan. I will do the other shoot another time...










The rest are /
I didn't get too inventive, i've killed a speedlight today before i even started, and another tonight the sync port for hte radio trigger was playing up. Proper lighting is definately higher on my list. Still amazes me what you can acheive with a few bare speedlights.

snoop i missed those before, you got some good action stuff going on there but the last one is definately the best of the set for me.
Matt.

fezzajsy

iTrader: (9)

Muska very nice pics u got there

nomad

snoop the bland sky was against you,nice pics tho,
muska nice album, i think the cover depends on how good the car is, if your sent to photograph run of the mill cars then you havent much chance of getting it on the cover,
rather than use bare speedlights you can get softboxes and stuff, heres a nikon advert for speedlights
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...19537938300175
very interesting . cheers nomad

cjwood555

Muska - album looks fantastic, good man!

Stephen C - agreed that last photo is simply superb - it has something about it that makes you keep looking - 'mysteriously intruiging' would some it up lol

Chris

Muska

I've got soft boxes and umbrellas but I don't think either work great on cars unless you've got a nice bit studio and lots of flash power to use them in. Most people use flash bare for location shoots, I think it worked well for me.

cozzybigfin

iTrader: (1)

I have a Nikon D50 and only use it for car shows and to take pics of projects...id love to be able to use it to its maxinum but if i dont get out and mess with stuff i wont learn i guess..

Now im in sunderland and love the pics from the Hartlepool place, steelfix is it?...now i dont know where it is so tryed to find it on Multimap....
Can one of you who have been there please tell me if this is the place or not as it looks still in use on this pic:

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=har...nd,%20TS26%209

Thanks

fezzajsy

iTrader: (9)

my first pics on here..any wayni could improve them?

fezzajsy

iTrader: (9)

Adz The Rat

A couple I like from last week.......

Adz The Rat

Matt you know I love the Rallye pics, stunning pics for a equally stunning car.

Stephen that second pic looks like something off a driving game, very very nice, you should be very proud.

Snoop that last pic would be brilliant in a frame, Ive got one similar of Emma stroking Henry's nose and I love that pic.

Muska

Well, i had my first 'night in the museum' yesterday...



Please view it on my flickR for more info on the car and lighting info.

this is the first of many shots from the Transport museum.

comments appreciated,
Matt.

StephenC

*uckin hell Matt, you become a flash wizard overnight???! Shadows on the floor are amazing, got to say I reckon you lit that perfect, looks like it came straight out of the Joe McNally book were the bowens high camera left and right to give them shadows? Got to say I reckon thats the most pro shot in this whole thread think you need your own SLR thread now and leave us lot alone! Loving the rallye shots too, colour has popped beautifully. Are you still using the same flash triggers?

Muska

Thanks man, yes the bowens were high (about 8ft) cam forward left and right. i may reshoot this shot with a rim light down each flank, i think that might bring a bit more to the party, i'll have to see if i get chance.

Still using the same radio triggers (Cybersyncs) they are just awsome, and have NEVER missed a shot. for Ł300 i got pocketwizard reliability at under half what pocketwizards would have cost.

Thrust 2 shots up later if i get chance to edit today.

Thanks again for the kind words.

StephenC

Got to ask how your getting such good access to the place matt??

Muska

I was in there out of hours, they kept it open for me from 6pm till 10pm. I arranged this with a lady who does alot of the PR work there. In exchange for me being able to do portfolio work with some of the stunning cars they have there i will provide images for their PR. I'm more than happy to do this as they are solely charity run and it's a great place! They've been really accomodating. I've got at least 2more dates planned, next week and the week after.

StephenC

excellent, thats the way to do it

Muska

thanks, i'm hoping it leads to work with them in the future as it's a good foot in the door and they were very impressed with what i was showing them on the LCD the other night.



Again, please view it on my flickR for a few facts and lighting info.

Mr Sam

some fantastic pictures in here i think ill add a few of mine

Nikon D40 either on the standard 18-55 or a Tamron 70-300 and are usually straight off the camera no editing









bah.....climb a bridge and forget the tri-pod....OWNED

nomad

mr sam the sideways mk2 is good, you have to look at the whole picture and see how it juxtaposes against the bridge, the wheel spin is a bonus,well done.
Muska the indoor pics are really good but you dont need all the flashes (in my opinion),set your shutter at say 30 seconds and "paint " the light where you want it with one flash,
i have a pic somewhere where i shone a small torch on a posing ballerina, i highlighted the parts i wanted brightest by leaving the torch on those parts longer, it worked a treat.
heres a pic of the wifes car i threw together tonight using one sb600,30 second timer and a tripod. the offside back quarter i lit through a 800x800 softbox, its pretty naff as a picture (too much anbient light from the street lights and i couldnt get all the way around it ).
i dont like lighting the car tho, its not the way to go, you have to light the reflection as i mentioned before, cheers martyn ps i will find a link on youtube for directly lighting cars that you might find usefull,

nomad

muska i found the vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtMQtAz250c
ok this was taken with alien bees flashes but you could get a similar outcome with a flashhead through small soft box, i hope you realise i am trying to help ? cheers nomad

Muska

Nomad,
Light painting ws definately not the way to go with such large vehicles. to give a sense of scale i was sat up inside the intakes on the Thrust SSC at one point suring the shoot deciding how to light them. It would have been impossible to light them evenly and create the effects i wanted, particularly on SSC with it being black. As for what light painging is, i've done is successfully myself on more than one occasion (Please see two of the motorbike shoots i did in my flickR or portfolio) so i'm well aware of the technique.
As for lighting the reflection, again i've used this technique many times, most recently on the Rallye shots i posted on this page and you can see in my description of SSC that i bounced a light off the back wall to throw light onto the body.
At the risk of sounding like a total arsehole your example shot is terrible. The light is uneven, white balance is off and there are terrible hot spots on the car. I hope you realise i'm also trying to be helpfull.
I am finding it a little patronising that you're explaining to me techniques you think i should use that i am already clearly putting into practice successfully. I don't mean this to come across as hostile, i do find myself taking offence though.
I would like to finish by saying i do love your ballerina work, i remember it well and it was very well done in concept and execution.

Regards,
Matt.
(perhaps i'll lay low for a while now!)

ps, the guy in the vid you've posted is Ken Brown. Worth looking up on flickR as his work with car lighting is out of this world. A major source of inspiration.

StephenC

Im sorry but

compared to


know whos technique Id be following. Sorry but most people use CPL to reduce reflections on cars not go out of their way to add to them by purposely lighting them. On shiny metal like the video nomad posted then yes, its necassery but on cars most people want to see the car not whats reflected in the paint. Only posting as I found nomads post patronising let alone what matt must have thought light painting is a good technique when used correctly and when its needed, when you've got the proper lighting gear then as matts proven you dont need to fanny about with 30 second exposures.

Muska

Well, couple more from the Thrust 2 shoot. Tomorrow i move into the sport cars room. They have an unbelievably rare Maserati 250F! Only 26 were made. EVER!

Today my Nikon 50mm f1.2 AIS arrived, with screw in lens hood.







Stand by for sample pictures...

rsnissan

iTrader: (9)

holy crap thats some FAST glass!

looking forward to some samples,

tried some shots the other day with the cos and some light painting but still need a bit more practice

Muska

f1.2

f2 I read somewhere that the Nikon 50mm f1.2 is regarded as being so sharp at f2 it will cut you. I just love that phrase!

f4

f1.2

andy, get the shots up from your light painting, i'm sure someone will help point you in the right difection.

StephenC

very useful piece of glass, need to use my 1.4 more than I do

Muska

It starts on ebay tonight at 8! I'd love to keep it but i really want either a 70-200 like yours so i can stop renting one (I've booked it out 4 times now for next year!) or a 105mm macro VR is pulling me in also.

Muska

Night two at the museum...



More to come after a show i'm attending this weekend when i get some editing time.

comments welcomed,
Matt.

StephenC

think the light has reflected perfectly across the body as youve painted across it cant make my mind up whether id like to see a touch more light on the side or not, the mood suits it perfectly and I think if the side was lit you'd lose that feeling, but then I start to think that my eye is drawn to the darkness on the side wishing I could see the detail. Difficult one. Either way, another cracking shot, you just need to learn how to light paint properly

Muska

thanks Stephen! i'll keep practicing the light painting!

I took quote a few shots of this car, lit diferent ways/angles etc. I'll get some others up when i've got chance to edit them. got some where the whole car is exposed and you can see the sides, and some with even less light.

StephenC

just a quick one of the old boys TT, got an awesome idea for a location for this car just need to find some time from somewhere.


and one of the series 2