Tag: Streetrod Nationals

Reflections of a 1946 Mercury

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Last year I decided to shoot reflections at the Streetrod Nationals here in Louisville. As I worked that weekend I noticed that many times I was a part of the scene before my camera. I started playing with the idea of producing a self portrait within the reflections on the cars. This particular car caught my eye because when I was a kid in high school I owned a 1946 Mercury Coupe. My car was a deep green color but before it was painted green it had been maroon in color. I thought it would be fun to see what possibilities this particular car offered for utilizing the reflection to create a self portrait. I settled on this image as the best of the lot with this car.

My point with this post is that when I take my camera in the field I like to have some concept or theme when I’m shooting a subject that I’ve photographed literally thousands of times. By making reflections the overall concept of that weekend’s shooting I was able to take a cliched subject and give it new life. So the next time you are stumped about shooting something that you love, and have photographed many times, try thinking about another way to interpret the scene; you just may surprise yourself and walk away with an image that you really enjoy

 

1948 Buick

Posted on by Nick Roberts

This Buick caught my eye at the Street Rod Nationals here in Louisville last summer. I decided to use Topaz Adjust to make a Black and White version and really like the way it came out. By getting down low with my camera I was able to create a dynamic composition that emphasizes the lines in the car.

Here is the same car processed in Topaz Adjust. The Spicify preset really brought out the color in the car and enhanced the clouds. I got in low and close to the car to compose this shot. I like the way that the car seems to be moving out of the frame, the details inside the headlight, the reflections of the sky and the way the metallic paint sparkles in the sun.

One tip I have for shooting these types of images is to use a polarizer. Using a polarizer intensifies the colors and subdues the glare that shooting at midday causes. The other tip I have for you is to get down on the ground and shoot up at the car. Don’t be afraid to get dirty lying on the ground; in the end the results are usually worth it.

This final image is of another 1948 Buick I found down in Alabama. It has been given a faux HDR look with Topaz Adjust. I took this shot early in the morning and shot it from a low angle to emphasize the grill and the massiveness of the car. The sky was very hazy that morning which resulted in it being nearly colorless but the Spicify preset brought a little color back into it. The halo around the tree is a result of pushing the preset a little too far but even at that I like this image.