My contribution to this awesome new thread!

[Ronald_Type-R]

Where are you working man?! You seem like you stepped into shit.

Ohh just a tuning shop that modifies high-end cars bro

That's understandable then. Looking back I sounded pretty negative, the shots are pretty awesome. Very nice composition on them, not just crazy super jdm angled pieces of trash.

No man, by all means, constructive criticism is never a bad thing!! I really appreciate your advice, and I agree with you 100%!! Thanks for that

They arent bad, but you really have 2 options when it comes to lighting cars. Expose for the sky and use ocf/studio strobes to bring up the cars exposure. Or layer two shots: 1 with the background exposed correctly and 1 with the car exposed correctly.

Yeah a few strobes would definitely help...But my next goal for now is to get an SB-900 and a wireless trigger..That should help quite a bit hopefully

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So here's a late night shoot I did last night for the company's blog, and to welcome Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics..

I found this particular spot to be very challenging..The background is fine, but the parking lot itself has ZERO lighting...So first things first I decided to shoot white cars, because black cars just won't do..And then I set my camera to 30 second exposure, and I was literally running around the car flashing my SB-800 from different angles during that 30 second exposure And these are the end results...

Again, keep in mind that there was absolutely no lighting in this parking lot...All fill-in on the cars were done by me running around the car flashing my SB-800 while the pic was being taken! lol..






I definitely need to get back in the game and invest in more professional lenses so I can ditch my 18-200mm...My near future plan is to get the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikon, SB-900 flash, wireless trigger, and a D2Xs and I'll be good to go! For a little while at least, until I can afford the D3 lol..

What do you guys think? They're not the sharpest pics, I'll give you that But I hope you guys like them!!

Ronald

[cb7wagonPL]

those are really good! love the setting and the light beams. If they were shot with the 18-200 lens they are still pretty respectable in sharpness. And for some reason I think cars were meant to be shot on a wet tarmac... just has that look to it.

I don't know how much you would be getting the D2Xs for but I would also definitely consider the D700. You get basically a D3 in a smaller body and the full frame goodness. The body might also be getting updated in not too long so the prices on the D700 might drop. Its a killer body. That 24-70 f2.8 Nikon will serve you a lot better on a full frame too. Ironically, I remember reading when you were ditching your fast lens for the 18-200 and said to myself... he'll be switching back sooner than later lol The SB-900 is a very good choice and you'll have fun with off camera flash. Check out strobists site. Loads of info there. The probably most important info I took away from them is when shooting anything with flash, just remember that shutter speed controls the ambient or constant light and aperture controls the flash exposure.

[Tnwagn]

Of those four, I definitely like the last the best with the first following in a close second. You did an alright job of lighting the cars with just flashing the strobe but it's hard to get it exactly right using that method. Then again, that's not a limit on your skill but more on what equipment you have. I really like the mood you set with this set though, it's an approach I don't think I would have thought of and it highlights the cars very well

Just a suggestion from the gear standpoint, if you are wanting to do a lot of off camera lighting you might do better to hold off on a SB-900 and rather get another SB-800/SB-600 and use the difference in price to buy some nicer triggers. The SB-900 is nice, but what you're paying for with that piece of equipment is more power. At that point you might as well start looking at real off camera lighting solutions (Like AlienBees' products) which will actually save you money over the SB-900.

Also, I agree with cb7wagonPL about the body choice, the D700 is a very capabable body that you may wish to consider.

[cb7wagonPL]

It's a good point about the SB-900. It really comes down to what kind of shooting he will do. A strobe like the alienbees will be a lot more powerful than a smaller speedlight. On the other side, a speedlight is a lot more portable and doesn't require a big battery pack or a constant power source. Also, you have several options to trigger the speedlights for free. Both the 800 and 900 speedlight have a commander mode and can trigger other speedlights. Also the same can be done with the cameras built in flash. Just google nikon cls system.

[Ronald_Type-R]

Thanks for the comments guys..

The reason I'd much rather go with D2Xs as opposed to D700 is the body construction..I don't know, now that I'm used to the D2Hs, the D300s and D700 feels like a toy to me, and I don't like it..You can't beat the performance of a D700, hands down, but I just don't like the feel of it...If I have the money I'd jump straight to D3 haha but I don't want to invest that much on my camera just yet..I love my D2Hs, but sometimes 4mp resolution just doesn't cut it..Which is why I'm planning to ditch it and "upgrade" to D2Xs in the near future..I love the solid feel of the "professional" level DSLR body!

As for the 24-70mm, if I do end up getting that lens, I'd also be getting the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens for wide angle shots, so the 24-70mm lens will mostly be used for zoom shots anyways hehe..

To be honest, I'm not too too crazy on lighting, as I rarely do night shoots. And when in need of fill, my SB-800 does a sufficient job most of the time. But I agree though, as nice as the SB-900 is, it's still a little steep on price..I might just end up getting another SB-800 and an Elinchrom trigger and call it a day. But then again...The SB-900 is soooo nice!

But anyways, having said all that, I'm still using my current gear and trying to get the most out of them haha...Here are my latest pics of some expensive toys I got to play with the past 2 weeks or so..

Boss' F430.. I love this car..






Gallardo Spyder with full Hamann kit.. I love this car even more!








Last but not least, Mclaren Mercedes SLR 722s (Only one in Canada, 1 out of 150 in the world)..Stage 1: Leios Matte Black Exterior Not liking how it drives one bit









Looking at those pics, I'm sure most of you will spot the flaws of the 18-200mm lens..Which is why I cannot wait to upgrade my lens!!! Better gear soon to come, and hopefully better shots as well!!

So in this thread, there is an LP670-4 SV (1 of 350 in the world)..There is an SLR 722s (1 of 150 in the world)..What's next? Let's just say, 1 of 20 in the world More updates soon! Thanks for looking guys

Ronald

[Tnwagn]

Damn, you run with some ballers up in Cananda. Good pics as well!

[TheNextEpisode]

Last but not least, Mclaren Mercedes SLR 722s (Only one in Canada, 1 out of 150 in the world)..Stage 1: Leios Matte Black Exterior Not liking how it drives one bit

How so? No doubting you, just curious.


Awesome thread btw, I've forwarded it to many of my friends.
That fourth picture from the dimly lit parking lot is on point. Great work, please keep posting!