JT, when are you picking up the D4 so you can give me your D3?

Too add to what everyone is saying, the #1 thing you can do to improve is get out there and shoot. There are fundamentals that apply across the board, but to really learn how your camera works in different situations is to try, try and try again. Also, look around for shots that you like and try to recreate them. If someone has posted a straight shot online, it usually contains the EXIF information, so you can see what kind of settings they used. Of course this doesn't account for the conditions, but it's a start.

Having good equipment (particularly lenses, as Jason mentioned) makes things a bit easier, because they have the capability to get good shots in more diverse conditions - and you usually get what you pay for. But you see tons of excellent shots out there that were taken with an iPhone or something.

There is no doubt that better equipment will yield better results, all other factors being equal. But there's also no doubt that with the right amount of skill (through practice and learning from great threads like this one) can produce a great photo with whatever you've got.

Of course hanging out with Jason for a day prompted me to go back home to Virginia and upgrade everything I owned

 

I shoot with a Rebel T2i, but I'm going to upgrade in the near future and probably going to go for the 60D. I've only heard good things about the 60D, and only experienced good things with my T2i.

 

To give you guys an idea of what I do in a photoshoot using strobes, here's a time lapse video
Behind the Scenes - 458 shoot on Vimeo

The results:






And yes, that's Asian Elvis helping me out.

 

WOW Jason... you come late to the party but have totally taken it over
Love the rear deck shot, care to brake it down…

 

WoW, those are amazing. I have so far to go to take good pictures.

 

Good way to do it actually! I take just the one shot but then edit the rig out in Photoshop. Much more time consuming unfortunately!

Few examples:

 

I didn't take pictures showing the setup for that shot but the next time I do a photo shoot I'll try to remember to do that. Good idea there. Thanks for the suggestion.

There are so many different ways to do a rig shoot..we just felt that this method was the easiest. I want to try a few different ideas that I have. I'll be sure to try to document those too.

 

Jason: that 458 engine bay shot is WINNING! Great, great photo & writeup.

FFour: Brilliant rig shots there!
I love the Maserati GS shot -- great lighting, nice location to give the contrast between the subject and background, and I love the detail (right down to the shiny exhaust) Well done!

 

Wow! Great shots JT! I sure would like to know how the set up went for that rear deck shot.

 

Hey guys, since this is the "101" thread and we're all trying to learn/share knowledge here, can I ask a favor? Would y'all mind checking out some of the pics I posted here in the Audi section: https://teamspeed.com/forums/perform...w-tt-rs-8.html

I just shot these over the last couple days and would really love some feedback on what the experts here think. I'm shooting a lot more lately and really trying to improve my technique. Any and all feedback is welcome (good, bad, indifferent)!