Detailing and photo question

[jdando]

Hey Gang;

Got done detailing using Zaino for the first time today. It looks good, glad I had a good clean car to work on!

Attached are some images showing off my work. The photo question is how do I (or can I) get my silly camera to take a decent picture. It is Minolta Dimage X20 and I can not seem to get it to focus. Do I have too much Zaino on my car :D?

I am thinking I need to upgrade to a digicam with a manual focus.

good photos are in my gallery click me (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/3102)

jeremy in minneapolis

[ROADWARRIORSVT]

You probably need to ask a professional photographer. I always hear photographers complain abourt how hard it is to take pictures of black cars. I had to be at our photo shoot right after "sunrise" and the car had to be facing a certain direction in relationship to the rising sun, etc., etc. I guess ALOT goes into taking a good picture.

[BruteForce]

I picked this link up from a thread here a while back.

clickage (http://www.cobracountry.com/fototips/home.html)

Has loads of photography tricks and tips for automobiles.

[Sactown]

I picked this link up from a thread here a while back.

clickage (http://www.cobracountry.com/fototips/home.html)

Has loads of photography tricks and tips for automobiles.

Looks like some good advice on that web site.

[ckadiddle]

My trick is that I take a humongous number of photos from different angles, heights, lighting conditions, etc. Then if I am real lucky, one ot two shots will be nice.

[Mad1]

When you're taking a photo of a "deep" shine, like a polished surface with lots of reflections ... you need a polarizer filter. It blocks all the "reflected" light (any light entering the lens at a 90-degree angle) and allows you to get a clear shot. Usually, that will work for cameras where you can add lens filters that screw onto the lens. You can then rotate the polarizer lens until it blocks the reflections ... example: Shooting the "Just Married" on my back window, the bright blue sky and clouds were reflected ... so I used the polarizer and it blocked out the light that bounced back to the camera and you could see the words clearly with no blue sky. (I'll try to find the photos and post them.)

Without polarizer (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showphoto.php/photo/7930/password/b789334d399ae3969bb9ac831aa8d2 03/sort/1/cat/500/page/1)

With polarizer (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showphoto.php?photo=7929&nocache=1)


Alternatively, your camera might be grabbing an autofocus spot off a reflection. To compensate, compose your shot while focusing it on a non-reflective spot {a card or something can be used} that is at the same distance you'll be shooting at the car, then push the shutter button half-way and holding it there to lock the exposure and focus. Then recompose {aim at the car} and fully depress the shutter button. I've found that the autofocus on point-n-shoot digitals can be easiliy confused by bright or shiny subjects.

Mad1
Jeremy

[Sactown]

Polarizers are great! For autofocus work, be sure to use a circular polarizer. Linear polarizers can interfere with the AF functions. I've tried it and at some angles the focus will just keep cycling and won't lock on.



When you're taking a photo of a "deep" shine, like a polished surface with lots of reflections ... you need a polarizer filter. It blocks all the "reflected" light (any light entering the lens at a 90-degree angle) and allows you to get a clear shot. Usually, that will work for cameras where you can add lens filters that screw onto the lens. You can then rotate the polarizer lens until it blocks the reflections ... example: Shooting the "Just Married" on my back window, the bright blue sky and clouds were reflected ... so I used the polarizer and it blocked out the light that bounced back to the camera and you could see the words clearly with no blue sky. (I'll try to find the photos and post them.)

Without polarizer (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showphoto.php/photo/7930/password/b789334d399ae3969bb9ac831aa8d2 03/sort/1/cat/500/page/1)

With polarizer (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showphoto.php?photo=7929&nocache=1)


Alternatively, your camera might be grabbing an autofocus spot off a reflection. To compensate, compose your shot while focusing it on a non-reflective spot {a card or something can be used} that is at the same distance you'll be shooting at the car, then push the shutter button half-way and holding it there to lock the exposure and focus. Then recompose {aim at the car} and fully depress the shutter button. I've found that the autofocus on point-n-shoot digitals can be easiliy confused by bright or shiny subjects.

Mad1
Jeremy

[wchain]

Its obviously your camera, for example, the lens makes you look like a dwarf in the pic on the right......


Hey Gang;

Got done detailing using Zaino for the first time today. It looks good, glad I had a good clean car to work on!

Attached are some images showing off my work. The photo question is how do I (or can I) get my silly camera to take a decent picture. It is Minolta Dimage X20 and I can not seem to get it to focus. Do I have too much Zaino on my car :D?

I am thinking I need to upgrade to a digicam with a manual focus.

good photos are in my gallery click me (http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/3102)

jeremy in minneapolis

[Embassy]

LOL!

....

[jdando]

Its obviously your camera, for example, the lens makes you look like a dwarf in the pic on the right......Hey, I resemble that!

jeremy lowering the height and weight average of the average Marauder owner :banana: