The Ultimate Car Rig Photography Thread!

Bedworth said:
Went to Shelsley Walsh the weekend and got an opportunity to right these beauty. Shame I had literally 10mins to do it. Never rigged a car so fast. Not too bad either i dont think

Ferrari P4 330 by MDB Images, on Flickr
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Love this shot, was it bonnet mounted? I know you were rushed for time but a short exposure (5 - 8 secs) or so for the ground would bring in detail and add to the sense of speed. I usually forget to do it and don't realise until I get back to edit. Really does improve the shot tho :)
 
great shot @shootthefuture , I might have done maybe a slight rotation so it looks like he is driving level or downhill? Just me though :)

Gonna tackle that GTR edit tonight hopefully, will see how I get on :) That was the first time I had used the extension bar on the front cup to add height to the rig. Was trying different angles, not sure if it worked :)
 
sduk said:
Love this shot, was it bonnet mounted? I know you were rushed for time but a short exposure (5 - 8 secs) or so for the ground would bring in detail and add to the sense of speed. I usually forget to do it and don't realise until I get back to edit. Really does improve the shot tho :)
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It was mounted on the top of the wings/bonnet just by the glass. Was a right pain lol.

And ye i know what you mean. Ill have to remember to do that when get more time to rig.
 
Hi guys, just getting my bits together and then will hopefully make a start :D

so far have some Woods cups, Manfrotto magic arm and some super clamps, just need the pole. Tried some 32mm tube from B&Q but it was all over the place at 6m even before the camera was on it. Widest lens is 17mm so dont think i can go 4m or the photo will be all car.
 
Mark Ward Media said:
Hi guys, just getting my bits together and then will hopefully make a start :D

so far have some Woods cups, Manfrotto magic arm and some super clamps, just need the pole. Tried some 32mm tube from B&Q but it was all over the place at 6m even before the camera was on it. Widest lens is 17mm so dont think i can go 4m or the photo will be all car.
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Did you have a stabiliser? that might help to counter the bounce. Remember you're pushing the car mega mega slow, about 1-2 wheel rotations over the exposure. So over 30 seconds that is hardly moving any distance. If you're on crop sensor then being able to go to 10mm really does help



muscleflex said:
Really cool. I'm tempted to make one but I don't have a nice car to shoot :(
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Once you start getting decent shots with it loads of people will want it done!
 
Your lines of motion in the tarmac are a bit all over the place there, some curved, some straight. I also don't think the rig position is a particularly good choice but I dare say for a first rigshot, you've taken a lot from the learning experience leaving anything else as a bonus.

I've been back to my anonymous car park, I posted a photo here of a corner of a car park I thought could look like a race track with the right props. I've made some props and have returned and I reckon I've done a decent job looking at the back of the camera. Will process and post this eve/tomorrow. That's been a learning experience for me too!

Need to buy some more gaffers tape before I try again though...
 
I've not actually done anything with the lines of the road apart from two small spots. It was quite a wide angle in a low angle which has provided some distortion of the image.
Cheers for your feedback though. Love learning new things like this and this forum has to be one of the best for sharing of knowledge.
 
Simon Kitt said:
Well my first proper attempt done. Dropped the 5d2 (luckily from a small height) but learning has taken place. Hoping to improve on the technique and improve my post processing techniques too.

First Attempt at Rig Shooting by Simon Kitt Photography, on Flickr
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hey for a first shot that's much better than I achieved! Glad to have another person posting on the page!

My crit would be...

- use multiple exposures. I have only recently started doing this. I use a static shot for the sky (usually with a really short exposure to get lots of detail), a short shutter speed for the ground 5-8 secs and then the long (usually 30 secs) for the background.

- the angle is very low, maybe position the rig to the left or right of the car and then you will be able to see the wheel turning and this will make the shot even more interesting rather than just the front of the car.

- did you shoot in RAW? If so a slight tweek on the noise reduction slider would smooth the image slightly and reduce the noise.

Really great effort though, you'll be amazed how much you come on with practice. What colour was the car? did you not like the colour version?

Did the rig fail to cause the camera to drop? scary stuff, touch wood i have never had that happen. I always stay with the camera end once mounted.
 
Hey Sammy,

Yeah will try the double exposure thing. I did a 2 (I think) second exposure metering off the sky for exposure. The cloud was being a bit still so not much movement unfortunately.
The angle was just a mess about I've got about five other ones to edit and see what they look like. This one got stood out straight away to me.

Yeah I always shoot in raw and will probably run noise ninja over it to cut the grain down a bit.

No didn't like the colour version too much as it's a grey car anyway and I generally shoot monochrome anyway (always did in the days of film anyway)

The rig failed due to the stud on the suction cup and the super clamp coming separated. Found that the stud doesn't have enough of a groove in it to allow the secondary locking system to engage so it was being held by the screw alone. Rooted out my manfrotto studs now and awaiting some adjustable joints.
I had my faithful assistant on the camera end but it happened so fast and thankfully was low enough not to do much damage.
However I will be glad when my 1d3 arrives as they're like mini tanks.
 
Hi, I have followed this thread for a few months and really wanted to try this out. I took early retirement 18 months ago and took up photography, so really have loads to learn. I have cobbled together some bits to form a DIY rig, but really need a better boom pole as using a painters extension pole at present.
Went out the other night to try everything out and really struggled, so much to remember, and hadn't bargained for taking 20 minutes to work out how to overcome the auto handbrake on the Audi, every time I turned the engine off the handbrake automatically applied.
Worked it out eventually and got the following shots. Please give me some feedback as I'm desperate to learn and get better.

AUDI A7 RIGSHOT by andy.foakes, on Flickr

RIG2Audi_edited-1 by andy.foakes, on Flickr

RIG1_edited-1 by andy.foakes, on Flickr

Rigaudia7turn by andy.foakes, on Flickr
 
Hi Andy, welcome to the thread, you're in the right place to learn! as far as first shots go I think they are really great. I am by no means an expert but my tips would be, use a circular polarising filter if you can, would really make a big difference especially in the first shot.

Do you have photos of your set up? there is a bit of a colour cast on a couple of the shots. What filters are you using? can you post your settings also? are you shooting in RAW?

I saw your request for the website for the CarbonRig on the Facebook page. We just launched the page and need to get all the details up. If you need more info on the rigs ask @cardiff_gareth on here in the first instance and he will help :)

Sammy
 
Hi Sammy, believe it or not all shots were with a circ- pl and a lightcraft fader variable nd filter but I did get a little confused as to their positions as difficult to see if polarizer is working as nd makes it very dark. Rigging on my own doesn't help as kept having to jump in and out of car to set up and then get it rolling, 2nd & 3rd pic where with engine running and in gear. Yes shooting in RAW.
Settings as follows
Pic 1 ISO 100, 6sec, f25, 10-24 lens at 18mm
Pic 2. ISO 100 30sec, f8, 10-24 lens at 24mm
Pic 3 ISO 100 5 sec, f29. 10-24 lens at 24mm
Pic 4. ISO 100. 13 sec, f25 10-24 lens at 16mm

Sorry no photos of set up I'll take some next time.
 
I like these @AndyFo, the only thing for me is I can't help but look at the background as there is some weird rendering going on. Pic 1 tree far left, pic 2 bright area over bonnet, pic 3 and 4 trees. I like the light on the drivers face in pic 2 :)

What length pole are you using at the mo ?
 
AndyFo said:
Hi Sammy, believe it or not all shots were with a circ- pl and a lightcraft fader variable nd filter but I did get a little confused as to their positions as difficult to see if polarizer is working as nd makes it very dark. Rigging on my own doesn't help as kept having to jump in and out of car to set up and then get it rolling, 2nd & 3rd pic where with engine running and in gear. Yes shooting in RAW.
Settings as follows
Pic 1 ISO 100, 6sec, f25, 10-24 lens at 18mm
Pic 2. ISO 100 30sec, f8, 10-24 lens at 24mm
Pic 3 ISO 100 5 sec, f29. 10-24 lens at 24mm
Pic 4. ISO 100. 13 sec, f25 10-24 lens at 16mm

Sorry no photos of set up I'll take some next time.
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I'd say invest in the best filters you can get. I'd avoid variable filters. I use an ND400 and an CPL. Both Hoya. You can't miss the difference the polariser makes. Completely cuts out the reflections on the glass and paintwork. It is hard on your own but take your time and take plenty of static shots. Then merge for the final image. Don't think for one second the pros do it all in one shot.

I'd also go for longer exposures. I always use 30 seconds for the car. Gives a good sense of movement and helps keep it sharp. As a rule the car is only pushed always with the engine off and it only travels about 1-2 wheel rotations over the 30secs. Hardly moves.

Hope that helps. Keep trying and sharing :)
 
cardiff_gareth said:
I like these @AndyFo, the only thing for me is I can't help but look at the background as there is some weird rendering going on. Pic 1 tree far left, pic 2 bright area over bonnet, pic 3 and 4 trees. I like the light on the drivers face in pic 2 :)

What length pole are you using at the mo ?
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Hi Gareth, thanks for your comments, pole is a painters extension pole which goes to a max of 5m but in reality can only get it to about 4m as otherwise to much bounce.
What do you think is causing the rendering?
Andy
 
CPL it's important to get a good one, Hoya Pro etc.

For ND's I use an ND8 or ND1000, I should get an ND400 as well really but would be more for ease of use as the ND1000 really is total black other than highlights.
 
Thanks for the advice Sammy, I did try for some longer exposures but the variable nd caused the dreaded black cross on the photo so had to shorten it a bit. Must try multiple exp but not sure how to merge images in processing.
Have you tried pushing an Audi A7 at over 1700kg lol, must find a lighter car to rig.
Andy..
 
Digitalize said:
CPL it's important to get a good one, Hoya Pro etc.

For ND's I use an ND8 or ND1000, I should get an ND400 as well really but would be more for ease of use as the ND1000 really is total black other than highlights.
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CPL I'm using is a B&W F-pro which I thought was pretty good, I have this on the lens first and then the variable ND, surely it doesn't matter which way round they are does it?
 
Funny, for some reason I always have the ND filter on first and then the CPL on top. No idea why, just the way i do it. @AndyFo I've always used Hoya and they are a good filter that's not too pricey.

A lighter car does make it easier, i have an A6 though and I have managed! try to shoot someone else's car for practice and get them to push!
 
Here's the result my attempt at turning a car park into a race track.

Checking I'm kissing that apex.

p1138955059-4.jpg
 
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