EJMcD

I very much enjoy photographs of Classic and Custom vehicles. However, closely cropped photos of hood ornaments, grills and tail lights leave me empty. I know that some consider such images to be "artistic" but I like to see the entire vehicle. Am I alone in this regard?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Personally, I'd rather see the close-up parts than car show photos with with people looking bored, plopped in lawn chairs beside the autos (and I have taken my share of those, too).

Bill_de Loc: US

I like it when someone shows the entire car, than adds some closeups of hood ornaments, or other features that may be unique to that particular model.

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EJMcD

When done right, those distracting elements can be eliminated or at least minimized. The car is the subject of interest and I can easily not allow such distractions to ruin my enjoyment of seeing the vehicle.

For myself, I've learned to get to outdoor car shows as early as an hour before the advertised start time and begin shooting before the crowds arrive. Proper composition and/or post processing can also help.

agillot

It s like taking a picture of a flower and not the all bush . Some older cars had nice / artistic ornaments .

EJMcD

Agreed!!

EJMcD

I see it differently...it would be like taking a photo of only "part of" (i.e. Macro) but not all of the flower. Nevermind the bush.

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

For me, a little of each is ok. I don't like to see cars with ends cropped off, when it's supposed to be the whole car, but I will shoot details like grilles, taillights, engines, radiator caps and hood ornaments, and interiors when I think they are interesting in and of themselves.

I go to outdoor car shows exclusively, and have never attended one of those fancy Concours events, so cars lined up next to each other with people milling around, vendors' tents in the background, and all the other distractions are just a part of the experience. I try to make the picture about the car, but sans heavy editing, it is not usually possible to completely isolate a vehicle from its surroundings. I will shoot as many angles as I can, and then include details of any interesting parts or trim that stand out to me. The ideal in this case would probably be to post the whole car along with the details, and try to please as many people as possible.

As for details being artistic, auto design used to be an art form, and the designers of the classic cars have earned a place in the history books. Names like Virgil Exner, Harley Earl, Raymond Loewy and many Europeans concentrated on bringing these details together into designs that will be admired forever, a distinction that is not likely to be earned by today's computer-designed models.

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brentrh Loc: Deltona, FL

Ok to have a preference but you should broaden your appreciation to include close ups

FL Streetrodder

Well stated, Terry and a very well photographed close-up image of a Tri-five ('57?) hood emblem.

BebuLamar

People like different things.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Sometimes, individual design elements and details of a car are what makes the vehicle interesting.

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

What do they say about "great minds thinking alike", Terry? I guess this proves it. If I wanted a whole car shot without the hood open I could go online and see any car I wanted. I'm like you...I like to isolate. Great photo by the way! Ideally, Kim Johnson has it down to a science. He isolates the cars with beautiful backgrounds. Nothing to spoil the photo.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I enjoy both the entire car and parts, depending on the lighting and background. I enjoy the art in the hood ornaments, trim, emblems and other details in cars from before 1970 or so. It seems after that, less design when into these items. Static photos of cars don't appeal to me; I prefer something in motion.

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KTJohnson Loc: Northern Michigan

I don't think you're at all alone in this regard. I also like to see the whole car the way it was designed to look. I really don't like to see the underside of a hood, and I try to avoid that as much as possible.

However, sometimes I also like to see a closeup of some unique features. I think a lot of people show these because they can't get a good shot of the car without a lot of people or other cars intruding into the space. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have available.

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