# 2012 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT Shoot



## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

We did this shoot a while ago I have just been posting some of my shoots to catch people up on my recent project this one was on a 2012 Ford Mustang 5.0 GT in the grass too which I know some don't like. Don't worry my watermark is way smaller now and not as distracting!


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## MReid (May 30, 2012)

I have that exact car except for black leather and a black stripe over the top.
You shots look pretty good to me. Thanks for sharing.


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## 12sndsgood (May 30, 2012)

id adjust the time of day or when you shoot maybe see if you can keep that sky from getting so blown out.


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## o hey tyler (May 30, 2012)

Yes, I agree with 12sndsgood. The consistently blown out sky is killing these images. What time of day did you shoot?


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## rgregory1965 (May 30, 2012)

View attachment 10042I also agree with the blown sky....here is a quick edit on the car....hope you dont mind.


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## prodigy2k7 (May 30, 2012)

rgregory1965 said:
			
		

> <img src="http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=10042"/>I also agree with the blown sky....here is a quick edit on the car....hope you dont mind.



Looks over processed.


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

o hey tyler said:


> Yes, I agree with 12sndsgood. The consistently blown out sky is killing these images. What time of day did you shoot?



About 4PM the problem was it was overcast all week and he wanted the shoot asap.


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 30, 2012)

Some lighting may have prevented the extreme loss of detail in the blacks. Or perhaps a LR slider could recover some.


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

2WheelPhoto said:


> Some lighting may have prevented the extreme loss of detail in the blacks. Or perhaps a LR slider could recover some.



I shoot all my car shoots in RAW and that is a possibility.


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 30, 2012)

Kewl, an example is pic 1. It appears the grills are either missing or flat black solid plastic or such.  Had you put emphasis on that with off camera flash or got greedy with a slider it may bring back the details =)


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## 2WheelPhoto (May 30, 2012)

Also the background distractions can be eliminated using just enough depth of field to keep the car in focus, but blur out the background.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

I like #2, this is how I would process it:


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> I like #2, this is how I would process it:



HOW DO YOU DO THIS!! Its amazing. Did you do it in Photoshop?


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

The car color/bringing back the blacks to bee seen, and the window tinting done in photoshop.  I used Perfect effects (which I find easier to do certain things) to apply the glow/clouds/vignette/sharpening.  I use the same processes on all my automotive photos just varying opacity for each effect but it's the same workflow.

One thing I always do is apply selective sharpening to the entire car only, then apply an additional sharpening to headlights/emblems/grills/wheels and tires.

Here's the porsche I shot over the weeked I used the same set of processes on (although this is HDR):


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> The car color/bringing back the blacks to bee seen, and the window tinting done in photoshop.  I used Perfect effects (which I find easier to do certain things) to apply the glow/clouds/vignette/sharpening.  I use the same processes on all my automotive photos just varying opacity for each effect but it's the same workflow.
> 
> One thing I always do is apply selective sharpening to the entire car only, then apply an additional sharpening to headlights/emblems/grills/wheels and tires.
> 
> Here's the porsche I shot over the weeked I used the same set of processes on (although this is HDR):



Do you know of any online photoshop tutorials I could use to help me do this cause I could fix a lot of car pictures and make them look amazing.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

You can watch OnOneSoftwares online tutorials however they apply only to perfect effects.  Bringing back the black areas a lot of people use the dodge/burn tools however I find it's easier to control if you create a new layer, set layer type to "soft light" then paint white (if too dark) or black (if too light) and then adjust opacity of the layer until it looks "real"

Everything else I've just kind of homogonized over the last 5 years of my own style in processing HDR (and some single images).


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## bhop (May 30, 2012)

IMO, you need to use some off-camera lighting to help fill in the shadows.

Take a look at this flickr group for some inspiration.
Flickr: Automotive lighting & Photography


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

bhop said:


> you CAN use some off-camera lighting to help fill in the shadows


 - how that should read.

Learn to take great images with available lighting before making someone go out and buy big $ stuff to try and make their images better.


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## bhop (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> bhop said:
> 
> 
> > you CAN use some off-camera lighting to help fill in the shadows
> ...



No, that's now what it should read.  It *NEEDS* some kind of fill lighting, whether it's off camera flash, or bounced off reflectors.


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> bhop said:
> 
> 
> > you CAN use some off-camera lighting to help fill in the shadows
> ...



This is a tad off topic but I do use natural light a lot never use flash or strobes this is a picture of me when I went Urban Exploring my face was just lit up by the sun nothing else no reflectors no nothing.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

So you're telling me that every single great car image ever taken has had fill lighting to make it work?  That's BS.

What it needs is better control over the available lighting in the situation, if you decide to shoot so late in the evening or sunset that lighting is challenging then perhaps that's one option, another one is proper use of HDR.

I agree it NEEDS better control, but to tell the guy the only way he is going to fix it is to use off camera lighting - sorry, 100% disagree.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

ScubaBrett22 said:


> BlueMeanieTSi said:
> 
> 
> > bhop said:
> ...




They're going to tell you the harsh shadows on your face are why you need additional lighting.


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## bhop (May 30, 2012)

ScubaBrett22 said:


> BlueMeanieTSi said:
> 
> 
> > bhop said:
> ...



Well, that's a nice photo and I usually prefer natural light myself, but automotive photography requires different techniques than portrait photography.  The curves, the reflective surfaces all present challenges that make it a little more difficult IMO.  I'm not saying it's not possible to get nice photos of cars with available light, but if you want photos that 'pop' or that look like more than just snaps, then you need to step up your game.  If you don't have a budget for external lighting, then use some reflectors.  You can get a friend to hold up some white poster board to bounce light into the shadows in the bumpers and wheels.. that stuff's cheap.  Or cover some posterboard with aluminum foil, etc.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

This was shot 30min after sunset in natural light.  






The paint is original from the 60s with no clear and it's never been buffed which is why it's flat looking.


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## bhop (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> This was shot 30min after sunset in natural light.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's a totally different lighting situation than the OPs shots.  After the sun has gone over the horizon, or trees, you don't have all the harsh shadows that he had.  That's how you were able to get away with not using some kind of fill light.   I'd also recommend using a polarizer to help get rid of those reflections on the windshield.. unless you like it that way.


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

Shot with a Nikon 14/24 f2.8, there's no polarizer in the world that works with that lens and although I have thought about ND filters the rigging costs about half as much as the lens so I would rather just put that money towards another lens if I had it.

Plus that particular photo the reflections add to it I think.

To get back to the original concept I was telling him to pick better lighting conditions instead of telling him to buy gear and spend money to make the lighting conditions he's in work.  which would you rather do?  Spend a few $k on lighting or wait 3 hours...


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## bhop (May 30, 2012)

BlueMeanieTSi said:


> To get back to the original concept I was telling him to pick better lighting conditions instead of telling him to buy gear and spend money to make the lighting conditions he's in work.  which would you rather do?  Spend a few $k on lighting or wait 3 hours...



That's cool.. i'd agree that better lighting conditions would help.  I'm not trying to start any internet arguments, just trying to help the dude get nicer pics.  Sometimes you don't have the option of choosing your time though.  You also don't have to spend thousands of dollars.  You can get Vivitar 285 HV flashes for around 80 bucks and some yongnuo triggers for around 50.  I've  been using my cheap triggers without issues for a couple years now.  That's all you really need to start with.

But since we're showing some example pics, here's a couple of mine with off-camera fill lights.  They're a little old at this point and looking back there are some things I might do differently, but anyway, you can see how it adds to the shadows.
EK Civic Hatch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Fit with Ings+ | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## BlueMeanieTSi (May 30, 2012)

I like the first one.


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## 12sndsgood (May 30, 2012)

it can be done both ways. having lighting as an option helps in instances when you can't pick the time. me, i prefer sunset with the car lit up myself. but everyone is diffrent. its nice having options no matter what yoru doing.


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## ScubaBrett22 (May 31, 2012)

So I re-edited them using Photoshop and Topaz Adjust 4 tell me what you think about them now.


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