Official SoCal Chat Thread

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by bradbowl

Hey Ern-diz, I was googling for Yaris mods and I came across your wheelwell page. You're all over the interwebs! Hope you don't think I'm a stalker... ;) haha!

Not at all! I made a post about Wheelwell here shortly after finding out about it. I just stumbled onto Wheelwell within the last year and I think it's a really cool site. The banner in my signature here actually links to my Wheelwell page. Did you sign up?

[bradbowl]

Originally Posted by ern-diz

Not at all! I made a post about Wheelwell here shortly after finding out about it. I just stumbled onto Wheelwell within the last year and I think it's a really cool site. The banner in my signature here actually links to my Wheelwell page. Did you sign up?

Cool, I never noticed that your signature was clickable. I liked seeing all the mods that people have done nicely listed out. The problem is that it gives me too many ideas!!

Once I get my Yaris all cleaned up, I'll take some pictures and setup an account. Any car photography tips? You're quite good at knowing how to capture interesting shots. I should have some nice locations on Oahu (although many pics will probably be in the driveway :).

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by bradbowl

The problem is that it gives me too many ideas!!

I know; me too!

Originally Posted by bradbowl

Once I get my Yaris all cleaned up, I'll take some pictures and setup an account. Any car photography tips? You're quite good at knowing how to capture interesting shots. I should have some nice locations on Oahu (although many pics will probably be in the driveway :).

Hey, thanks for the compliment I really enjoy taking/viewing pics. I'm a cell phone snapper. If you also plan to use your cell phone, I would first recommend that you make sure you phone's camera is set to HDR mode. Most mobile phone cameras are set to standard, or HDR Auto mode by default. You want it set to HDR. Next, make sure the flash is off. Even in lower light, HDR will take a nice shot; the flash will only hurt. You'll need flash for night shots, but I'd recommend a real camera for those. They'll never come out great, even with the best of phone cameras. Lastly, find the option for grid lines in your camera settings and turn them on (I use the 3x3 line setting). The grid lines will help you center/level your shots and help with even spacing when you frame the shot.

In terms of background, I have to believe your Oahu locations will be incredible, so no worries there. When taking the pics, center your car in the frame and try to have even space to the left, right, top and bottom --unless you want to capture more of the background to one side or another. In terms of angles, I usually avoid taking pics level with the car; I'll either take a knee and snap from below center, or I'll hold my phone above my head and take the shot from above looking down. Taking the picture from a 45 degree angle looking at the front or back always makes for a good car photo. I tend to stay away from direct front or back shots. Lastly, have a steady hand. HDR mode takes an average of 5 pictures and then puts them together for one hi-def image, so if you move, the end result will suffer (especially considering some phones take longer to take HDR pics than others). The more steady your hand, the better the picture will look. I often use the same technique I do at the shooting range - take a deep breath in and take the shot as you're exhaling. It will slow your heart rate and steady you.

Hope it helps; make sure you share your shots with us!

[bradbowl]

Thanks for taking the time to write up so many great photography tips!

I'll definitely use these and post up the photos.