source: Audi Magazine (Audi Australia)
Film maker and photographer, Sam Evans, shares his tips on how to get the best shots of your Audi.
The pros make it look easy, but capturing a car in all its glory can be one of the trickiest things to achieve for any budding photographer. Even sitting still, cars can be one of the most difficult subjects to shoot, given the numerous angles, reflective surfaces and light play across those surfaces. Whether you’re shooting for pleasure, to post or for publication in some other medium, getting it just right can be frustrating but when you nail it, tremendously rewarding.
Sam Evans is a film maker, influencer and photographer who has worked with the Audi brand for several years both here and overseas. During the COVID-induced lockdown, he decided to share some of his top tips to help others capture their Audi in just the right – literally – and to help build the foundation to make the most of what is often a fleeting opportunity to truly capture the moment.
Some of them may seem simple, yet it’s incredible how often people overlook the basics and try for the ‘money shot’ straight off the bat.
Making sure you start with a clean car is sometimes overlooked, but the difference a really clean car makes to the end product in tangible.
Location, Location location doesn’t just apply to realestate, but when shooting your car, the backdrop and how you frame it can make all the difference. Often a location that may not at first look ideal can be ‘cropped’ to show only what you want in the background – in other words, the spot doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you can cut out the obvious imperfections.
Lighting is one of the most important aspect to consider when shooting any vehicle. Given all of those reflective surfaces and angles, harsh direct light won’t do you any favours. Soft muted light is best, particularly for darker cars and be careful not to capture your own reflection in the surface unless it’s deliberate.
Figure your angle, your framing and your composition to show the car and its surrounds to best effect. Using a different angle can change the whole character of the image and how the car appears.
Moving or ‘tracking’ shots show the car doing what it was designed to do, but obviously, this is where you need to call in reinforcements so that you can concentrate on getting the shot. Discuss car placement beforehand with your designated driver, or Sam uses a walkie talkies or mobile phone to get the driver to position the car in just the right spot.
The devil as always is in the detail. It’s not always just a straight portrait of the car that you want and often a detail in isolation can create a very powerful image all on its own. At the end of the day though, perhaps the most important thing is to have fun with it don’t be afraid to experiment. Try something different and you never know what you might come up with.
