Vital Imagery Blog: 6/25/17

Friday, June 30, 2017

You Can Take Car Photos Like a Pro Thanks to These Helpful Tips

Clipart Image of a Girl Taking a Picture of a Car

"Cars and cameras are the two things I let myself be materialistic about. I don't care about other stuff." Louis C.K.

The American comic doesn't say whether he ever combines his two passions. If he does however, it's a terrific, but tricky hobby that presents some unique challenges. Sun sparkling off shiny bodies can turn a much-admired colour into something unrecognizable. Also, given that those same gleaming beauties reflect everything nearby, it's quite easy to find yourself or some other unwanted subject in the shot.

And if it's action you're looking for in your photographs, cars will bring it on. Then it's up to the photographer to do the sport justice.

While unlike Mr. CK my materialism doesn't run to photography equipment, I do believe at the least that a good camera is a worthy indulgence. An amateur shutterbug, I enjoy taking pictures of the beautiful world surrounding me, and of the cherished faces of my family. Annual trips with my daughter and her little ones provide me with a plethora of opportunities, — shiny, happy faces that light my life, and gorgeous landscapes that soothe my soul.

These are the pictures I work to perfect.

There is, however, another subject that has been the target of my lens in the summers of the past several years. She's glorious, fun to be around and gets a lot of attention.

Way back in 1979, my husband was looking to purchase an older Mopar, something reminiscent of the ones his big brothers owned while he was a young teen waiting to get his licence. When he learned about a white 1967 Dodge Coronet RT, located only an hour away from our home, he decided to go check it out.

Excited by what he saw, he bought it that day and agreed to pick it up in the coming weeks. Fate dealt us a fair hand on this one since the day after he brought 'Artie' home, a tornado blew in and flattened the entire area where this car had been sitting. It reinforced the notion that this was going to be a special car for us.

Having decided that the white really didn't do justice to the personality of our beauty, we handed the car over to my father's body shop where a snappy red was applied. For a few years after that we enjoyed summer cruises, until my husband decided he'd like to make this a project. This time she was stripped bare and painstakingly restored as close to original as possible. Then ten long years later Artie was finally back on the road.

Every spring now I wait impatiently to bring her home from storage and get her ready for a season ahead. For a few months she takes us to cruise nights and attends car shows. Weather permitting, of course. In becoming a classic treasure she now commands respect and a lot of pampering.

For the few months she's with us every year, I try to take some new pictures, ones that do justice to the work that was done on her, particularly the paint job. My husband spent a great deal of time ensuring that the shade of red was as close to factory as possible. Pretty pleased with the results, you can literally feel the grimace when it comes out wrong in a photo.

After noticing the differences in'Artie's' hue in a series of pictures recently I decided it was time to refresh my memory on how to get more consistent results. The following also provide other valuable tips on how to improve you car photography:

10 Tips for Perfect Car Photos

Digital Photography School's Tips for Better Car Photos

How to Take Photographs of Cars

Take Great iPhone Photos of Cars

10 Creative Car Photography Tips

How to Shoot Cars

10 Tips for Your First Outdoor Car Shoot

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

You're Sure to Love These 6 Super Fun Sticker Packs from Animation Factory

I'm not a youngster. I was actually born when people still listened to 45s, when a bottle of pop could be had for a dime.

I was even born before most homes had rotary phones. The operator hooked us up with the person we wanted to reach. If you lived in the country, as my cousins did, you were probably on a 'party' line, which meant you not only waited for someone in your own house to get off the phone, you could potentially find yourself waiting for a neighbour to end a call before you could make your own.

We got three channels on our television and Dad's fiddling with the rabbit ears hopefully got rid of most of the snow on the screen. If I wanted to play games I went outside or sat at a table with a board, die and tokens.

With the advancements in technology, life has certainly changed from those times for all of us, particularly in the last few decades. The internet has opened doors of communication that many people, especially those of my generation and older, couldn't have imagined.

Despite certain issues social media, we all know it has its benefits, most notably in how it has connected us to others. Think of the 75-year-old gentlemen who lost his fishing partner and posted a request for a companion to accompany him on his angling adventures. The response was huge and what could have turned into a lonely existence suddenly meant a continued fulfilling life.

Think too, of the posts of lost pets, and more importantly missing children. Whether you like it or not, there's no denying that used as intended, social media is an indispensable tool.

New technologies too have brought us all kinds of 'toys'. GPSs instantly come to mind. When I think of the days when my husband and I would travel to unknown places, a map spread out on my lap in the passenger's seat, and a wrong turn or squabble imminent. Now some friendly voice patiently guides us, remaining calm when we opt to not listen.

Cellphones have made landlines almost extinct, though a few dinosaurs likes my husband still hang on. The positive attributes of this technology are as known as the less so. Sadly, we've all had that dinner with a friend who seems far more interested in that phone than in conversation with you.

Putting the negatives aside, however, I'm a big fan of most of this. Social media has linked me to family and old friends in a way that wasn't possible before. And the convenience of texting, while at times annoying, is undeniable. Message sent, get to it when you can. The ball, as we say, is in your court.

One of my favourite texters is my four-year-old granddaughter. Since she can't spell enough yet to carry on much of a conversation, she chats in her own style — with oodles and oodles of stickers. From her favourite 'neigh'neighs' to hearts and smiley faces she inundates me with adorableness.

Since Mom and Dad just happen to have iPhones, I can hardly wait to tell them about the new stickers available on iTunes created from Vital Imagery Ltd's AnimationFactory.com. From Animal Chores to special holidays, there are a number of categories from which to choose delightful stickers to enhance iMessages. It's as easy as a touch or a drag.