The first one i was happy with

[DarrenT]

I have had my D80 for just over a year now and this was the first picture that brought more than a "oh i did it wrong again" thought to me.



EXIF:
f5.6
135mm
Iso 250
Shutter Priority
1/200th

Taken at Brands Hatch race track on 10th December 2006, i had had my D80 with its kit 18-135mm lens for about a month. This is my brother being driven around the club circuit by an ex F1 driver.

This has been cropped, slightly sharpened, the levels adjusted slightly and scaled down.

My personal critiques of the photo are many, starting with the amount of crop needed. Original . Secondly is the angle and elevation that the picture was taken from. Unfortunaly i was only able to stand right next to a 6ft fence (i stand 6' 1") on very uneven ground. Even more sadly i couldnt move to find a better spot as i was due back in my own car in minutes.

At last i have purchased a longer zoom (70-300mm VR) so that my reach problem is eliminated, next time i get the chance i just need to sort out my positioning! Also a shutter speed of maybe 1/500 would have given a slightly nicer background blur.

[DarrenT]

aww c'mon. At least tell me how uninspiring it is or how its just a boring unimaginative photo. It certainly doesnt covey the speed very well and i suppose, in an image of a car, thats quite important.

[Murtasma]

How familair are you with photoshop. I think this image would work great with a nice motion blur filter applied. You have the car in focus and nice and sharp given the circumstances. I would like to see what a motion blur filter applied looks like then mask the effect off on the car. You are right there isn't much going on in the background it's just grass and road but sometimes that's all you can do given the seating arangement you had and the lens you had to work with. Don't beat yourself up I think it's quiet good actually

[jiminyClickit]

DarrenT,

Tried to keep up, but you would think with 1863 other active members, some of them would be car enthusiasts, and a couple of those would respond to your post. But you never know. And you did compose it with lead room, and it has a good diagonal interest, and bright colors. Who can say what will draw a crowd?

[Sandie]

I like it! I am sorry I didn't comment on it yesterday, but it was more because I thought it was great. I am very new here and didn't want to just jump in with ohhs and ahhs. I thought those with a more critical eye would be able to actually help you. I can see how the comment about a little more blur on the background might help. Overall though really nice shot.

[Mr. Clipit]

I got this through some quick photoshopping (10 mins). Applying the motion blur straight-up got the first upload, which leaves the car blurred. Masking the car out with fluid mask and applying the blur to just the road and grass got a much nicer effect, but left blurring at the edge of the mask. The blurring was cleared away with the history brush, which leaves the second upload, which I think conveys the speed much better.

[DarrenT]

Thanks for that guys, i dont know anything about photoshop really but i have a stack of cover DVDs from magazines with lots of video tutorials that i want to get stuck into today.