Nice car--lousy owner

[David Adolphus]

The owner had been bugging me for months to shoot his car, so I made the 7-hour roundtrip to do so last week. When I got there, he seemed to do a total about-face when he realized I wasn't going to do it in his driveway--which some schmuck apparently once did.

After a lot of really unpleasant negotiating, I got him to take the car out. But it was only for a few minutes, and he wouldn't let me clean it!

He was willing to make 3 passes for action, and I had no chance to do car-to-car. Nor did I have time to prep my location (after he claimed "the photographer from AutoWeek" went 25 miles in every direction and couldn't find a spot; this was maybe 3 miles from his house), so there's all sorts of crap--literally, geese--scattered around. Same for the wonky visors; he wouldn't let me touch them.

I guess my questions are
How have you dealt with surprises like this (my first thought was to turn around and leave, and I still think maybe I should have). He had my extensive prep package in hand, detailing everything that was expected of him and the car, but hadn't read it.

I did come away with enough shots for a feature, but they're clearly compromised. Was it worth it? What's the cost-benefit here?

http://lh5.google.com/proscriptus/Rwo3A9fvijI/AAAAAAAACu8/jb1Ls2l1SZ0/s800/DSCF0270.jpg

http://lh3.google.com/proscriptus/Rwo5odfvinI/AAAAAAAACwY/Z9qaphcvTqM/s800/DSCF0291.jpg


http://lh3.google.com/proscriptus/Rwo3EdfvilI/AAAAAAAACvM/Q61RGwg7_0g/s800/DSCF0316.jpg

http://lh5.google.com/proscriptus/Rwo3H9fvimI/AAAAAAAACvU/i8DZ6AkPciQ/s800/DSCF0343.jpg

[Daniel Buck]

I've delt with a few that I didn't enjoy. If I can see it coming, I just avoid them. It's hard to see it coming sometimes though. :-\

I had a few folks just not even show up, no phone call or anything. When I call them after I've been waiting for a bit, they inform me nonchalantly that they were busy. What!? We planned this, we talked on the phone the evening before, you're paying for it, and I'm sitting here waiting for you and you aren't going to let me know that you aren't showing up?!

After that, I don't even try to set it up with them again. Let them find someone else to do it. If they don't have the respect to let me know that they are bailing out on me, then I'm not even going to shoot their car.

I had this happen a few other times as well, I plan to shoot one car but then they bring a few of their other cars, or their buddies bring some cars, and expect me to shoot all of them for the same negotiation (which back in my college days, was quite cheap!)

I've never dealt with someone quite like you had (sounds like he was very nervous, Maybe it wasn't his car?), most folks I've dealt with will do just about anything I ask for to get the photos looking good. Bummer you had to drive all that way and then deal with that clown :-(

[John Thawley]

Regardless of the issues confronting you with the "client." I think there is a lot more you could have done with these shots.

Interior shot... how about getting behind the car and squaring up? I assume you were on a ladder?
Engine shot... there wasn't an angle that didn't include the hinges?
Roller... backlit? Fuzzy... sever angle.. I don't know... really just a bad execution.
Static shot... c'mon, man... lower in the frame, a little more room at the front and straighten out the verticals on the buildings in the back. It looks like you shot at about f/8.. had you shot slower with smaller aperture, the back of the car wouldn't be soft. I think a longer lens might have given you a means of getting the car cleaner in the setting and still letting the backdrop stay soft.

That last shot could have been perfectly executed and a nice simple shot. I think you let his attitude beat you.. and to that, I say, shame on you.

JT

[David Adolphus]

'S funny...no one ever likes the shots I like. It's always the ones I reject.

Straight car vs. straight buildings. I did both. f5.6, btw, specifically because I wanted those buildings soft.

But my whole point was about his attitude. More than that, he jammed me for time, and he jammed me for locations.

For action I chose the only place I could find within five minutes where I wasn't in jeopardy of having a million-dollar car sideswiped. Like I said: Compromised.

http://lh5.google.com/proscriptus/Rwpyv9fviqI/AAAAAAAACxU/z4gwPZTOB_U/DSCF0324.jpg

[John Jovic]

Hi David, not sure what I would have done in the same situation. If you shot it on 'spec' then I think you may have wasted your time, not sure about the quality of the pics but then again, if the car is rare and intersting enough then you still might sell them. The driving shot really does suck, sorry. In cases like this where I know that I'll only get one chance (you got 3), I always use a SAFE shutter speed. Sure I get less background blur but you need to play it safe and come back with the goods.

If I were shooting this as a commissioned job then I would certainly have made sure that the owner knew what I required of him/her well before I met them. Not that that always works out of course. I had one guy turn up to a shoot with the front bar completely missing from the car. What the F#@*!!! But that must have been my fault because I didn't SPECIFICALLY tell him to arrive with the car intact and in one piece!!!!!!

It never ceases to amaze me that you also need to tell people to bring FUEL and to make sure that the battery is charged. These days I tell people up front that I will NOT push their pride and joy if their battery dies.

I really have no interest in dealing with these kinds of owners. Sure their cars are priceless and they want to protect them, that's fine. But in that case I don't want to be twisting their arms to make them do something they don't want to do in the first place. The other extreme is the young bloke who will do whatever it takes to get his car in a magazine, nothing is too hard. I get more satisfaction getting some nice shots of a car when the owner really appreciates it than I ever would just because the car is expensive or exotic.

I think I would have dumped this guy and caught some rays on that nice beach.

JJ

[David Adolphus]

I always provide extensive prep for my owners to review before shooting; I even summarize it for them, but there's not much I can do if they just don't read it. I was just totally taken by surprise, especially when the owner was the one on my case to shoot his car.

BTW, John J, what do you consider a 'safe' shutter speed? I've been doing more and more at 1/20 and lower for pans (like this one at 1/8 (http://picasaweb.google.com/proscriptus/JapaneseCars/photo#5010604951398497794)), using my tripod as a fluid head, because it allows me to frame the car. Car-to-car is usually 1/45 or 1/60, as I'm almost always on public roads and they tend to be bumpy.

I'm on salary; the biggest downside to dumping a shoot like that is that it screws with my deadlines, especially the week before Hershey when I know I only have X number of days to get a story out. I've also never bailed on a shoot yet, but I'm thinking this looks like the place to have started.

And Jeezum Crow, I have other action shots; I just liked the drama of that one.

[John Jovic]

BTW, John J, what do you consider a 'safe' shutter speed? I've been doing more and more at 1/20 and lower for pans (like this one at 1/8 (http://picasaweb.google.com/proscriptus/JapaneseCars/photo#5010604951398497794)), using my tripod as a fluid head, because it allows me to frame the car. Car-to-car is usually 1/45 or 1/60, as I'm almost always on public roads and they tend to be bumpy.



A 'safe' speed depends on the cars speed.

I generally shoot some pans with a 70-200, on public roads, so speeds are around 40-50 mph where possible. I try to get as much distance between myself and the car as I can, then shoot at 1/45, with a monopod. This gives plenty of background blur but is a bit on the slow side so I also get plenty of junk. The safe speed I was talking about would be about 1/60th if the car was driving at about 40-50mph and probably 1/90th-1/125th if the car was doing about 60+mph. I normally don't use the IS on the lens, it seems to cause more harm than good in this kind of situation.

JJ

[Kevin DiOssi]

I shot a car once and it arrived with love bugs all over the front, and had no tire shine w/ dirty wheels. When I asked him why he hadn't cleaned the wheels his response was "Oh, I thought you could just photoshop them?" Do you have any idea how frustrating it was to have someone tell you something that ridiculous. I was able to get what I wanted done with the shoot but not until I talked him into cleaning the car on the spot with my detailer.

As far as the shots go, I agree with John on the interior. I think that the camera should have been tilted a little more to the left to help square it off more. This looks unnatural to me.

The action shot has no detail in it. For me, it doesn't do anything. If it had been a Porsche or a Ferrari it could be construed as displaying high speed. In this case it's a BMW roadster that I feel doesn't justify the need to show huge amounts of speed. It should show more of the car's style than anything else.