Volo Automobile Museum
The idea of taking pictures to far distant and exotic locations is always appealing but sometimes the most obvious things are very close to home. Earlier this week I had the chance to visit the Volo auto museum just a few minutes from home. I had never had the chance to stop by and check it out. If you are an old car enthusiast or even just interested in photography you will not be disappointed. There are tons of classic cars going back to the late 19th century in excellent condition with a lot of interesting detail. The crowds are very light and they do not hassle the photographers. I was able to use my tripod for many of the shots without any complaints from management. Several hours later I came away with a satisfying set to work with.
Here are some things I learnt on the trip:
- Keep the camera on fluorescent white balance if shooting in JPEG other wise just shoot in RAW
- Use a tripod, the shutter speeds are going to be slow with the indoor fluorescent light
- Keep aperture at f5.6-f8, this will allow adequate depth of field while maintaining sharpness- Use focus stacking if needed in some shots
- Manually focus when needed
- Keep ISO at about 200, this will keep the noise level to a minimum
- Use a wide to medium lens, the cars are close together. Using lenses between 24mm and 50mm should work fine on a full frame DSLR. Closer to a 30mm will be needed for a crop frame sensor.
- Keep a small reflector or a white cardboard card, use the card to fill the shadows in
- Do not use a flash, the cars are really shiny, this will just create more shiny surfaces
- Shoot low to get better perspective
- Remember to have fun
Here are some of my keepers. I hope to go back soon to improve my technique.
Leave a Reply