“Instant Inspirations” is my series for you if you feel you suffer from “Photographer’s Block” or simply want to shoot something that you have never tried. Or at least not recently. With Episode 14 I want to inspire you to go out and use the glossy paint and the glass of car windows to capture interesting reflections of buildings, pedestrians and lights. For more images and info and links to all previous editions continue reading after the jump….
Cars parked on the streets of your city, with their glossy paint and windshields, are an awesome prop to capture interesting street scenes. It works well in evenings and nights when the illumination of a cityscape can effectively add life to a photograph, but there are plenty opportunities to shoot interesting reflections during the day as well.
The trick is to shoot with wide angle lenses and hold the lens close to the reflective surface of the car. It is also advisable to use apertures around f/5.6 to f/8 and focus on a point about 1/3 into your frame to maximize depth of field, which you usually want in these kind of images.
Obviously, a clean surface (car that is) helps 😉 !
There are really plenty possibilities to find interesting reflections on car paint or car windows. Take your camera and wander around the streets of your hometown. Shoot nothing but reflections for an hour, try to get your creative juices flowing. I guarantee you will come some great pics. In high contrast images, try a conversion to monochrome. Best is to set your camera to a monochrome high contrast program if available and look at the scenes in black and white already on the LCD monitor when composing.
Most of all go out and have fun.
Have a great week!
Marcus
Related Posts:
Instant Inspiration (I) – Get Down Low
Instant Inspiration (2) – Motion Blur
Instant Inspiration (3) – Silhouettes
Instant Inspiration (4) – Juxtaposition
Instant Inspiration (5) – Puddle Shooting
Instant Inspiration (6) – Storefront Windows
Instant Inspiration (8) -Make a portrait of a stranger
Instant Inspiration (9) – Concert Photography
Instant Inspiration (10) – Nocturnal Skyline
Instant Inspiration (11) – Change of Perspective