Charger at Dry Lake Bed

[Jessica Germiller]

Hey guys. Rented a charger from Enterprise and went to the dry lake bed with it.

Didn't have time for the quick detail spray...the light was fading fast...so it is kind of dusty:(

Its the same angle on both photographs...just two different versions I played around with

Let me know what you think...CC ALWAYS welcome:D

Thanks in advance,

Jessica:)

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[Mike Ditz]

I like the second one, but I'm a sucker for panos and wide crops. The horizon line is more distinct on the BW version too. In the color version the mountains line up a little too much with the trunk deck lid, IMO the mtns should either be higher than the edge of the car (like in the bw) or lower. But then the there is sort of a merge where the hood lines up with the second mtn range....Seems like the headlight/grill area is hotter than 'normal' did you any additional light or is it just a refection. With a little bit of burning and didging I think the bw is a winner.
There is no horizon on the color one, nice sky though. If you had the car turned 90° I thiink you would've had a killer horizon glow, you can see it in the headlight.

MD

Is that El Mirage?

[Daniel Buck]

The composition on the first shot looks very odd to me. Not the angle of the car, but the amount of ground. I would rather see more gradient sky than more ground. The moon in the shot is great!

I think the silver highlight on the front corner of the nose (below the headlight) is a bit bright.

Very cool location, I have always wanted to get out to a dry lake bed for a shoot!

[Dylan Wiggins]

I think that the first one has way too much empty space on top and bottom with a crapton of detail shoved in the middle. The 2nd one is much more pleasing, and the lighting is very nice on both. I never would have thought or renting a car for pics, that's a good one!

[Todd Corzett]

I personally like the dust on the car... it's what you'd expect to see in a dry lake bed (and silver hides it well). My biggest gripe with the shots is that the car is very centered in the vertical. I like the space in the horizontal... I like the way the ground looks... but pick the sky or ground and take the car out of the center of the frame. I could see it with more ground than sky (just keep the moon in the frame), or more sky than ground. Oh, and on my monitor the wheels blend into the wells, maybe bring the shadows up a little?

Nicely done... makes me want to rent one!

-Todd...

[Jeff Boerio]

Jessica,

What JT and others preach about motorsports photography I think applies to your first picture. The car is centered vertically in the frame. It would be better if it were lower in the frame. But the sky/moon is pretty good! I also agree that the line of the trunk and the line of the mountains is too close.

You did a nice job on the b/w in the second shot.

Like Todd says, you done good.

- Jeff

[Jessica Germiller]

Hey guys...thank you so much for all your quick responses!!

Thanks to Mike and Jeff for pointing out the trunk line merging with the line of the mountain...I didn't even notice that. It is a mistake I make quite often and I wish I could train myself to look for it when I am shooting, because it is the one thing i ALWAYS forget about.


Thanks for the input on the first one being centered in the frame vertically. It was something I was battling with myself. I originally shot the car with a LOT more ground...I wanted to see the cracks of the dry lake bed up close...but it had the same amount of sky. Well I cropped into the ground quite a bit and I felt that the point where it is now was still a happy medium, I could still see the cracks, but it wasn't SO much ground.

Then I realized that it was centered, and it REALLY bothered me...but I didn't want to sacrifice the cracks in the ground, because that was the point of me shooting it that way...and I absolutely LOVED the way the sky gradated into the dark gray/orange/purple color, so I didn't want to sacrifice that either.

However, now that everyone has mentioned my original dislike about the picture, I decided to crop anyway...so let me know which one you guys like better.

-Jessica

p.s. sorry for such a long response!!


Keep the comments coming!!!!!!!!!


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[Daniel Buck]

that first crop in your latest reply is great! much better :-) I also like the grad, gives a nice dramatic feel, but doesn't feel super fake like some grads do.

[Jessica Germiller]

Oh...by the way...Yes, that is El Mirage Mike...

I was actually down there a few months ago when I was in my automotive photography class witha blue charger.

Lets just say my friends and I had a little too much fun...and maybe the power steering on those things should be a little stronger:D

...or maybe we should have only been doing doughnuts and sliding sideways for 20 minutes instead of 45??

-Jessica

[Todd Corzett]

I like the second crop in the second batch... the cracks in the lake bed are really interesting, and you still show the sky/moon well. Both crops are stronger than the original... some will like one, others will like the other. Very well done.

-Todd...

[Dennis Murray]

I like the foreground. Good texture on the ground, and there's a pair of tracks that form a vee starting near the viewing point and widen out to meet the front and rear wheel. My eyes picked it up right away.

[Jeff Boerio]

So this is funny. *I* would like to see a crop that's "between" the two new ones you posted. I don't think the first one shows enough ground (though the dramatic sky may make up for that) and I think the second one shows too much. *I* would like to see something that's a happy medium, that clearly shows the cracks in the lake bed and shows the drama of the sky.

But that's just me :)

I think they're both good in their own rights, and some will prefer one over the other.

- Jeff