Light. Light. Light. Pay attention to it.
Forget the expensive gear and the fancy editing – the secret to a genuinely good photo is genuinely good light. If you’re shooting in poor or harsh light, you’re behind the curve before you even start. However, the funny thing about natural light is that it is out of your control, and at the JEC Summer Festival, you’ll have no option but to play the cards you’re dealt.
If it’s a bright day, avoid shooting around midday when the sun is at its harshest. Early morning and late afternoon, when the sun becomes ever softer, is when the nicest photos will be taken. If it’s cloudy, pay attention to the sky. Sometimes a heavy cloud cover will reflect light back down, giving an undesirable glary effect. But sometimes it will absorb it, leading to perfectly smooth surfaces. A deep grey sky can make for a dramatic backdrop, and a ray of golden light bursting through the clouds can lend an angelic spotlight.
The salient point is to pay attention to what the light is doing, be aware of it, and shoot accordingly.
Shadows - friend or foe?
The number one beginner rule for photography is to always shoot with the sun behind you. The subject is illuminated and shadows are eliminated. However, rules are made to be broken, but you need to use your judgement to know when you can break this rule.
Harsh shadows are usually best avoided, but sometimes they can be incorporated into your composition to dramatic effect. And while beautiful golden light can illuminate a subject and make it pop from its backdrop, that same light can deliver a startling effect if you shoot towards it.
Sometimes you are forced to shoot in harsh light or in the middle of the day, and it’s often here that the creative use of shadow can deliver a truly exciting photo in otherwise average conditions.
Find a different angle.
Sorry to break the news, but nobody wants to see yet another generic front three-quarters shot of a car taken from waist height. You can do better than that!
Pay attention to how the car sits on the ground and think about how you can accentuate its natural lines. Get low, get high, shoot from side on. It’s the photographers who think differently that get the unique shots. Can you lay flat on your chest and shoot from ground level? Can you climb a tree or a fence post to get a little higher? Can you use a flowerbed as an attractive foreground? No matter the situation, there’s always something different to try.
Incorporate people… or don't.
We’ve all done it. You get a great shot, and then days later notice the fat guy eating an ice-cream in the background. Shot ruined.
Pay attention to other people and where they are and be prepared to wait poised to capture a clear photo. At a busy show you can be there for five or ten minutes waiting for that moment when the car is free of distractions, but this is what it takes, and it is always worth the wait.
Alternatively, why not consciously incorporate people into your photos? The expression of a young child seeing an XJ220 for the first time or an old man reminiscing as he takes in a C-Type – these are the moments that make events like the Summer Festival special, and these are the photos that will rise above a shot of that same car on its own.
Use your photo to tell a story.
Google image search ‘Jaguar XJ6’ and you will return tens of thousands of results – the last thing the world needs is another basic photo of a Jaguar XJ6.
The JEC Summer Festival is a story in itself, so think about how you can use your photo and that Jaguar XJ6 to tell a story. Is this the first event for this car post restoration? Is this the first time that several XJ6s have been lined up in the grounds of Wroxall Abbey? Does this car wear a particularly endearing patina from a life lived hard?
In any situation there are thousands of stories all waiting to be told. Think of what they are, and then think of how you can tell it through your photo.
Be more or less specific.
We’ve all done it – we see a beautiful E-Type and photograph it from every angle as we walk around the car. But in a lot of cases, the best photos will come from incorporating more or less detail.
Why not shoot some detail photos of the brass fittings on the SU carburettors, or the buckles on the leather luggage straps? Or alternatively, why not step back and capture the entire crowd of onlookers admiring the car?
Shoot lots, but only post your very best photos
The more you shoot, the better you’ll get. You should shoot as many photos as you need, but only share your very best on social media. If that’s one or two final photos out of 300 taken, that’s fine. The worst thing is to share sub-par photos – if you can’t decide if it’s a good photo, it probably isn’t.
Don't go over the top with your editing
The purists cringe, but the editing of photos is crucial in making something truly memorable. But as with everything good in life, you need to know when to stop. Certain amounts of enhancement improve the photo, but the point is eventually reached where it begins to detract, and you need to know when to stop.
Have fun, be creative
Keep these simple tips in mind, but more importantly, have fun with it. The best photos come when the photographer is relaxed and having fun.
See you at the Summer Festival, and don't forget to use the hashtag #JECsummerfest
Click here to learn more about the JEC's Wroxall Summer Festival.
