Joe Norcott  


Partly Cloudy Shelby Cobra by Joe Norcott

May 2022 - Partly Cloudy Shelby Cobra

About the Image(s)

Photo taken at a classic car show. I was lucky to get the reflection of the clouds on the car. ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/160 sec


This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted




Peter Elliston   Peter Elliston
Joe, this is some machine! A difficult shot to take to get in everything but forcing you to include other cars either side of it which draw the eye. The clouds on the car are the unusual feature so why not crop in really tight and concentrate on those. f you could also mask the other cars at the edges and really darken those sections down that would throw the main car into more prominence.   Posted: 05/07/2022 03:01:17



Joe Norcott   Joe Norcott
I knew the cars in the background would be a potential problem. I did crop it and erased some things. There were 2 people behind the car in the next aisle and I got them out. I would love to put it on maybe a grassy background so it just stand out. Just don't know how to do it in PS. Here is the original.   Posted: 05/07/2022 07:05:46
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Joe Kennedy   Joe Kennedy
(Group 28)
Well done, Joe. I usually manage to create a "selfie" when doing these. I noticed you managed to stay OUT of the picture:) The clouds are definitely a plus on the hood but those other vehicles take away from the Cobra. You did a wonderful job eliminating those people - now try the cars. Because of the close quarters at these shows, I have retooled my focus to be on the part of the cars - the logos, vents, chrome, etc. Here is the Cobra logo taken from the hood of a car.   Posted: 05/07/2022 16:05:12
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Joe Norcott   Joe Norcott
Yeah, I go for logos and other stuff at car shows but this car was just begging to be photo'd so it could show off.   Posted: 05/08/2022 08:13:50
 
Hi Joe,

I also go to car shows and love the the classic cars and hot rods, but cropping the car down to a detail just to eliminate a "distraction," (other cars in the show) is just not doing justice to the classic designs or often brilliant creativity of a customizer. You cannot simply ask every owner to "please drive over to that grassy area there so I can take a nice picture," so I just crop down as much as possible and accept that this is what it is, a very crowded venue where I have to take what I can get. You can cut the car out its environment in Photoshop of course, but what you find then is that there are reflections of the original surroundings that are next to impossible to change. I doubt that people who photograph cars as a business, do it at these venues, so if this is all you have, make the best of it as I believe you have done here.

This Model A was photographed at an indoor show, and to fix all the reflections of the lights, skylights and surroundings would be a task too daunting to undertake.   Posted: 05/09/2022 12:31:11
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Sheldon Wecker   Sheldon Wecker
It's a beautiful car in a difficult environment. I've taken pictures of classic cars at museums in Bowling Green, Phoenix and Detroit, and even in a setting with fewer distractions than you had to deal with, I could not get a photo I was happy with. There is a member of our local photo club who has a sideline business taking pictures of cars - but he moves them to locations such as the "grassy field" you referenced.   Posted: 05/08/2022 23:28:05



John Hackett   John Hackett
Always a difficult subject an I tend to take the detail route as Joe suggested. I can see the attraction of the clouds in the blue paintwork of the car. because I am so attracted to the Corvette to some degree my eyes do not seem to be to worried by the other cars. You did right with your crop from the original.   Posted: 05/16/2022 06:59:57



Glenn Rudd   Glenn Rudd
All the obvious critiques of the photo have been suggested: Zoom in to get detail, crop down to eliminate distractions. I have photographed many auto shows with a few "successes" and many "unsatisfactory" results because of the crowded conditions and distractions. A person could spend hours in Photoshop to completely isolate the subject, but I agree with TJ: Just make the best of the conditions and enjoy the experience. This is an excellent shot of a beautiful car enhanced with the reflection of the sky in the hood.   Posted: 05/16/2022 19:51:29