Back to the '50s (pic added)

[mmeyer]

I went down to the Back To The '50s car show last night at the State Fairgrounds. I realized that car shows are not the best place to get photos of cars. There's too many cars around and no room to get a decent shot of the entire car. I did get a few that I liked enough to put my "stamp" on. Please tell me what you think.

[Steve Foss]

They all look excellent to me, Mike. The first and last stand out. The first because of its right-to-left movement from brilliant light to deep shadow (which is there in the background but also reinforced by the car's paint job). The last because of the grainy sepia moodiness. In the last image, what are the white curvy lines? Are they Photoshop effects to make it look like an old damaged photo? Firefly tracks from a long time exposure?

[mmeyer]

Thank You Steve! The white line by the light pole is a photoshop effect but the others are decoration on the building. I'm glad you like the processing. Wouldn't really be like me to just leave something as is would it.

[Steve Foss]

Mike, the reason I asked is that I find those effects distracting. The car, the garage, the tree, the light. There need be nothing more.

IMO.

[Birdsong]

Love the first and second!!! You really have fun at this, don't you?

[gatorhunter]

For a guy who did what he could with what he had...you get an A+!

I'm with Steve on the first and last. Great use of color and I like the inclusion of the sign at the top left.

The last is truly a classic photograph of a classic time using a classic look.

[ranger20]

i for sure like the first pic very nice shots

[mmeyer]

Yes, Sarah, I do have a tremendous amount of fun at this! Here's a different version of the last. I do like it better in color, the more I look at it.

[eyeguy 54]

Cool stuff!

[mmeyer]

Thanks guys! Sorry I was posting at the same time as a couple of you. Didn't mean to ignore you.

[finnbay]

I like the chrome!

[dockothebay]

What fun - great shots!

[kotadust]

I think they are all awsome shots and very nice use of the effects IMO

[Canon Guy]

Great series! 1st and 2nd are my favorites. The composition on the 1st is spot on.

[Shack]

With the title of this thread, having my fair share of sunburns down at the fairgrounds, and being an active member of the MSRA, I really like number 3 and 4. For me they capture the true effect of the event. They seem to tell a story that I am familiar with. Good times !

All the images are very cool and I really like the last one also. It captures time period correctness (IMO). That wall was standing in pretty much the exact same way when that 56 Bel Air Nomad was rolling off the assembly line. I also like that Roger’s Rod and Customs coupe image also.

Wish I could have made it this year but things seem to get in the way now-a-days.

Thanks for sharing

[MN Shutterbug]

That 3rd shot really looks like a scene from the 50's. Cool stuff.

[Catmendo]

Great stuff Mike! Numero # "2" is my favorite of the series, a;though they're all great!

[Hwood]

You did a real nice job with those. I liked the lines, thought it aged the pictures, looked as if they had been folded in a pocket and shown off.

[mmeyer]

Thanks Everyone for all of the great comments!

I'm glad so many of you liked the aging effects on some of them. I really tried to make them look

as if they had been folded in a pocket and shown off.

I appreciate you all taking the time to comment!

[mcary]

Those tight in shots with the rain drops are fantastic!

[Nymph]

That first one is a fabulous shot.

[Dbl]

Mike,

I'll offer some suggestions if you don't mind.

#1 I would have liked to really see some more detail especially at the front of the car. To me cars like this are about the details! The vignette takes some of that away for me. I also don't care for the sign in the background, it detracts from the car when I just glance at it!

#2 Beautiful!

#3 Not working for me. The processing is trying to compensate for the photo. I think a better composition might work with your processing.

#4 Again I don't think the processing enhances your shot.

#5 Beautiful!

#6 I prefer the second version of this shot. The big tree behind the car is stopping me from making this a wow type of shot. That neon sign just visible in the background with an angle to include the car and that sign and eliminate the tree would be a wow shot! That may not have been possible but it looks like it might have.

If I may add as well Mike, you are developing a strong visual style, but don't forget that it takes a strong photograph from the start to make an even stronger photograph with careful processing. Don't lose sight of what makes a great photo, the photographer with a strong compositional eye with strong use of all of the elements at his disposal. Light, foreground and background elements, angles high and low and so on. You know how to take great photos, and you now are learning some nice photoshop skills. My own personal humble opinion is that it takes a strong balance of both to blend them together and get the strongest possible shot. I think right now you are letting the processing shadow your strong photo skills.

I hope you don't mind the "take it for what its worth" and "it is just my opinion" look at my first impressions of your work.

[MN Shutterbug]

Dan, have you ever considered being a teacher? I'm serious. You would really be good at it. I'm starting to give photography lessons, but I could learn just as much from you as they learn from me. It probably doesn't help that all I have is nature on the brain.

[mmeyer]

Mike,

I'll offer some suggestions if you don't mind.

#1 I would have liked to really see some more detail especially at the front of the car. To me cars like this are about the details! The vignette takes some of that away for me. I also don't care for the sign in the background, it detracts from the car when I just glance at it!

#2 Beautiful!

#3 Not working for me. The processing is trying to compensate for the photo. I think a better composition might work with your processing.

#4 Again I don't think the processing enhances your shot.

#5 Beautiful!

#6 I prefer the second version of this shot. The big tree behind the car is stopping me from making this a wow type of shot. That neon sign just visible in the background with an angle to include the car and that sign and eliminate the tree would be a wow shot! That may not have been possible but it looks like it might have.

If I may add as well Mike, you are developing a strong visual style, but don't forget that it takes a strong photograph from the start to make an even stronger photograph with careful processing. Don't lose sight of what makes a great photo, the photographer with a strong compositional eye with strong use of all of the elements at his disposal. Light, foreground and background elements, angles high and low and so on. You know how to take great photos, and you now are learning some nice photoshop skills. My own personal humble opinion is that it takes a strong balance of both to blend them together and get the strongest possible shot. I think right now you are letting the processing shadow your strong photo skills.

I hope you don't mind the "take it for what its worth" and "it is just my opinion" look at my first impressions of your work.

Dan, I always value your opinion and always feel free to give it. I agree with the fact that it takes a strong photograph from the start and that's what I meant when I said that car shows apparently are not great places to take great photos of cars. All of the things you mentioned were becuase of various limitations in the environment.

#1 I wanted to get the sun in the corner and the little sparkle on the back quarter of the car. There was only one place that offered me that but I was limited by how far back I could go. I was maxed out on the wide end (18mm) so That's what I ended up with. I put the vignette in because the front corner was cut off and I figured it looked better blended out than an hard cutoff.

#2 Thanks

#3 Again limited by where I wanted the sun and what was around me. Probably not the best composition so I played with it in post.

#4 I thought that it was a cool little trailer but I couldn't get the entire car because of a light pole in the middle of it so I played around with it a little.

#5 Thanks again

#6 This one was one of my favorite settings but there was too much to overcome. On either end of the car there were cars that couldn't be in the shot, in the front a garbage can and in the middle the tree. Oh well.

I hope this doesn't come across as defensive becuase it wasn't meant to be at all. You and Steve and others here have given me more great advice than any book I've read. As I get more serious about this, you step up your critiques, exactly as I would like it to be. It sometimes doesn't feel the best but that's life, right.

Thanks again to you Dan and to everyone else that replied. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to look and comment!

[CFRay]

Nice work. Makes me want to sit in that line on Friday night next year. Looks like a fun time. I drove from Fargo to my home in St. Cloud Sunday and saw many of those old cars heading west on I-94 in the rain that fell. Some on trailers but quite a few under their own power.

Thanks!