Ian Bramham's Photoblog
The Open Road
Posted by Ian Bramham (Manchester, United Kingdom) on 8 September 2008 in Transportation and Portfolio.
Ford have come a long way from the Model T....this is their new Focus Cabriolet.
This is a photo taken using an extreme wide angle lens with a 10 stop neutral density filter fitted to the front to allow a long shutter speed of 8 seconds to be used.
The camera is fixed to a sturdy tripod that is secured in the back of the car and is triggered with a wireless remote. This means that everything in the car is sharp as the camera moves together with the car but everything outside is blurred.
For purchasing high quality archival prints of any of these photos you can send me an email by clicking here or by going to MY NEW WEBSITE where prices are listed in the gallery sections under each individual photo.
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Links to the websites of other photographers whose work I love and who have all helped me enormously over a long period of time. I find the work of all 3 to be inspirational.
Laura from Eindhoven, Netherlands
Absolutely amazing shot! The long exposure definitly does it!
8 Sep 2008 10:13am
@Laura: Thanks Laura!
@Alfredo J. Martiz J.: Thanks Alfredo!
@yz: Thanks yz!
Laurie from New Jersey, United States
Really well done. That road must have been pretty smooth or that car has an awesome suspension and really smooth ride for such a crisp shot at 8 seconds. Or were you traveling very, very slowly? Impressive.
8 Sep 2008 11:23am
@Laurie: Thanks Laurie.....this the second time I've tried this type of photo and both times it was really easy. The best way to set up the tripod is to have two of the legs in the footwell - set at a wide angle, one wedged tight behind each seat. The third leg is kept short and rests on the rear seat cushion.
As for speed, it isn't important to be travelling fast - I think I was travelling at between 40 and 50mph but it would have still worked at a slower speed I'm sure. The road actually felt quite bumpy but it doesn't seem to have affected the sharpness too much.
Rob from Mount Joy, United States
awesome idea! i wonder if my wife will let me rig it up in our car?! i'll tell her "the photoblog made me do it."
Great shot and wonder detail in the car... operation by remote - autofocus or manual focused prior to shutter release?
8 Sep 2008 11:25am
@Rob: Thanks Rob!
I set the camera up and took a few test shots then switched the camera settings to fully manual before setting off - autofocus was disabled and exposure locked at the trial shot settings. I used the tiny Nikon infra-red ML-L3 remote to trigger the shutter.
I'm pretty sure the wide angle lens is key to this photo (this is a Sigma 10-20 at it's fully wide setting) as it also has a great depth of field. The other one is having a good solid tripod that will lock up nice and tight to minimise any camera shake.
Momo from Montpellier, France
jeez, these are fun shots Ian...love your car shots as much as the landscapes...
8 Sep 2008 12:08pm
@Momo: Thanks Momo....how have you been keeping?
IanSmith from London, United Kingdom
Nice one Ian... Have you taken any whilst going around a corner (so the blur moves to the side more)?
You're a brave man to have the top down in the north of England recently (such dreadful weather). :o)
8 Sep 2008 12:33pm
@IanSmith: Hi Ian!
This was quite a fast sweeping 'A' road in the Lake District so there were no really tight turns however I did try it on some of the bendy bits but it didn't produce blur more on one side than the other....all it diid was result in shots where my hands and arms are blurry. I did manage some shots which have some of the effects you describe but they resulted from sections of the road which had heavy tree cover on the near side.
GJC from Kyoto, Japan
I remember the "original" of these shots you took some time ago, and it still hasn't lost anything. It's not only an enormously clever idea, it's a beautiful panorama of color as well. Very inventive.
8 Sep 2008 12:33pm
@GJC: Thanks GJC!....the chance to try this photo with an open top car was too good to miss. I wish though that I'd thought of turning on the dashboard lights.
MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany
That's a very cool 'time tunnel' effect, really great!
8 Sep 2008 12:40pm
@MadScientist: Thanks....I was pleased with the way the sky came out!
Angelique from Netherlands
Amazing effect and still so many details in it!
Great work.
8 Sep 2008 1:18pm
@Angelique: Thanks Angelique...the first time that I tried this type of photo I was amazed that there wasn't more blur of the parts of the image inside the car.
hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong
Oh Ian you've done it again... and this one is just as amazing and fascinating!! Have you thought of trying this at night too?:-)
8 Sep 2008 1:41pm
@hugo poon: Hi Hugo....:-)
I couldn't pass up the chance of trying this again in an open top car, especially now I've got this great new 10 stop nd filter to allow me to try it in daylight.
Loretta from San Mateo, United States
Just the idea of it all. To think it through and then excute it so well. The planning really shows through. Very nice photo
8 Sep 2008 1:50pm
@Loretta: Thanks Loretta...it's actually very easy to do!
@Daryl: Thanks Daryl!
Betsy Barron from Glenmoore, United States
oh my this does put my post to shame I'm afraid!! nice work!! I would love to try this in a convertible to get that amazing sky
8 Sep 2008 2:33pm
@Betsy Barron: Thanks Betsy....this was a borrowed car but I couldn't pass up the chance to try this shot in a convertible. I've tried it before in my own car which is a people carrier with a glass roof which is almost as good: http://ianbramham.aminus3.com/portfolio/163.html
@Pouhou: Thanks Pouhou!
@Vink: Thanks Vink!
Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia
Action with wonderful fine detail. An excellent combination, Ian. Really creative work.
8 Sep 2008 4:14pm
@Michael Skorulski: Thanks Michael!
DonLon from Providence, RI, United States
Great shot! Love the action in it. But I think you have flipped it! the wheel is on the wrong side! Attention to detail1 ;-)
8 Sep 2008 4:20pm
@DonLon: Thanks :-)
Rui from Leiria, Portugal
Fantastic shot. Really creative. And thanks for sharing the technique with us. Very well done Ian
8 Sep 2008 7:37pm
@Rui: Thanks Rui....it's very easy to do. Give it a try for yourself!
Margie from Auckland, New Zealand
Super cool shot, Ian! I agree with yz, it's a great advertising photo. I think you should offer it to Ford for an extravagant amount!
8 Sep 2008 8:17pm
@Margie: :-) Thanks Margie....that would be great wouldn't it!
Ted from South Wales, United Kingdom
Nice job Ian...like YZ I can see Ford making use of this?
8 Sep 2008 8:36pm
@Ted: Thanks Ted....I'd be tempted to say that that kind of thing only happens in films by Walt Disney except I know someone on Flickr that it actually happened to (he's a much better photographer than me however: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxblack/2232745772/in/set-72157603981767616/
dj.tigersprout from San Bruno, CA, United States
just a wonderful concept and brilliant result! bravo! and congrats on the spotlight! welcome back too by the way! :)
9 Sep 2008 12:23am
@dj.tigersprout: Thanks for letting me know it was on the spotlight page....I missed that!
Michael from TX, United States
Very cool shot, I have never seen one of these images taken inside of a convertible. Very impressive.
9 Sep 2008 3:08am
@Michael: Thanks Michael!
@Double KK Photography: Thanks!
Vincent Bertrand from Montréal, Canada
Very interesting effect, and good composition.
Your steering wheel is on the wrong side ;) Those English people always need to be different!
How fast were you driving, just for fun?
9 Sep 2008 6:21am
@Vincent Bertrand: Thanks!....you don't need high speed to get these images. I guess I was driving at between 40 and 50mph.
@MOHAMMAD: Thanks Mohammad!
@Ana Lúcia: Thanks Ana!
Giovanni from Milan, Italy
amazing shot! it looks like you are driving the Enterprise ;-)
9 Sep 2008 11:42am
Russ Devan from New Hanover, United States
Excellent shot, Ian. It's interesting that the wind didn't cause any tripod/camera movement. There's only one change I would have made and that would have been to turn on the lights on the dash. I'd be afraid of trying a shot like this and disclosing to everyone just how fast I actually drive!
9 Sep 2008 5:20pm
Kylie Greenan from Richmond, Australia
WOW, amazing work Ian, I love the reflection of you driving, very cool. It looks like a great car... thanks for the explaination on how you did that, now if I could just figure out how to chop the roof off my subaru I will get to work :o) Congratulations!
11 Sep 2008 12:04pm
Jerry from Malang, Indonesia
I don't have any words to say.... just... VERY-BEST-GOOD-NICE JOB...
12 Sep 2008 3:05am
Shawna from Regina, Canada
This is a great image. Thanks for sharing how you did it.
12 Sep 2008 5:28am
Francesc B. from région parisienne, France
A great idea... I like this pic and your feeling... and the car too !!! Thank you for sharing your explanations...
and thanks for adding me... my blogwatch is full , but you are on my VFXY favorites...
regards from Paris
15 Sep 2008 11:45am
Phototherapy from Switzerland
Great work - impressive standpoint, I like it a lot SwissCharles
15 Oct 2008 9:15pm
Nikon D40
8 seconds
F/8.0
ISO 200
15 mm (35mm equiv.)