I have wanted to try a shot like this for a while, but didn't have the correct challenge or the nerve to do it. I borrowed my wife's 1992 BMW 325i convertible, tied my tripod into the backseat of the car using rope, and set up the camera with a remote shutter release. I shot probably about 100-200 shots using this set up over two days. As luck would have it, I got this shot - my favorite on the first day in the first 20-30 shots. I got many strange looks from people as I drove around the streets near my house with this contraption sticking out the top of the car....I hope it was worth it.
Predicted score: 6.3
Dream score: 6.7+
I think it came out pretty good - I hope DPC agrees (and that there aren't too many shots like it!)
Shot in RAW, Opened in Elements 6
Adjusted globally vibrancy, saturation, clarity and exposure prior to RAW conversion.
As JPEG - Noise Ninja to smooth blurred and sharpen sharp.
Adjustment layers for selective colors, hue saturation.
Cropped and minor rotation to fix 'horizon' of car.
Removed on sensor dust spot on left hand side in trees (it was only object not in motion and was seen on other images in sequence).
Resize for web, noise ninja again, boosted saturation. Save for web.
[Nov. 3rd, 2008 07:55:36 AM]
I had a few comments during voting that were wondering about the speed of the car while photographing. As I recall, I was going about 40 mph. But with a 1/3 second shutter speed (aperture mode set at F14 to keep image sharp but small enough to elongate the exposure time), I was able to get a really good feeling of motion. It helps that the road is narrow and there were trees right up to the road - this gave the feeling of motion more pronounced.
Post Challenge Cool a ribbon and a 7+ score. Thanks for the great comments! I had a blast planning and doing the shoot for this one.
H
Statistics
Place: 2 out of 201 Avg (all users): 7.0695 Avg (commenters): 8.6923 Avg (participants): 6.9123 Avg (non-participants): 7.1385 Views since voting: 7984 Views during voting: 406 Votes: 187 Comments: 56 Favorites: 23 (view)
Before it takes off from the front page, congratulations!! it's a really awesome shot that makes you feel like your in the middle of the action - definitely deserves a ribbon!
Great image. Thanks for sharing the setup & out-takes... it was well worth the effort (and the strange looks from the neighbors) ! Congrats on the Red!
hey peter ... BRILLIANT .. and congratulations on your ribbon and second place on your profile page ..
i'm wondering why you're driving on the rhs when you live in england .. that could be why you got the weird looks and possibly the finger .. lol .. :)
i get such a feeling of motion when looking at this .. it is AWESOME . !!..:)
peter, congrats! I looked at the home page first thing this morning, hoping to see this shot up there! And I wasn't disappointed. this is a fantastic shot, perfect for the challenge. It's great when things work out exactly as planned, and a ribbon to boot! Way to go!
"Thrilling" is the word that came to mind. Worth it indeed. I love how the road appears sharp and the surroundings are blurred. And fall was a great time to capture this. Congrats on the ribbon!
really good. i'd like to try it out myself one of these days.
but i'm still struggling on how to get the camera strapped properly without too much vibration onto the car (and no, i dont have a convertible)
Wow, as soon as this photo popped up I really felt the motion. Extremely well executed. I would have liked to see it zoomed out just a little more so the driver is a little more visible though. Still... great shot!!
I absolutely love this picture, the clarity and blur work perfectly together. I cant help but feel that I am falling right into the picture, wonderful. 10 :)
Speed
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
