The Ultimate Car Rig Photography Thread!

Shoot to avoid shadows from the rig on the car. Quite like shooting in to the sun.

Latest one went a bit OTT and it was spitting rain so it's a dirty shot, unsure if it will ever see the light of day.
 
even though my rig is now 100 times better, i'm still struggling with technique. In most cases i cant push the car, but cant drive the cars slow enough, even in reverse so i get lots of wobble.

this one is actually a cheat. its the car from one rig shot (the only sharp shot i had) put on top of another (car wasnt sharp, but angle was better).

11025669_10155452947310019_2290650709456585335_o.jpg
 
Gary said:
even though my rig is now 100 times better, i'm still struggling with technique. In most cases i cant push the car, but cant drive the cars slow enough, even in reverse so i get lots of wobble.

this one is actually a cheat. its the car from one rig shot (the only sharp shot i had) put on top of another (car wasnt sharp, but angle was better).

11025669_10155452947310019_2290650709456585335_o.jpg
Click to expand...
Think I know what you mean, but I still like this.

Just wish I had a rig to try some of this stuff.

If I were to look at putting a kit together over time, how would people suggest go about this.

What suction cups etc?
 
Gary said:
even though my rig is now 100 times better, i'm still struggling with technique. In most cases i cant push the car, but cant drive the cars slow enough, even in reverse so i get lots of wobble.

this one is actually a cheat. its the car from one rig shot (the only sharp shot i had) put on top of another (car wasnt sharp, but angle was better).
Click to expand...

What technique are you using? What settings etc?

Why can't you push the car?

That's a great shot. You really wouldn't know it was a cheat shot. When I first started rigging I would "cheat" all the time. I would make sure I took a static shot of the car with the camera mounted on the rig. Then if I struggled with the sharpness I would copy over parts (or sometimes most) of the car from the static shot. Made a huge difference.
 
@moranphotography here are the two posts with most of what you need to know. The first is the budget homemade option and the second using the proper parts....



sduk said:
Being a keen car photographer I recently made my own car rig and researched multiple threads on here for advice.

I am now on my second stage of my rig and have ordered the proper manfrotto parts.

I thought it would be helpful for others (and me) to have a thread of discussion/advice and photo sharing of car rig shots.

So here was my first rig. I think it must have cost me about £62 in total and is made up of the following parts...

2 x suction pads from B&Q - £9.99 each
1 x aluminium 12ft aerial mast - £12
1 x steel 2m metal pipe - £10
10 x 6mm nuts and bolts - £5
1 x mini tripod - £15

Here is a picture as I was adding an extension piece on (it is now drilled and bolted)...

12022d94.jpg


1488daba.jpg



It was good fun to make and easier than I thought, it easily dismantles and transported in the boot of my car.

Sammy
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sduk said:
I found that even though the pipes were rigid, the bounce once under load was huge! To counter this I had a friend make a "T" piece out of one of the steel connecting pipes...

rig4.jpg




I then used a strap as a tensioner and attached it to each end of the rig, passing it over the "T" piece...

rig6-1.jpg


rig5.jpg


rig1.jpg


This reduced the bounce massively and also didn't increase the weight of the rig too much.



To attach the camera to the rig I bought a Manfrotto Magic Arm with Camera Bracket.

This cost £89.96 and I got it from here

http://www.karlu.com/manfrotto-magic-arm-with-camera-bracket-p-9394.html


Then I bought another Manfrotto Superclamp (as above) and used this to attach to the beam.

The camera then attaches to the magic arm and can easily be positioned for the rig shot...

9A3AA790-DC57-497F-BC1F-6821DBA1882D-151-0000000F04BEB0DE.jpg



I think that is everything.

I have just been trying it out with trial and error and I am starting to get the hang of it.

It is good fun and you get some ace shots!

hope that helps those who were asking,

Sammy
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Hope that pastes in okay and works.

Sammy
 
sduk said:
Had quite quite a few requests on detailed info on my rig set up so thought I would try and share as much info as I can.

It really is not complicated or difficult to make!

So here are the details of my current set-up:


The first parts are 2 x Manfrotto PUMP CUP WITH 16mm BABY SWIVEL SPIGOT - Avenger F1000

These cost about £58,00 each and I bought these from...

http://www.karlu.com/manfrotto-pump-cup-with-16mm-baby-swivel-spigot-p-9440.html

These "sucker" onto your car and can be used on any flat surface.



Once these are fitted you need 2 x Manfrotto Super Clamp 035

These cost about £22.46 and I bought these from...

http://www.karlu.com/manfrotto-super-clamp-035-p-3934.html

These attach to the manfrotto avengers and have a strong grup for holding onto your beam.



Here are the two parts in use on my rig...

rig3.jpg




After that you need to sort the main beam of your rig. I went to a motor factor and bought a length of steel pipe and aluminium pipe.

The steel (much stronger) has a slightly larger diameter than the aluminium pipe and can be slid over the top.

I cut them into three parts each and used the steel pipe as joining sections with the aluminium as the main length sections...

Once connected, I drilled holes through them and fitted bolts to hold it in place. I marked the joining parts with tape and numbered the sections so I know what order to build it once it was dismantles...

rig7.jpg


rig9.jpg


rig2.jpg



Here is a shot showing the thickness of the steel connectors (the aluminium main sections are about the same but slightly smaller in diameter to fit inside...

rig10.jpg
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Thanks for this, anyone think that the app DSLR controller could be used in this situation, I'd imagine the camera gets in some funny angles and the ability to control remotely would come in handy and change settings etc?
 
moranphotography said:
Thanks for this, anyone think that the app DSLR controller could be used in this situation, I'd imagine the camera gets in some funny angles and the ability to control remotely would come in handy and change settings etc?
Click to expand...

it might do, to be honest it's not too hard to use the camera upside down, especially if you have a live view (which most do) I set the camera to shutter priority first and then its easy to adjust the shutter speed and other settings to suit. You get to learn where the buttons are pretty quickly :)

A remote shutter is a must though, makes it much easier :)
 
sduk said:
it might do, to be honest it's not too hard to use the camera upside down, especially if you have a live view (which most do) I set the camera to shutter priority first and then its easy to adjust the shutter speed and other settings to suit. You get to learn where the buttons are pretty quickly :)

A remote shutter is a must though, makes it much easier :)
Click to expand...

Suppose you guys don't need to worry about the camera shifting slightly like when I'm doing light painting stacking. I find even reviewing the pics can shift it slightly. New ball head helped slightly, so going to be using phone to remotely view pics and change settings etc.

I thought it would be handy if you were at the back of the car ready to push then trigger the shot with your phone would be handy.

Anyway going off topic slightly
 
sduk said:
What technique are you using? What settings etc?

Why can't you push the car?

That's a great shot. You really wouldn't know it was a cheat shot. When I first started rigging I would "cheat" all the time. I would make sure I took a static shot of the car with the camera mounted on the rig. Then if I struggled with the sharpness I would copy over parts (or sometimes most) of the car from the static shot. Made a huge difference.
Click to expand...

my remote is broken, so i had to push the button directly.. which is probably part of the problem.

so, the usual technique is push the car and let the camera hang freely whilst clicking the remote?
 
@Gary that first one is immense considering the car and background don't actually belong together. The opposite lock idea is one I will do myself as well as the smoke for a similar effect as the second one, but something doesn't look as convincing on that one at all. Either way, great PP skills.
 
just when you think youre getting the hang of it you discover that you are supposed to cover the viewfinder or you get light leaking in! ahh well, i kinda patched it up in photoshop (excuse jpeg artefacts - its hosted on facebook)
11043125_10155524265920019_1192624391810067604_o.jpg
 
I've seen a few people post up about this happening to them but have never experienced it myself. I guess as my Sony A77 has an electronic view finder then it won't happen to me?

It's a great feature. It means I can see the exposure/aperture and other settings "live" on screen as I set up the shot.

How do you cover the viewfinder?
 
sduk said:
I've seen a few people post up about this happening to them but have never experienced it myself. I guess as my Sony A77 has an electronic view finder then it won't happen to me?

It's a great feature. It means I can see the exposure/aperture and other settings "live" on screen as I set up the shot.

How do you cover the viewfinder?
Click to expand...

yup, you'll be fine if you dont have an SLR
top cameras can block the viewfinder, but most have a little bit of plastic you slide over it.
 
The A77 is a DSLR. I assume the evf shuts off during an exposure to prevent this tho :)

Great shot by the way :) my only crit would be to reduce the heavy vignette and maybe add in a blue Sky in Photoshop.
 
nice shots matt. I feel the Focus first shot could it be lightened slightly? Also a wee bit noise reduction would smooth the motion slightly? LOVE the second shot of the monster truck. Did you manage to push that for the shots?

If you wanna email me the first focus shot I'd love a go at editing it :) sduk @ hotmail . com

Sammy
 
Sammy lucky that shot was on a hill! And ill send u the image tonight :) mike, love that shot
 
Has anyone tried using a gyroscopic handheld mount to take this kind of shot?
In view of the fact that they're relatively cheap £40-50 and much more portable.
I presume keeping the same distance and height between the car could be an issue?
Just wanted to get the experts thoughts.
Some top quality photos in the thread too.
 
Lardyc7 said:
Has anyone tried using a gyroscopic handheld mount to take this kind of shot?
In view of the fact that they're relatively cheap £40-50 and much more portable.
I presume keeping the same distance and height between the car could be an issue?
Just wanted to get the experts thoughts.
Some top quality photos in the thread too.
Click to expand...

I can't see how that would work at all mate? Do you mean walk alongisde the car with the camera on the likes of a steadycam? The reason these shots work is because the camera and car are mounted together, traveling at a constant speed. You need this connection eg. a rig boom between the car and camera to get the blur, you'd have a very hard time matching your walking pace to the car and keeping the camera level etc and more than likely just end up with a blurry mess!
 
Thought that might be the case.
I'll show you the rubbish on here if I give it a go, lol.
I've got a mate who has one I can borrow. Cant hurt to give it a crack......and it'll give you a good laugh!! ;)
 
hi mate, there are two main types. Depending on your budget.

I (and a lot of other guys on here) use the Manfrotto Avenger Suction mount...

1519275.jpg


http://www.wexphotographic.com/webcontent/product_images/large/156/1519275.jpg

These are about £60 and have the ball joint socket.


Then there are uprated cups with changeable stocks that allow for extension pieces to be added.


213461549.jpg


http://www.carcamerarig.com/menu/pr...dapter-32kg-rated/p/32944199/category=3601713

These are about £110 but have a much higher weight rating.


So it depends on your budget and how serious you want to get into it.
 
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Cheers, ive been looking at the CCR ones as tbh they are looking like the ones i might get. Just wondered if there was any others on the market i didnt know to haha.

Price isnt too much of an issue as would rather pay for quality and safety tbh and im doing alot of shoots with the rig so just makes sense
 
Bedworth said:
Thought while I'm at it i would share a recent test we did, light painting while rigging (light painting done by sixbe)

16746476137_1184f700d3_c.jpg
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Nice shot, seen this car at a few shows.

Light painting and rigging is tricky stuff because the light freezes motion, which is why the front wheel looks weird! I find the light streak on the door a little distracting and the whole top half of the door and rear panel are too dark for me but it's an interesting shot!

I'm yet to see a perfect shot of light painting w/ a rig but I admire the ambition. Rig looks sharp is it a DIY or a CCR?
 
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