Police
The shoot for this picture was one of the coolest I ever had: For their ad for new policemen they allowed me to strap a camera to the bonnet of a policecar. Ins...
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The shoot for this picture was one of the coolest I ever had: For their ad for new policemen they allowed me to strap a camera to the bonnet of a policecar. Inside the cabin I installed a small flash, just outside the left window I clamped another one. From the camera a USB was taped along the car to the back seat – where I was. With that rig we drove around town for an hour doing long exposures. I could remotely control the camera and view the results immediately.
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Mar, 2012Views
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CraigWest
March 18, 2012
Great capture. Something to consider for "The magic of night lighting" group at URL: http://www.viewbug.com/photo-communities/the-magic-of-night-lighting Welcome to ViewBug. Added to my favorites.
Augle2112
October 04, 2012
WOW!!! Voted + Fave, Wonderful Image Great Work! I Truly Hope You will stop by And Vote For My Work If You Enjoy It.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picure in the Swiss city of St. Gallen for the local police force. They wanted something special for their ad to find new policemen.Time
To get the long exposures we drove around town at night. Starting somewhere in the blue hour, ending when the sky was pitch black. In the end I preferred the shots with a black sky because the lights and the car are already colorful enough.Lighting
The Lighting for this shot was pretty straightforward: One bare flash in the middle of the cabin and another one clamped just outside the left window. Both were controlled by Pocketwizards. They didnt have any modifiers on them as there simply was no space.Equipment
The camera was a Canon 50D equipped with a 10-22mm ultrawide-lens. It was strapped to the bonnet of the car using a suction-cup rig. Additionally we fastened it around the bonnet-pannel should the rig fail somehow. From the camera I taped a USB cable alongside the car to the back seat. That way I could completely remotecontrol the camera and also view the pictures on the laptop immediately.Inspiration
Everybody knows long exposures of streets – cars becoming streaks of light. The Picture reverses that concept making the camera stationary in relation to the car while everything else becomes a blur.Editing
I didn't alter the image too much. Basically, I adjusted colors, white balance and black levels. The only structural change was adding the blue-light. It had to be done that way because it was way too bright otherwise. Also, driving around town with it on would've been asking a bit too much. I didn't remove the visible flash in the left window as I don't think you notice it unless you really look for it.In my camera bag
Nowadays, I usually carry a 5D Mark II with a 35mm f/1.4 prime and maybe a 24-105mm f/4 IS. The 35mm has become my very favorite lens as I do a lot of environmental portraits. I find that you have to be careful though as the wide perspective means a wide background and a lot of chances of things going wrong there. Still, I like the photojournalistic style of the lens.Feedback
This could be done with any car in any environment. The biggest challenge is probably to securely fix the camera to the car. I borrowed the suction cup rig from a film company but I'm sure you could buy something similar in a good store. A completely fix camera position is paramount to keep the car sharp. It also helps if the car in question has a smooth ride. You'll want to make sure the drivers in the car don't move about too much. It's easier to get them sharp if you use flash lighting for the persons because it essentially freezes them. Shutter speed can be varied to your liking. Generally, Cities probably make the best background with all their lights. Be careful though, it might not be allowed to drive around town with a rig like that on your car. Obviously, in my case this wasn't an issue.
