How to: Pro Tips For Creative Imagery from Cars to Kitchens

Images and Tips by Ian Jones

Professional photographer Ian Jones shares practical tips for capturing creative images, whether you’re shooting cars or kitchens. With Tamron lenses, Ian highlights how to get great shots in a variety of settings using straightforward techniques. From car interiors to everyday home spaces, his advice will help you bring out the best in your photography.

TIP 1: AUTOMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPH

When shooting automotive, make sure the scenery fits the image you are going for, get lower and use the sun to your advantage. Try to get the sun to shine in the lens a bit to give some natural lens flare. Ian used his Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 DI III VXD (Model A058) and shot behind sticks to add some depth to this shot

© Ian Jones

TIP 2: STOP THE ACTION

Shooting at an aperture around f/5 helps to grab as much detail in focus as possible. It’s ok to push your ISO a little bit for action shots since you want to have a high shutter speed to stop the motion.

© Ian Jones

TIP 3: MAKE YOUR SUBJECT STANDOUT

In one of his favorite shots of this year, Ian Jones adjusted his settings so that the background is black and only Jay Leno stands out. Shooting in manual mode, Ian spot metered on the highlights, letting all the darkness drop into black.

from Cars to Kitchens

TIP 4: GO AHEAD AND GET WET

Given the fact that Tamron lenses have great weather sealing, Ian Jones wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries and get a little wet for this shot taken inside a carwash. Set the camera to wide open to gather light in the dark environment and use a higher ISO to get the fast shutter speed to freeze the “splashes.”

© Ian Jones

TIP 5: PHOTOGRAPH FOOD FROM ABOVE

When shooting these “hero” shots of food from above, make sure your aperture is around f/4 or f/5 to get everything in focus and show the detail of the food. Get good food shots by capturing the food at the right angle and making sure you push the saturation and shadows a bit to make the images pop.

© Ian Jones

TIP 6: INCORPORATE ACTION IN YOUR FOOD IMAGES

Try to involve some type of action or motion with food or beverages to make a more interesting shot, like Ian Jones’ shot of the pouring of a cocktail. Shoot from a good angle and push the saturation a bit in post-production. Pushing the highlights just a touch in Photoshop® gives your image a more cinematic look. Use natural lighting when you can or use lighting like the Aputure® LS 600d Daylight LED positioned off to the side.

© Ian Jones

TIP 7: THE SUN CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND

Put the sun behind your subject and angle yourself to get the sun shining just a tad into your lens to give you great natural lens flares. Putting the sun shining right in between the subjects provides nice balance.

© Ian Jones

TIP 8: GET CLEAN REAL ESTATE SHOTS

Real estate photos, if done right, can provide a nice clean look. Shoot wide with a lens like Tamron’s 17-28mm F/2.8 DI III RXD (Model A046) and with an aperture set to around f/4 or f/5 to get as much of the room in focus as possible. Make sure you use a tripod and drop the yellows in your editing.

© Ian Jones

Learn more about the lenses Ian Jones uses at an authorized Tamron dealer in your area or visit the TAMRON Store today.

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