How do I take better pics?

[Dane Guy]

I'm having trouble capturing some of the paint defects on my wife's car (pitting). Are there any tips on taking better pictures of car paint such as camera settings, lighting etc? I'm using a digital camera.



Thanks!

 

[jfelbab]

I'm having trouble capturing some of the paint defects on my wife's car (pitting). Are there any tips on taking better pictures of car paint such as camera settings, lighting etc? I'm using a digital camera.



Thanks!

Take control of the lighting, use sunlight and reflections to your advantage to highlight the defect you want to image. If you have a macro lens use it to get up really close. If not, try close-up lens attachments or extension tubes to get close. Pay particular attention to focus and depth of field to show the extent of the marring. Best to use a tripod but be sure to take a lot of shots and choose the best. If you have Photoshop you can adjust the contrast, the shadows and highlights adjustments and the sharpness and noise filters to accent the defect.



Pitting is a pretty tiny defect which needs you to get pretty close to photograph. You want to use light and angles in such a way as the defect stands out.