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Pay attention to reflections in the paint. Dark, glossy colors will reflect their surroundings like a giant mirror. Note the tree branch reflections in this shot.

Another common problem is the shadow cast by the photographer himself. This is very easy to do, particularly when shooting early or late in the day, which is normally the best time.

The two images above show the dramatic differences a background change can have on the final quality of the photograph. When shooting at a car show, asking the car owner to move the car to a better location when the show is over is a great way of eliminating disturbing backgrounds. Offering a few prints to the owner can be helpful.

If the car is moving, shoot it so there is more space in front of the car. Implying motion can add interest to a photograph as well. “Panning”, or following a fast moving subject withthe camera and using a slow shutter-speed, is a technique that renders a clear, crisp image of the car while the background is blurry. This takes some practice but is well worth the effort. Using a very fast shutter speed and freezing peak motion, such as during a burnout, also effectively gives a sense of speed. With a little practice and careful review of your finished images, effective composition will begin to happen naturally.

The background is another greatly overlooked part of photographic composition. Busy backgrounds can be very distracting and can ruin an otherwise effective photograph. Straight lines such as telephone poles, powerlines or edges of buildings are especially bothersome. Nice backgrounds for photographing cars include blue skies, unbroken grass or smooth asphalt. When composing the photograph, take an extra minute to examine the background. Does it add to the image or take away from it?

The presence of bright colors, large prominent objects and people are sure signs your background is too cluttered. Is there anything you can do to to remove these elements? Simply asking by-standers to take a few steps back, or simply waiting for them to walk past may be enough. Changing the angle of view or height of the camera may also help. Can the car be moved to another location? Although many car owners at shows may be reluctant to move their car during a show, they may become more cooperative after the show if you promise them a print or two.
There will be situations where there is little you can do about a background, and you can’t move the car. This is where a little knowledge of depth of field will be helpful. Depth of field is the distance in an image that appears reasonably sharp. Depth of field can be increased by choosing a smaller aperture setting. Assuming you have a camera with manual settings, choosing different f-stops (apertures, lens openings) will affect the sharpness of the background. By deliberately choosing the largest lens opening (smallest number), you will render the background out of focus, giving less weight to the distracting objects.

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