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Today's awesome guest blogger is my friend and fellow Canon shooter Glenn Taylor. Glenn is an amazing photographer and Lightroom instructor. He will be joining me for my Capture the Classics: Old Cars and Antique Trains workshop this October. We hope you can join in this creative exploration of composition, exposure, HDR and image processing.
Take it away, Glenn.
I first want to thank Rick for this opportunity to guest blog again and tell you about two great photographic “gems” located in my hometown of Atlanta. If you have never been to Old Car City (north of Atlanta), there has never been a better opportunity to see this local treasure. Join Rick and myself in October for his 2015 Canon EOS Destination Workshop: Capturing the Classics: Old Cars and Antique Trains. Rick and I will be your guides to explore the acres of opportunities available at this location. We will also have a great model, Hannah (featured in this post), joining us again to help set the scene.
Opening image: Nothing has more details and textures to photograph than classic cars, especially when they have aged to this level. I made this photo with a Canon 24-70mm L lens by getting in close to enhance the texture, colors and character of this hood ornament. Classic design that never goes out of style.
Above: In this image of Hannah, I let the rich texture of an old panel van be our backdrop. I shot this with the ever versatile Canon 24-70mm L lens. This was made using natural light on an overcast day. The whole sky was a nice, big softbox. Rick and I will demonstrate getting great results in natural light, using reflectors or with your flash, plus how to know which method works best in various situations.
Canon (all the images in this post were taken with Canon cameras and lenses) will be there with some great gear to try and what better locations to give it a spin than Old Car City and the Southeast Railway Museum. If you like HDR, want to improve your technique or just try it for the first time, these locations coupled with Rick’s excellent teaching style are a can’t miss event. You will come away with dramatic images and an even better experience. Rick makes learning fun and these locations offer so many amazing subjects to try various techniques.
Above: They have a sense of humor and southern charm at Old Car City. There are all sorts of slogans, collections and just generally interesting items to photograph at every turn. This image, once again, was made with the 24-70mm L lens. (One of my favorites, can you tell?)
Above: These old vehicles, nestled throughout the acres of woods, make incredible HDR images. You can for a natural look, as I did here in this 5 exposure photo or take it as surreal and gritty as you want. These cars were made for the “grunge” treatment. Rick and I will show you our favorite processing methods and help you achieve just the right style for your vision.
Above: Here we have Hannah (again in natural light), sitting on the back of a school bus shell full of old tires. Rick and I will explain composition guidelines and using creative processing techniques like I did here to take away some of the reality of the scene and add mood. We like to have fun on these workshops and give tips on exploring plug-ins and bringing an artistic style to your images.
The Southeastern Railway Museum is another great location we will visit on this workshop. They have loads of old trains, city buses and train equipment in various stages of decay and restoration. These interiors make for great HDR images to bring out the dynamics of the dimly lit interiors and not have the window areas blown out. The peeling paint, rust and mountains of heavy metal in the process of aging just can’t be beat. Rick and I will help you learn how to compose, shoot and process your own great images at this location as well.
Above: This is the mail car at the Railway Museum. In one image I used it as a background scene and balanced out the available light in the rail car with a flash on the model to give a nice warm portrait look that gives a sense of place and sets a mood. The other image is the same mail car, only this time shot as a 5 exposure HDR and processed to bring out the texture and character of the scene.
No other Old Car City photo workshop offers this much. In addition to the teaching, model session, processing and in addition, each workshop participant will receive an autographed copy of Rick’s three favorite books: Creative Visualization for Photographers, Exploring the Light and Travel and Nature Photography. In addition, everyone will also receive a free download code for two of Rick’s on-line classes: Master the Art and Craft of Bird Photography and Master Landscape and Seascape Photography - both available in Rick’s on-line store. Total value of these items is over $100. Rick always adds value to his workshops and this one is no different.
I really hope you can join Rick and I at Old Car City and at the Southeastern Railway Museum – we’ll not only make good pictures, but also have a ton of fun.
To see more of my pictures or contact me, please visit my website.
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Thank you Glenn for another awesome blog post. I can't wait to see you and shoot with you!
Explore the light,
Rick