The Ultimate Car Rig Photography Thread!

Hi guys and (gals)

I've been watching this thread for a few weeks and love the stuff in it. I've been wanting to build a rig for about 2 years now but couldn't really justify the cost being a 3rd year photography undergrad. I do quite a lot of automotive photography, mostly light painting but over the past month I've been collecting bits to put a rig together and all in it's only cost me around £140!

Got x2 241 manfrotto cups on ebay for £25 a piece, 2 calumet super clamps for £28 in the sale, a manfrotto magic arm & camera bracket for £70 and I had one superclamp already lying around. Currently using a 60D and sigma 10-20mm with a polarising filter.

For the pole I was originally looking into aluminium tubing, but was always worried about the weight. It wasn't until late in this thread I saw the carbon poles on offer from Gareth. I realised they were the same poles used for industrial window cleaning equipment which I just so happened to have in my garden thanks to my Dad. Although this one isn't carbon it's fairly sturdy and a good length. I decided to go out today for the first time and give it all a go!

I'm quite impressed with the pole, there is some flex but if the cups are in the right place it's more than usable. Quite windy and dull today so got some side to side motion and really need a few ND filters as even ISO 100, F22, 1.5" shutter w/ polariser was a little blown out!

The edit is rough, the composition/location was a test but I'm happy with it for a first go!

Lupo Rig Shot by MattSmithh, on Flickr

and some pictures of the rig...

10713003_10153022713489188_7202156374678573654_n.jpg
 
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hello mate and welcome to the thread! great to have another person to get involved and posting :) post up one of the moving shots :D

if your rig is bit bendy then shorten it and go as wide as you can, should help. Also take a stationary shot of the car before you move it. Then you can kind of cheat and copy over some sharp features to improve the shot

Sammy
 
Cheers Sammy! It's not so much the bendyness I think it was just the wind today moving it side to side. I rigged and shot on my own so I was behind pushing couldn't really see what the camera was doing but I'm happy with the pole for now. Going to have a real play this weekend! (Moving shot added above now!)

I saw about mixing the moving/stationary image in this thread, will give that a try next time!

Here's a shot straight out of camera! ND filters needed haha. Also got some flare on the side windows/weird marks from the polarisor (car is filthy to be fair)

1_zpsf3d2aade.jpg
 
great first effort tho, much better than my first shot. Another foot away from the pavement would let you see the whole wheel and yeah and ND filter would allow longer shutter speeds and help. Looking forward to seeing more, keep posting in the thread :D
 
Yeah didn't realise it was cutting the wheel was gutted about that haha! What do people recommend in terms of strength for ND filters? Don't want to get one that's overkill as I'd rather spend good money once and get a quality filter.

Think I'm going to invest in some wire to pull the cars as well!
 
I use and ND400 but know others use an ND64. With the 400 and a polariser stacked I can easily do 30 second exposures. I have a wire pull I made but these days unless its a retro car not many have toe hooks that you can use.
 
Cheers Sammy, ND filter on order!

Went out again a little later on with a mates Clio RS when the light levels dropped! Managed a longer exposure and wind was calmer! Just need to work on angles now the 10-20mm makes the rear quarter look absurd!

Clio RS Rig Shot by MattSmithh, on Flickr
 
Got a rig off here about 2 months ago now, maybe more, and have used it for the first time - finally. I've never had any experience with anything like this before but had a unique opportunity to get right in at the deep and end rig a tank. A Sabre to be precise.

This was hard work, naturally being a tank there was no way this thing was going to allow us to push or pull it, so we had it running and it was shaking and jerking the camera and the rig all over the place. Also and quite disappointingly due to the surface texture there was literally one single option as to where I could actually place the rig so the angle of view is not exactly what I wanted, but it was this or nothing - at least until I can attach the boom by some other method other than the Avenger cups.

Enjoy.

p240082288-5.jpg
 
that is brilliant, despite being limited by your location i think it totally works. The colours make the tank really pop and the spire on the building to the right gives it almost a medieval feel and totally suits it.
 
Lovely stuff Sammy, particular like the B&W one of the 6N! Looks like it could be a tunnel rather the carpark!

Quality of them is really nice. How wide are you shooting?
 
I've always wanted to try these kind of shots, but would be worried about the camera falling off
 
Nah you'd be surprised how well the cups grip. You can buy cups with a higher load rating though if it puts your mind at ease. I personally have never had a cup fail but regardless I always stay at the boom end if my camera is attached. Just incase :)
 
Another from my 1st day with the rig!

Clio RS 200 by MattSmithh, on Flickr

I've now fabbed up a stabiliser and plan to add a ratchet strap into the mix to hopefully take the bend out of the rig and allow me to use the full length of my telescopic pole! Pics this weekend when I test it out!
 
sduk said:
I tend to go for anything between 20-30 seconds depending on the light. The car moves at most about 1-2 wheel rotations. It is pushed very very slowly.
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Interesting.... So you're not actually driving at any speed then? Think that was always my worry, driving at even just 10mph and then the camera falls off.... So ideally, you want a couple of mate pushing out of sight, and someone near the camera "just in case"
 
Was out testing my new T piece/stabiliser today! Seriously impressed with it, I used a small ratchet strap to tension each side of the pole, over the T piece and it took all of the bend out of the pole which puts my mind at ease as well as lets me frame better! Not a fan of super low shots so this allows me to keep the camera level with the roofline!

I was testing on my own today so it was touch and go didn't really get much of a rolling shot but it was more of a test of throwing the bits together. Got plans to mill out a section of the T piece and take some weight out of it, add some rubber where it clamps to the pole to swap it moving around at all and then have it powdercoated so it's nice to work with!

Pretty confident I can push past 5m with this setup, possibly to 6m possibly even 7m if I'm ballsy enough. Got to get a longer ratchet strap now. Hopefully a proper test on the weekend.

Finding the ND400 a little weak even with a polariser stacked on (F18, ISO 100, 3") so going to order some stronger filters and play around.

Framing on the last shot is poor, didn't take my ball head out with me and didn't fancy using the manfrotto magic arm so was a bracket to a super clamp job which left me no movement really!

IMG_6767 by MattSmithh, on Flickr
IMG_6769 by MattSmithh, on Flickr
IMG_6770 by MattSmithh, on Flickr
Rig T Piece by MattSmithh, on Flickr
 
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Yeah I've seen people use them with varying success but it's a good start a stabiliser is certainly a good idea IMO! Shutter speed on the above was about 2" i think but i couldn't get the car moving much because I was on my own and wanted to keep an eye on the pole! Once I can increase the shutter speed I think the shots will improve a lot!

My T piece is fairly heavy duty at the minute but should be lightened soon! Not sure how much stress the plumbing ones can handle as the strap in my rig has some tension is it last thing I need is something bending haha!
 
sduk said:
good effort, what shutter speed was that at? I have thought about adding some sort of tensioner for added stability on the longer shots.

I found this clamp with a rubber grip and a threaded top mount that I thought would be quite good and also not too heavy...

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RUBBER-LI...aterials_Plumbing_MJ&var=&hash=item4157a6b0d9
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I use these sorts of brackets for a living (heating engineer) they're fine with a straight square load but be careful using them on angles and pulling them about.
 
Has anyone ever had a problem with the manfrotto cups not sticking? One of mine is really temperamental can pump away for ages and nothing! Even in places the other one has just been so placement isn't the issue. There's no visible damage to the edges of the cup (or anywhere for that matter) and I can feel the air being sucked in through the fluffy bit. I'm puzzled!

On the verge of binning the manfrotto and looking elsewhere for cups, any recommendations?
 
shootthefuture said:
Has anyone ever had a problem with the manfrotto cups not sticking? One of mine is really temperamental can pump away for ages and nothing! Even in places the other one has just been so placement isn't the issue. There's no visible damage to the edges of the cup (or anywhere for that matter) and I can feel the air being sucked in through the fluffy bit. I'm puzzled!

On the verge of binning the manfrotto and looking elsewhere for cups, any recommendations?
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Justin at @CarCameraRig is the man to speak to Matt. He sells suction cups that have a higher weight rating. Also they have removable spindles and can be customised to suit the shot.
 
shootthefuture said:
Has anyone ever had a problem with the manfrotto cups not sticking? One of mine is really temperamental can pump away for ages and nothing! Even in places the other one has just been so placement isn't the issue. There's no visible damage to the edges of the cup (or anywhere for that matter) and I can feel the air being sucked in through the fluffy bit. I'm puzzled!

On the verge of binning the manfrotto and looking elsewhere for cups, any recommendations?
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Woods from GGR glass - http://www.ggrglass.co.uk/suction-mounts/
 
Some grest stuff keep up the great work! Not rigged for a while but hopinh to very soon!!
 
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