I took this photograph with my Nikon Z5, f/4.6, 1/160 second, ISO 200. One of the older suburbs here has a classic car show every Friday night in the summer. I took the shot using a very short tripod that I have. That way I could get the shot from down low without having to lay down on the sidewalk. A lot of edits in post processing. I chose to convert to black and white because I thought there were to many competing colors on the car. Black and white also fits with the time period of the automobile. I removed the people from the background. I also removed the sign on the building because I felt it was too modern. The modifications that the car owner made were intended to turn the vehicle into a muscle car, so I cropped in really close to make the car look bigger and stronger. I then removed all the scratches on the car and cleaned up the asphalt that the car was parked on. I did that to remove distractions."
8 comments posted
Angela Bonner
Lovely low shot of this Hot Rod and the black and white works really well and improves on the original image. Tack sharp and showing a lot of detail.
I feel it is a shame you cut off the left side wheel but perhaps there was not enough room to get it all in.
The brickwork at the back is leaning over a tad and perhaps this could be straightened?. I did try but it cut even more off the left hand wheel!!
Well done.
Posted: 08/01/2026 12:56:20
Kurt Reinhard
Thanks Angela. I will see what I can do to straighten the photo, but the close perspective might make it a challenge. But thanks for the feedback. Posted: 08/04/2026 20:40:01
Doug Sampson
This is a fun image and your perspective reinforces the intent of the photo. The low angle dramatically foreshortens the perspective transforming the front grille, headlights and bumper into an almost architectural facade. The black and white conversion fits this image perfectly. The cleanup you did elevates the photo.
I agree with Angela, it would have been nice to get the left side of the vehicle in the photo. If possible, could you bring out some definition in the sky to eliminate the gray monotone of the area?
This coming weekend, our city hosts the Route 66 Festival with over 500 vintage cars expected. I may try your low-level view to see if I have as good of luck as you had with this photo. Posted: 08/03/2026 21:15:10
Kurt Reinhard
Thanks Doug. I will take another pass at edits with the feedback from you and Angela. The sky was clear blue when I took the shot, so it has been hard to improve.
To help with the low angle I used a Promaster Hitchhiker tripod. About $50.00 on Amazon. It kept my camera steady at about 8 inches above the ground, and the lens tilted up. I focused using the monitor instead of the view finder. Posted: 08/04/2026 00:12:32
Ellen Fisch
I like both images, but the B&W really makes the car a star. The juxtaposition of the luxurious car against a simple street wall gives the car even more elegance and panache! Posted: 08/04/2026 15:51:32
Rose Norman
The monochrome suits this image very well. The cleanup you did certainly improved the image. When cropping the top, you cut off part of the lights. I think cropping it a little higher would show all the lamp tops. The style seems to be of an old era so would add to the story. Very nice. Posted: 08/09/2026 15:02:05
Jennifer Wu
A lovely image. I like the B&W make photo very well specially take a low shot. I went to several classic shows but yours low shot make different. I do agree several comments the crop on the left top. Well done.
Posted: 08/16/2026 16:34:32
Jo-Ann Rolle
Very inspiring.. both the image capture and post processing editing to achieve a classic and elegant look. Well done... and thanks for explaining in detail your process. Posted: 08/23/2026 19:03:59
