suggestions please

[jpperry]

I posted this shot in the sports section but didn't get any feedback on it so I thought I would try here. Anyway, it is a shot of Travis Pastrana's (of X Games fame) Subaru Impreza STI rally car. It was taken during the Lake Superior Pro Rally. I hate commenting on the picture first because it may prejudice other viewers; with that being said I think the color seems a little flat.? Any thoughts on how to best make it pop out more?

[Jumpseat]

Hi JP,
I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of editing your photo for an example. You have some really good elements that just needed a little empisis. I cropped the photo to remove the gray sky (always something to avoid) and concentrate on the key elements. Then I used my Nikon Capture 4 D-Lighting to correct the exposure slightly. You can do the same thing with levels, curves and all of that but Nikon's D-Lighting is just a lazy way out. Then, in Corel's Photo XI I converted it to B&W to correct for contrast and brightness. I'm afraid I still think a lot in B&W. Once finished I backed out the B&W returnig to color (a trick Photo XI allows), increased the color saturation and sharpened.
I hope this helps some. Good luck.
Bill

[Loupey]

JP, despite this being a very dynamic moment, the image looks too static IMO. If one does not notice the dirt behind the car or only makes a cursory look, the car seems to be parked because your shutter speed was too high.

Seems there are two extremes for these types of photos: 1) ultra fast shutter for freezing jumps, crashes, spray, and the like to convey action; and 2) moderate shutter to allow pans to convey speed

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I would have liked to see speed conveyed here.

[03gtmustang]

I agree with Loupey. Would look better at a bit lower shutter speed. I like what Jumpseat did with it though.

[cyberlord]

Just a note, if you want to include the driver, a polarizer might help. I know some auto glass is polarized itself so you might have to turn the on camera polarizer so it aligns with the auto glass. Probably not enough time to do all that with these type action shots though.

But keep a polarizer in the back of your mind to shoot through window glare.

Tim

[jpperry]

Thanks for all the comments guys. I like the edit/crop gives it a bit more punch. Also, I totally agree with the slower speed panning; I'll have to try that next time.