# Car in motion photos



## Penforhire (Dec 17, 2005)

I wondered about that from the vehicle lighting but I wondered if a complex light bank was driven alongside instead. If studio, nice work on the blur-with-highlight wheels!


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## Richard in NC (Oct 23, 2005)

I shot this F1 car at 1/500 second. I still had to pan because of the motion blur at their speed. This was a practice session at the 2004 Indy race.


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## xazncarnu7x (Apr 23, 2006)

I just took this picture today... i finally figured out how to adjust the shutterspeed on my camara..... best pic ive taken so far!!


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## snspusher (Jul 5, 2006)

probably just had a fast shutter speed of about a 1000, its FREEZES motion


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## JDMOTO (Aug 10, 2005)

Wingboot said:


> Like this???? I wish I knew.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


easy answer.. car mounted rig shot. shot at around 1-2" sec. car was coasting... :thumbup:


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## RPM Photography (May 6, 2006)

If your doing rolling motion shots (ie, taken from another moving car) I suggest using the slowest shutter speed you think you can get away with. You will have to experiment. I personally like to use a vehical thats slightly higher than the cars you are taking pictures of. I also found that it is easier if you zoom out and get the car closer to you, its less likely to have blur from camera shake.

Also, try to find somewhere with a cool background. I chose the highway with a nice green background, and it had just rained which made everything seem more contrasted.


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## BahnBaum (Feb 25, 2004)

Well, it's just panning at an autox, but I liked it...










Alex


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## JDMOTO (Aug 10, 2005)

two types of moving shots.

1.









2.


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## SharkD (May 4, 2004)

You also have to understand the relationship between aperture and depth-of-field.

Shooting wide open, even at a "slow" shutter speed will keep far too much of the background in focus, detracting from the resulting motion blur.

The following shots are 100% full-frame, as shot -- I didn't even color-correct for being shot at dusk. (2006 VIR Grand-Am Cup)

Stopped down:

























Wide-open (mostly):


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## BMWE30freak (Mar 19, 2006)

I'll take pics. of your car if you want good ones  I like to use a shutter speed around 1/125 or 1/100. Of course, it all depends on the lighting but i've found that to be the best. I'm actually going to go out and do some pics of my car soon. I've only done friends cars.


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

SharkD said:


> You also have to understand the relationship between aperture and depth-of-field.
> 
> Shooting wide open, even at a "slow" shutter speed will keep far too much of the background in focus, detracting from the resulting motion blur.


You have it backwards...

Wide-open (small f-stop) keeps the subject in focus (and everything within that focal plane). Pictures shot wide open with a good lens will have very creamy/silky out-of-focus backgrounds. The subject will appear to "pop" out in the picture because it is in very sharp focus while the background is blended away in the background. Controlling what's in focus and what gets blended away is pretty challenging... at f/1.4, f/1.8, etc. you have a very narrow sliver of range which is in focus. Depending on the distance you stand from the subject, you may end up with only a very small section of the photo in focus (e.g. the nose of a person but not the eyes, or the mirror of the car and not the rest of the car).

Stopped-down (high f-stop) provides excellent depth-of-field, keeping the background in focus as much as the foreground. Landscape photos are typically good candidates for stopped-down photography since you want the scene to be taken-in and in-focus. Stopped down photos require an extremely steady hand or a tripod. It requires significantly longer exposures to provide enough light to properly expose the photo. True to the term "stopped down", the aperture blades are extended all the way and you only have a pin-hole worth of light to exposure the photo.


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## jebroni (Jul 27, 2006)

I came across a couple of photos that I was hoping someone would be able to tell me how to do: 




I'm still a photography n00b but have a SLR and decent fast focusing lens to play with. In the first shot is it just a case of keeping the camera low and panning it? If so, how is the ground so smooth?

In the second shot, how does the photographer get so close to the car in front?


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

jebroni said:


> I'm still a photography n00b but have a SLR and decent fast focusing lens to play with. In the first shot is it just a case of keeping the camera low and panning it? If so, how is the ground so smooth?


#1 looks like a still photo that was Photoshopped to show motion.
#2 could either be done with Photoshop (still photo from a ladder, then Photoshopped for motion) or it could also be achieved with a chase car behind it (focus set on the car, slow shutter speed).


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## jebroni (Jul 27, 2006)

Thanks for the quick reply. I'll research the photoshopping techniques to get that effect.

There was one other pic I was interested in copying: 
http://blog.paulsveda.com/action_photography/feeling_of_speed.php

The creator gives some tips but I can't work it out. Anyone care to help me?


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## dumale (Jul 18, 2006)

http://www.automotiverigs.com/index.html

its really easy to make one if you don't want to shell out the bucks.

crap... maybe I should start my own company.


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## szumlins (Jan 4, 2007)

I tend to shoot 1/100 and stand n' pan. Here are a few of mine from last year @Mid-Ohio for the Grand Am (same race the e46 did 4 vertical flips...and I was grabbing a new beer when it happened and didn't get to shoot it).


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## speedminded (Feb 24, 2007)

jebroni said:


> I came across a couple of photos that I was hoping someone would be able to tell me how to do:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Correct me if i'm wrong (RPMPhotography or JDMoto *hint hint*), but i'm 99.9***37;; positive those are both rig shots with minor post processing. There is an aluminum rail attached to the car as a camera mount that is later photoshopped out of the image. You literally push the car at 1-2mph with a slower shutter speed to achieve that motion effect.

http://www.automotiverigs.com/

The other option is car to car using a gyro stabilizer, most think i'm nuts for even mentioning the use of a gyro (they cost $1,500-3k)! It's a camera mount with two little motors that spin up to 20,000 rpms each that stabilize the camera. Of course you can do it without a gyro but to achieve the quality of shots you see in magazines it would be suggested...

http://www.ken-lab.com/stabilizers.html









Main thing is just keep practicing, alot of creative things can be done with rolling and rig shots...




























Rig shots (PS'd to remove arm):










Tomer Feder, a veteran at rig shots: http://www.lightstalkers.org/tomer_feder


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## JDMOTO (Aug 10, 2005)

yes. those are rig shots. Easton shot those pics.

this one is a rig shot..








the thing about rig shots is once you make it. you need to be able to shoot from a far distance so that you can see the motion in the background. it makes the object and background work together much better. This was with a 16ft rig which is hella long.


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## Swarna (Feb 21, 2007)

I hope i will also able to picture some this like this wonders...:rofl:


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## WhiteAngel330 (Mar 8, 2006)

Now this is what I need. It would be nice to have someone do this for me.


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