CAR PHOTOGRAPHY – 10 TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER PICTURES

Have you ever wanted to improve your Car Photography skills? For many of us, cars are things of beauty but trying to turn our ’snaps’ into eye-catching masterpieces is quite the challenge! Whether you want to take shots of your pride and joy or are actually looking to make a career out of Automotive Photography - I have an essential resource for you!

I recently teamed up with online motoring website Motor Verso to compile ten tips for taking better car photos. However, the resource itself compiles years of experience from multiple photographers and covering everything from pre-shoot planning all the way through to editing your images and publishing them. It really is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get into Car Photography and I only wish I’d had something like this available when I was starting out!

Film Photography - Shooting with the Canon EOS 30 & Kodak UltraMax

So recently, I have been shooting more film photography and even though I have had my ventures into Medium Format, I decided to pick up a 35mm film camera. I wanted something that felt familiar, easy to use and could match my current set up. After much research, I stumbled across the Canon EIOS 30 - a film camera with the feel of a modern DSLR.

This video takes a look at my first impressions of the Canon EOS 30 and I combined it with Kodak UltraMax film - would I be happy with the results? Find out below…

INSIDE JOB: Commission for Elevate Property Group

Client: Elevate Property Group

Location: Birmingham

Website: https://elevatepropertygroup.co.uk/

So, in a new series of blog posts, I have decided to share some info about commissions that I am either currently working on or recent completed. The hope is that this will give you a little insight in to how I operate, how to overcome certain challenges and if you’re considering hiring me, a look at some of my commercial work. With that said, let’s get into it!

Elevate Property Group are a well established developer with office based in the beautiful St Paul’s Square area of Birmingham. I was contacted by Z3 Design on behalf of Elevate to help with imagery for marketing materials.

Without giving away too many details of Elevate’s latest venture, the brief was a fairly broad one. It required a selection of ‘standard’ Birmingham shots, including some well documented areas. However, there was also room for a few details here & there with a focus on architecture - not surprising from a property developer!

Communication with the design company turned out to be the key to this shoot! My first venture out was not the most succesful, not fully nailing the brief! However, after a brief telephone conversation and a bit of clarification, I felt far more confident. The ensuing images were far more ‘on point’ for the clients needs.

The shoot itself was a pleasure. I felt i managed to cover a lot of the city in a relatively short space of time to show many various aspects of our vibrant city. When you take the time to look around and look at the details of buildings, the variety of architecture on offer in Birmingham is astounding - but I digress.

With the client happy to sign off on the images - the job was complete. Even though jobs like this feel well within my capabilities, it still goes to show that communication is key and I was more than happy to go out on multiple occasions to make sure the client was receiving images that fitted their needs. The only ‘dampener’ was the weather but again, with some persistence, we managed to make the most of the little but of good weather that we got!

If you have any questions or would like to hire me, please feel free to Contact Me

REVIEW: Adam Audio T8V Studio Monitors

WATCH THE VIDEO REVIEW BELOW

I long be fan of Adam Audios equipment. The build quality is excellent and more importantly, the sound quality is incredible. So when I was invited to try the T8V’s - a budget friendly monitor with 8” woofer - how could I say no?

Key Features

• U-ART 1.9” ribbon tweeter

• Polypropylene 8” woofer

• HPS waveguide

• Rear-firing bass-reflex port

• 90 watts of RMS power

• Amplifier Power U-ART Tweeter: 20 W [RMS]

• Amplifier Power Woofer:70 W [RMS]

• Frequency response 33Hz – 25kHz

• Max. peak SPL at 1 m per pair: 118 dB

• Built-in Amplifiers: 2 x Class-D

• Crossover Frequency: 2.6 kHz

• Analog Inputs: XLR, RCA

Out of the box impressions & Build Quality

Max. peak SPL at 1 m per pair: 118 dBI’m going to cut straight to the point, these are obviously large monitors, measuring H400mm x W250mm x D335mm and weighing in at 9.8kg each - this is obviously all necessary to house that 8’ Polypropylene woofer. However, thanks to Adams beautiful cabinet design, they some how manage not to feel too bulky and are definitely a good looking monitor.

As you would expect from a German manufacturer, the build quality is excellent. Each unit feels solid and well constructed and if they did go for an unadvised tumble - I suspect they would damage what they hit more than be damage themselves, but obviously don’t try this! However, the bevelled front gives you a hint that more thought has gone into these than simply ‘big cabinets’. Inside is where the magic happens and they are design to be acoustically optimised. But if you do have any concerns, Adam also through in a generous five year warranty, so you are well covered.

A strong family heritage…

The T8V is the big brother to it’s predecessors, the T5V & T7V - with the number reflecting the woofer size (so 5”, 7” & 8” respectively) but all sharing the U-ART tweeter and HPS waveguide. The T-Series line-up represent Adam Audios more budget friendly alternatives launching in 2018. The T7V’s and in particular, the T5V’s received fantastic reviews from most that tried them and have been warmly embraced by those who need high-end quality studio monitoring options whilst not breaking the bank.

As an owner of Adam’s slightly more expensive A5X’s and Sub7 - I was keen to see just what the extra money gets you compared to their ‘entry level’ options. In fairness, I would almost be disappointed if the more expensive options didn’t outperform the T8V’s but having long been amazed by the quality of Adam’s product, I knew that nothing would really surprise me.

Main Features

So the obvious headline feature is the 8” woofer and the first thing you notice is that this thing wants to be pushed. Lower volumes will never do a speaker like this justice and to be frank, the T8V’s aren’t really built for casual listening. The ideal situation for getting the most from the woofers is a large studio environment where they can be driven at high volumes.

However, the real star of the show is the ribbon tweeter up top. This special piece of kit as a clarity to the high-end that just needs to be heard. It offers accuracy without being so bright that it’s unlistenable and makes the overall package, combined with that large woofer, a very compelling one.

Who should buy them?

They are, beyond doubt, a very capable studio monitor. However, they are not for every space. They really do call for a larger room that can accomodate them and I don’t just means their physical size - they offer a big sound when pushed and need a bit of breathing space.

The price is very appealing and for this reason, those looking to buy their first studio monitors should take a long, hard look at the T8V’s. For those looking for a little more refinement and maybe an upgrade from existing monitors, then maybe a look at the A5X’s may be a nice alternative.

Final Thoughts…

These are a great studio monitor. I really feel it’s unfair to call them an ‘entry level’ monitor as their price tag suggests - these are very capable. Size may be an issue but if you have the space, they are fantastic. Sound quality is good and clarity excellent and whether plan to use them for ‘actual’ monitoring or just casual music listening, they are a sound option.