New Car (MKIV Golf R32)

TomJ · 17th August 2012, 10:14 PM

The car used to have black personalised plates and belonged to a guy at VWWatecooled / VWGolf.net. It's #144 of 200. Just a good excuse to take some photos of a new and washed car

Took these shots today and found it quite hard to edit them and make the black colour look decent so I went with B&W and came up with these edits. I still think the black of the car is a bit contrasty but any less depth in the contrast meant it was too grey in the lighter areas.

MKIV Golf R32 by Topazzar, on Flickr

switchblade327 · 18th August 2012, 3:44 PM

dude, there is no detail in the car.. did you try different B&W filtering?

SupremeMoFo · 18th August 2012, 3:55 PM

I like the shots, but it's a MkIV Golf - they have no detailing, so the PP looks fine to me.

Hi-tek · 18th August 2012, 4:50 PM

It's a black car... black tends to absorb the light so it's difficult to shoot. Looks like you use a polariser too which makes things a little tricky.

To shoot black cars you need to shoot's reflections. If you do a google image search you'll notice that they'll have long streaking lines which are reflections from softboxes.

Btw I love R32s... I'm still hesitant on the new Golf R, tanky car but nothing beats a screaming 6.

Power47 · 18th August 2012, 6:43 PM

yeah the shots and lighting on the car is quite good considering its a black car. since becoming a tog il always avoid getting a black car for this reason. shoot a white car ull see what i mean, incredibly easy to make them pop

TomJ · 18th August 2012, 6:45 PM

I didn't know it would be that difficult to create a good shot of a black car. I'll have to spot the reflections next time. The second one is a bit meh, probably the worst of the 4 although the first shot probably has the least detail and is just flat black... sun was not on that side of the car unfortunately.

I forgot my polarised filter was on too...

Quote:

Originally Posted by SupremeMoFo

I like the shots, but it's a MkIV Golf - they have no detailing, so the PP looks fine to me.

I think switchblade327 meant it had no detailing due to the fact that it's a black car. Also, I was not paying attention to reflections and lines. I did turn the car a few times in different spots so the sun was on it. I did not use the cameras B&W filtering but Lightroom B&W option in PP

beLarge · 18th August 2012, 11:24 PM

I would've though an urban backdrop would suit this car more than dirt/grass.

OnSet Images · 19th August 2012, 10:46 AM

The location is a poor choice and being basically smack bang on midday only makes it worse, there are no pleasing highlights on the paint only ugly reflections. Also the B&W doesn't work in these, the car is black so you would have more subject separation in colour and possibly just desat the paint where needed.

Catch the early morning/late afternoon light off the horizon, you'll get much more pleasant soft highlights in the paint and you'll see some shape in the body. Also watch your backgrounds, not so much what is seen in the image but more so what is out of frame and could be seen up the side of your car. If you can, grab a friend and when you get to your location get them to drive the car in a circle very slowly and watch the highlights in the paint as they do

beLarge · 19th August 2012, 3:58 PM

I remember seeing a link to an awesome Automotive Photography page on the forums a whiles ago, check out http://photocornucopia.com/1020.html

18th August 2012, 3:44 PM	#2
switchblade327 Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Sydney Posts: 982	dude, there is no detail in the car.. did you try different B&W filtering? __________________ V8 engine with a fuel injection 283 that's my ounce of perfection Take that rod out when it's very late, haven't gotten round to gettin' license plates

18th August 2012, 4:50 PM	#4
Hi-tek Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,315	It's a black car... black tends to absorb the light so it's difficult to shoot. Looks like you use a polariser too which makes things a little tricky. To shoot black cars you need to shoot's reflections. If you do a google image search you'll notice that they'll have long streaking lines which are reflections from softboxes. Btw I love R32s... I'm still hesitant on the new Golf R, tanky car but nothing beats a screaming 6. __________________ T5 Photography

18th August 2012, 6:43 PM	#5
Power47 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,944	yeah the shots and lighting on the car is quite good considering its a black car. since becoming a tog il always avoid getting a black car for this reason. shoot a white car ull see what i mean, incredibly easy to make them pop __________________ R4E - 3970x @4.8 - 3Way SLI evga 680 4GB FTWs - 16GB Corsair CL9 2400mhz - Xonar Phoebus - 240gb Intel 520 - AX1200i - TJ11 - Custom CPU Watercooling 2x Dell u3011s - Asus VG278 - Topre REALFORCE 104 - Logitech G700 - Sennheiser PC350 JPower Photography

19th August 2012, 10:46 AM	#8
OnSet Images Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 266	The location is a poor choice and being basically smack bang on midday only makes it worse, there are no pleasing highlights on the paint only ugly reflections. Also the B&W doesn't work in these, the car is black so you would have more subject separation in colour and possibly just desat the paint where needed. Catch the early morning/late afternoon light off the horizon, you'll get much more pleasant soft highlights in the paint and you'll see some shape in the body. Also watch your backgrounds, not so much what is seen in the image but more so what is out of frame and could be seen up the side of your car. If you can, grab a friend and when you get to your location get them to drive the car in a circle very slowly and watch the highlights in the paint as they do __________________ Like my Facebook page!

17th August 2012, 10:14 PM	#1
TomJ Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Perthizzle Posts: 1,543	New Car (MKIV Golf R32) The car used to have black personalised plates and belonged to a guy at VWWatecooled / VWGolf.net. It's #144 of 200. Just a good excuse to take some photos of a new and washed car Took these shots today and found it quite hard to edit them and make the black colour look decent so I went with B&W and came up with these edits. I still think the black of the car is a bit contrasty but any less depth in the contrast meant it was too grey in the lighter areas. MKIV Golf R32 by Topazzar, on Flickr MKIV Golf R32 by Topazzar, on Flickr MKIV Golf R32 by Topazzar, on Flickr MKIV Golf R32 by Topazzar, on Flickr __________________ Canon 5D2\|50 ƒ1.4\|24-105 ƒ4L\|70-200 ƒ2.8 OS\| Tumblr\|Flickr\|G+

18th August 2012, 11:24 PM	#7
beLarge Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Brisbane Posts: 296	I would've though an urban backdrop would suit this car more than dirt/grass.

19th August 2012, 3:58 PM	#9
beLarge Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Brisbane Posts: 296	I remember seeing a link to an awesome Automotive Photography page on the forums a whiles ago, check out http://photocornucopia.com/1020.html