tamaracartwright-loebl
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a classic car rally in Oxfordshire, a fabulously stimulating event, with lots to practice on.Time
This was towards the end of the day when the crowds were thinning and a few cars had already left, freeing up a lot more space for trying to get more artistic shotsLighting
The lighting was bright but quite flat so I found my most interesting images in the shadowsEquipment
Canon 5D mk1, Canon 24-105mm lens, handheld, natural light.Inspiration
I've always loved the wings on these big old American cars, they remind me of the optimistic forward-looking times they hail from and all the sci-fi films and tv of my childhoodEditing
I always shoot in RAW and then process in Lightroom. Then I usually do one of two things, either tweak a little to bring out the depth and contrast, or go completely crazy messing about with everything to make something interesting that only vaguely resembles the original image. On this occasion, I simply took the blacks down a tad to bring out the sky and adjusted the whites accordingly to avoid losing the shadows on the carIn my camera bag
My bag always has my 5D mk1 with the 24-105 lens, no matter what I'm doing, as well as spare batteries and cards, lens cleaner and a plastic bag in case of rain or dust. If I'm specifically heading out to do photography, the 300mm lens on the Canon mk3 will be in the car, along with the tripod, beanbag and 1.4 converter. although I bought this lens for bird photography, I now use it for architecture and landscapes too, as I enjoy the different feel you get from an unconventional lens/situation combination. Some of my best portrait shots have been with the 300mm.Feedback
Shows like this can be frustrating for the enthusiast as it's all bar impossible to get the classic 'full car from one side' either because of the way they are parked up or because of the crowds, but they are excellent practice for the photographer, forcing one to look in, closer and find the interesting details and angles that avoid showing bits of people sticking out. A shallow depth of field obviously helps by blurring the background but the human form is quite hard to disguise so I find looking straight down into things or getting on the floor and looking up through them can be rewarding. This was shot by lying on the ground, raised up on one elbow, it draws a few looks but can also result in interesting meeting and invitations. Cars are designed to be looked at from the position of a human standing quite a few feet away, by getting in close, above, below and so on, you are sure to find something unusual and interesting to focus on.