Lotus Cars

I like the composition on no. 2, but for me they're all too tightly cropped in the frame. No 1 has suffered from that particularly because the dark colour, combined with the front end being in shadow means it's lost definition between car and it's own shadow
 
The pictures are fine (a bit bland and a little too tightly cropped for my taste), however you really need to take more care with your post-production.

There's some dodgy cloning work going on in the first image. Obviously there was something behind the car that you wanted to lose, but you need to refine your cloning technique as currently you have lines around the car outline, some 'mushy' bits and repetitive bits in the tarmac, and also the perspective is thrown off by the texture behind the car being the same size as that in front. Also you still need to lose the errant shadow under the spoiler. It just needs a little care and attention to detail.

On the second pic you have a ghosted outline. I'm guessing you made a selection around the car and then darkened the background a little. At some point your selection was shifted out of registration.

The only other thing that jumps out at me during a cursory look, is the wonky horizons on the last two images.

Please accept my apologies if you weren't looking for criticism. I appreciate the circumstances during the photography weren't ideal, but ultimately that is irrelevant to the viewer.

I was originally drawn to this thread out of idle nostalgia (I'm not a car enthusiast). I have great memories going to Lotus's factory at Hethel to photograph the chassis designer/engineer for the then new Elan. It must be around 26 years ago.

One thing alarmed me a little - seeing what looked like upturned jelly moulds at the factory, they were of course the fibreglass body shells of some model or other. Another thing almost scared the poop out of me - the designer (ex-racing driver) took me for a few laps around their test track, I didn't know you could get a commercial road car around corners at such speeds!

Great guy, great day, and a good show in The Guardian or Independent (I can't remember which - old fart brain fade!).

Please excuse my rambling diatribe. I'll now wander off to do something more constructive and leave you good people in peace. :)
 
As always it's location, location, location. The cloning on the first has been mentioned, but find a good location. Same goes for #3, white car with grey sky can mean it gets lost or the overall image is weak. You need a polariser to take out the shine from the paintwork and windscreen.
I like the elevated angle on the first, that shows the car well.
 
The defence would like to make their remarks! :D
Thanks a lot for your replies, especially Tony who took a lot of time with his.
As I said in my OP, these are shots taken for a car website for selling cars. These shots are the ones that went on the web. I get reminded by the Marketing department, we are in a car selling competion, not a photography one! I can only take the cars to one of two locations a couple of miles from the showroom. If my preferred first one is busy, then I go to option 2.

Here is my preferred choice but the car park fills up quickly, especially in the summer as it is free parking. Yachts in the background, jetty to the left, trees, sandy beaches, it's lovely.
View attachment 42997

Time is also against me as they want the cars on the web the same day I shoot them, leaves little or no time to process. Also, I'm not allowed to 'doctor' photos, they are supposed to be just cropped so the car FILLS the frame and that is about it! Hence the crop on the above shots.

Regarding your critique, I agree wholeheartedly with everything said.

I do sometimes use a polariser but it can change the colour of a car slightly, a topic I am going to raise on another forum. British Racing Green in the shadows can look decidely black.

I can't move the car round to get better lighting on them, I have to shoot with the best background, regardless of the position of the sun, had I turned #1 around the background would have been cars parked, which is a big no no, having other cars in the shot.

I do level the horizon but I think due to height of the car and my shooting position it does look wonky. Shots 1 and 2 were both taken at my least favourite spot here, this is on the cliff top, this shot is not cropped.View attachment 42998

Again thanks a lot for your comments, great stuff which will help me when I get some 'time' to shoot a car. I'd love to get one at sunrise or sunset but I can't see that happening! :)

Cheers
Simon.
 
Maybe suggest to them that given a little more artistic licence that you could potentially increase their sales.

An interesting exercise would be to take the same car on the same day and shoot it your way and then their way. Do a little market research and ask clients which car they would buy from the two different photos.
 
I'll be perfectly honest. You need to tell them they need to loosen the reins a little bit.
They are putting you in a difficult postion by limiting what you can and can't shoot. If you are the photographer they need to trust thaet you will make the correct judgement and take the right photo. Otherwise whats the point? They may as well take them on a point and shoot like every other car dealer.

I do agree about the processing, you need to be a little more careful, The cloning on the first image stands out like a sore thumb and if someone who doesnt know about cloning etc spots it they could be fooled into thinking you're trying to hide something. That last photo you posted of the BMW is by far the strongest. Ideally you'd want to be shooting in better light but I can appreciate this isn't always possible with this kind of photography. If you can't get them outside in great light it may pay to see if you can find somewhere under cover that you can shoot them instead :)

Hope that helps, sorry if it sounds harsh!
 
View attachment 43342 View attachment 43343 View attachment 43346 View attachment 43345 hanks again Andy and Nick. I haven't been there that long so I'm just trying to get my feet under the table. I'm waiting for Autumn when hopefully I'll be able to get some better lighting. The cloning was simply to remove a Transit van and I was banking on people looking at the car and nothing else. :)

Here are a few more with another Lotus, a rare one this.

1
 
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Are you using a CPL (polarising filter) when you shoot? Would have made a difference on the Lotus shoot with it being a black car.

If the backgrounds aren't going to be flattering, try and get a bit of elevation on your shot. Take a small step ladder or similar with you.

As said above, the BMW shot with flat light is the most flattering by far.

Hope some of that helps.
 
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