Improving my rolling shots...

[David Castrillo]

I took these today and was wondering what I could do to take better shots in the future.

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923045623.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923052875.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923054028.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923060643.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923085016.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923090722.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923094017.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923101454.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923104280.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923105690.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923112081.jpg

http://f10.putfile.com/7/18923114194.jpg

[David Castrillo]

Oh, BTW. These were all shot w/a D70 18-70mm kit lens.

[John Bubela]

Is it just me or does the quality of the pictures differ throughout all of them?
The third from the bottom looks very nice. I think you need to work on your composition a little tho.

[David Castrillo]

They were all post-processed in CS2 and my mood differed throughout all of them. lol As far as composition goes; do you mean get those ugly mirrors out of the shots, or more than that?

[Jeff Wilson]

Third from the bottom is the best of the lot, but you need to watch your foreground and background. The chase car is in nearly every shot. You should also try shooting at slower vehicle speeds from a less exposed position. Vibration and wind buffeting are causing a great deal of shake in the captures.

[Michael Chu]

Backgrounds can do a WHOLE lot to a boring rolling shot. The closer the background is to the car, the more motion will be shown in the photo. Think trees, buildings, etc.

Composition could benefit you a lot too. Placing the subject in different parts of the frame can dramtically change the overall feel of the photo.

Try to keep other irrelevant elements out of the picture (i.e. the mirror of the car you are sitting in to take the photo)

With that said, keep on shooting with these things in mind and you'll improve in no time!

PS: Of the photos posted, I would say the third to last image would be your strongest of the set. Notice the more blurred background in comparison to the other images. I'm also kind of picky but I can also see part of the car that you were sitting in.

Keep it up!

[David Castrillo]

Thanks for the input guys! Yeah, I think one of the main causes to the chase car being in the shot (not to make excuses) is that I was actually driving while I was taking all of these pictures. The whole "reaching across the car to get the passenger side shots" were especially difficult. I know, it's not a good idea, but I just had to shoot these cars!! I will definitely get a driver next time.

PS: Wow, this forum is fast paced. Great stuff!!

[Michael Chu]

Well, that's a BIG thing in improving your rolling shots. You can't really intentionally shoot good rolling shots if you're driving AND taking photos at the same time!

Next time, have someone drive the car while you take the photos. That way you can really focus all your attention in the photo. I'm sure just by doing that, you'll find your images will improve!

[John Thawley]

What immediately caught my attention is they're all shot too high. A dramatic car-to-car shot should be low and with a wide angle of view. IMO.

I've always had pretty good luck at 45+mph and 1/60-1/80 of a sec. Try to find a vehicle that you can lie low in the back and hang the camera out below the bumper. I'll shoot with a 17mm and have the driver pull up. Then I'll burst shoot while slight pivoting the camera side to side and a little up and down. It seems like "spray and pray" but actually, once you get a feel for the amount of pivot you need, the results can be quite good.

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/jeff/aak.jpg

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/jeff/aan.jpg

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/albup01/aak.jpg

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/albums/albup01/aaf.jpg

[Drew Phillips]

Use the rear hatch one one of those GTI's. They work perfectly.

[Paul Hansen]

I think the high points have been covered, but to repeat the obvious - don't shoot through a window, roll it down! Get as low as possible, within reason. Get shutter speeds as low as possible. Most of my keeper shots have been in the 1/40th sec range, with the best even lower (but much less of a keep ratio).

Other things to note - tracking (lead) car should have a nice, soft, well-damped suspension. Trust me, shooting from an Evo is an exercise in frustration, while a Jaguar was indeed sublime. If possible, shoot with some ND filters and/or polarizer to open up the aperture as much as possible - it'll help add to the background blur.

http://www.sevenphotos.com/dev/wako/wako_001.jpg

http://www.sevenphotos.com/dev/example/colt_001.jpg

http://www.sevenphotos.com/dev/example/colt_002.jpg

[Todd Corzett]

I agree with John about the "wide angle" stuff. Bringing the cars closer to you will REALLY help making the backgrounds stand-out. I also like the "getting low" idea. The view we normally see of moving cars is from higher up... by lowering the camera you create something different than the norm (however it's often overdone, especially with the rigged shots).

This was shot with a 15mm fisheye... the car was actually quite close. Shutter speed was 1/60th at probably 45mph:

http://www.unitonestudios.com/_Other/Camaro/050901_20081x.jpg

Another thing to do is shoot the car from the side a bit more, as the background will appear to be moving faster than it is... slower shutter speeds don't hurt either. Shot at 38mm and 1/25th while traveling about 35mph:

http://www.unitonestudios.com/_Other/Camaro/050901_30074x.jpg

If you're going to shoot, definitely have someone else drive so you can concentrate on the photography. I'd also drive with the intention of shooting, so that the other drivers know what they should and shouldn't do.

-Todd...

[Jeff Boerio]

I agree with all that has been said so far. Low is better. Close is better. Angles work very nicely, which were evident in some of the original shots.

http://www.rockinbdigital.com/naykid_racing/public/CRW_5038_900.jpg
Shot close, but not real low. Some composition issues as well. Some sins could be further hidden with post-processing, but that sun glare would be difficult to dump.

http://www.rockinbdigital.com/naykid_racing/public/CRW_5129_900.jpg
Shot low, but not close enough. And by "low" I mean that I was laying down in the bed of a small pickup. The camera was strapped around my neck, but my arms were extending the camera down as far as I dared while we were at 50mph on the road. Certainly room for improvement in many areas for this shot. This one got approved by the team and was used in b/w form on their hero card.

http://www.rockinbdigital.com/naykid_racing/public/CRW_5137_900.jpg
Show low like the previous one, but not close. Angle adds some interest to the image. Still much room for improvement.

- Jeff