Ok - still playing catch-up trying to share the various photos I've taken over this summer. Here's an assortment from a couple car shows I went to...

And one vertical shot for good measure...

Thanks for stopping by!

- Bill

Just a quick post today. As I said before, I didn't come back with too many great shots from the Grand Prix this year. I took this abstract of some air in-take openings on the side of what I think was an Allard (but I'm not sure). I threw a quick B&W conversion at it to remove the distracting colors in the reflections (mouse-over for original).

Technical Data: Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/100 sec at f/8. ISO 400. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

I'm still not quite sure what exactly draws me to this image, but I like it. It might be able to be improved upon, so perhaps I'll have to look at it again next year before the PVGP and try it again.

- Bill

Ok - we'll take a break from the spider (just for a little while) since it is that time of year again... Time for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Unfortunately, I don't think I came back with very good shots this year. I don't know if I am getting stale in what I shoot there and I need to switch things up, or if I was a little too relaxed about things, or if conditions just weren't ideal. One thing I did do differently this year is to take my Anscoflex II which I recently built a contraption for to take TTV photography. Here is one of the results:

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D TTV Anscoflex II, Tokina AT-X M35 Pro DX AF 35mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1, 1/25 sec at f/8. ISO 100. Tripod and handheld. Raw conversion and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Stay tuned for more posts from the PVGP as well as from our trip to The Wilds!

- Bill

My father-in-law recently made this model of Dan Webb's Golden Submarine remake of a 1917 race car. This model is about the size of a Matchbox car and has some really intricate details. When he asked me to take some photos of it, I figured I'd approach it like a regular car shoot and see whether I could make it look almost life-size in the photos...

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250 sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in auto mode. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

This may actually be a bit of a precursor as this weekend is the annual Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, and as in the past couple years, I will be attending. This time around I'm actually "leading" a MeetUp group, so we'll see how that goes.

For now, here are a couple other angles of this cool little model:

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/250 sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in auto mode. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

I may have to reshoot a couple of these and try a couple other angles again sometime, but we'll see.

- Bill

Ok - sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've been alternatively too busy or too tired or just a bit unmotivated, but I am forcing myself to try and get back to more regular posts.

This year's marque was Porsche, so there were plenty to shoot. I liked this hood ornament and thought the shallow depth of field would be nice as the ornament swept back along the hood of the car.

I took a couple shots of this hood, and eventually liked this offset version the best - I tried a perfectly centered version, and it just didn't work for me.

If you mouse over the shot, you will get to see the original, and you can get a feel for the post production edits that I did to make this shot a bit nicer. First, I rotated slightly clockwise to get the hood ornament perfectly vertical - it had a very subtle tilt before, but it was enough that I could see it. Next, I used some content aware fills to fill in any gaps left by the rotation (I could have also cropped to take care of them) and to remove the bright reflection from the hood as it was very distracting.

Finally (and obviously), I converted to black and white. For the most part, this is another shot (like the MG Wheel) that really doesn't change that drastically going to black and white, but the effect really helps to clean things up and make the shot really stand out nicely. In particular, the black and white treatment helped to make the Porsche emblem much more readable than it was in the color version. By removing the color and highlighting the contrast, it made that feature much more prominent in the frame.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/1000 at f/5. ISO 100. 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pittsburgh, PA. Raw conversion, modifications, and B&W conversion in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

Thanks for stopping by.

- Bill

Ok - I am by no means a car person. I probably know less than I really should about cars, but I suppose I know enough to get by. However, while shooting at the Vintage Grand Prix recently, I didn't think it was necessary to know what parts were what. I was mainly looking for lines and forms and colors and contrast.

This was one of those cases. I think they're air filters of some sort, but I really don't know for sure....

However, the repetition of the shapes - from the two air filters, to the parts next to them, to the cross pattern on the air filters - and the dramatic contrast - as the tops of the parts shone brightly in the summer sun to the dark shadows in the center of the engine - and the strong leading line of the hose all drew my eye into this micro scene.

I didn't do much shooting of the cars themselves, but found that by getting in close and finding these little details allowed me to eliminate distractions and clutter. Ever tried to take a photo of a classic car at a car show while twenty other people wandered around it? If they don't walk right into your shot, you'll never manage to control all of those reflections. So rather than fighting with that, it was just easier to draw on my macro shooting experience and get in close.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/640 at f/1.8. ISO 100. 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pittsburgh, PA. Raw conversion and sepia tone conversion in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

What Works: As I said, the repetition and strong leading line work well. Additionally, the dramatic contrast made for a very nice black and white conversion.

What Doesn't Work: Right off the bat, the hose breaking the bottom of the frame is a bit of a disappointment - the same probably holds true for the front air filter.

All in all, I think it is a very nice abstract.

Thanks for viewing.

- Bill

Alright, I'm winding down with the Grand Prix photos - I still have some more to share, but I think I'll start mixing some bugs and spiders back in (sorry - I have a ton of them and I have to get to them sooner or later). So we'll just do an assortment of shots today.

There's a nice assortment of some of the cars you can see at the PVGP. From left to right, you've got a Triumph, an MG (pretty obvious on those two), a Lotus (this is a modern version), a Porsche (again - modern), and a Jaguar. I'm not necessarily partial to any kind of cars when I go to the show, so I freely wander about and shoot whatever (except I'm not a big BMW fan).

I hope you've enjoyed the photos from this year's Vintage Grand Prix. I already have some ideas for what I want to get next year, so we'll have to see if I can remember!

Remember - tomorrow, we get back to the bugs and spiders.

- Bill

Time to share my favorite shot from this year's trip to the PVGP. I don't know what it is, but like last year (original and modified) I seem to be drawn to the MG logo.

Technical Details: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/1600 at f/1.8. ISO 100. 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pittsburgh, PA. Raw conversion and B&W conversion in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

Why This Photo: Like I said, I'm drawn to MG's for some reason, and when I saw the wheels on this particular one, I knew it was worth shooting.

What Works: First, the B&W conversion does wonders for this shot - the change is subtle, but almost vital (mouseover the image for the color version). The lines and curves that intermingle in this shot really give the viewer plenty to look at without ever getting stuck in any one place. Additionally, the placement of the center hub with the MG logo on it kind of breaks some rules, but does it very successfully I think - I will discuss further in a bit.

What Doesn't Work: There is a reflection on the middle-left that I only noticed just now. I'm actually debating another run through processing this - a friend showed me another version that I liked and want to attempt - so I may clone it out then. Also, the right side of the MG logo is just ever so slightly starting to blur due to the depth of field selected - but not enough to be a problem in my opinion.

So what was that about breaking rules?

Well, take a look at the line the face of the logo directs your eyes. Normally, that kind of angle would direct your gaze towards the right and out of the frame. I shared this shot on a forum and one member asked why I selected the placement of the logo to the right and not the left.

First off, take a look at the spokes behind the center hub with the logo - because of the DoF, they're blurred - and very nicely in my opinion. I liked that blur. However, if I put the hub on the right side of the frame, there was very little of the spokes in focus to the left, and their intricate pattern is just as vital to the shot as the logo. I looked at it like that through the viewfinder, but instantly nixed the idea. Plus, if the logo were on the left, the shot would have had to be more straight on to keep the wheel filling the frame, and that would have produced an entirely different look.

Getting back to the line that the face of the logo directs your eyes - normally it would be a bad idea to have something direct your viewer's gaze out of the frame... the whole point of photography is to get them to look at your photo. Luckily, in this case, the far edge of the wheel is at the edge of the frame and naturally produces a shift in your visual path. At least for me, my eyes hit that edge of the wheel and then turn and follow it up and around the top of the frame - eventually making my way back to the spokes that are in focus on the left side of the frame. From there, they wander around and eventually end up back at the center hug and logo. Surprisingly, this works even though the entire wheel is not in the frame but broken at the top and bottom - I think it is because our mind knows the shape that is there and fills in the missing parts for us.

I don't know - maybe I'm talking a load of rubbish (to steal a phrase from the British... since this is a British car after all), but give it a shot. Let your eyes wander around the frame and see where the lines lead you.

Drop me a comment and let me know what you think and whether your visual path is different through this photo.

Thanks for viewing.

- Bill

PS: Normally I refrain from getting that detailed about how my own visual path flows through a photograph - mainly because I want each viewer to find his or her own visual path through my photos. However, in this case, it really served a purpose to explain how in this case the rules can be broken and yet still produce an engaging photograph.

Alright, just a quick post today... I'll just let the shot speak for itself. Mouseover for the black & white version.

Technical Details: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/640 at f/1.8. ISO 100. 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pittsburgh, PA. Raw conversion and sepia tone conversion in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

Thanks for stopping by.

- Bill

So one of the things I went into this year's Vintage Grand Prix hoping to accomplish is some panning shots. Basically, you keep one of the cars in the same spot within the view finder as you track along with the car as it moves. Doing this produces a blurred background with a sharp in focus car. The blurred background generally will have a streaked appearance, giving the sense of speed and motion. It is much easier said (and typed) than done!

I took probably at least 200 photos, and only got a couple that were worth keeping - and even those are a bit blurry and probably should be deleted... but for a first attempt, I figured they were good enough. And in one case, I used a sepia tone treatment to give it an even more vintage look (and to hide some flaws).

Technical Details: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, 1/10 at f/22. ISO 100. 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Pittsburgh, PA. Raw conversion and sepia tone conversion in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

Obviously, unless all of the cars are moving at the exact same speed, only one will be in focus. In this case, I was focusing on the red 71 car. If you look closely at the 71 on the door, you'll see it is a bit blurred, and other parts of the car are not as crisp as I would have liked. This either means I panned too quickly, too slowly, and/or moved the camera up/down.

I think I chose a poor location to try this... as the cars would enter the turn, they would change speeds - making it much more difficult to pan at the right speed. It also produced a rather cluttered and confusing background.

But all in all, I still like the shot - despite its flaws, it was a good learning experience, it has a fun feel too it, and I enjoyed capturing it.

- Bill