They say a talented amateur can make a difficult task possible, but it takes a master to make a difficult task seem easy. Garland, Texas’ Sy Pham—this month’s Longshots contributor—might not yet consider himself a master, but his shot of this Drift-prepped S13 240SX fits the qualifications. Let’s let him explain:
S13 Nissan 240SX
Photographer: Sy Pham
Location: Addison, TX
Shot location: Addison, TX
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D MKII, 50mm F/1.8 lens, 580EX II flash; Adobe Lightroom 3, Photoshop CS5
Shutter: 20 seconds
Aperture: F/22
ISO: 400
Focal length: 50mm
Subject-camera distance: 17 feet
Camera height: 2 feet
Connect: www.flickr.com/shoryuuu
From the artist
“This shot was created using an unusual method, but one that’s a lot easier than it might seem. With my camera secured on a tripod, the car positioned where I wanted it, and the image framed, I made one 20-second exposure that would be enough to expose the background, but not fully expose the car. Then, during those 20 seconds, I manually fired my 580EX, aiming it at areas of the car that weren’t covered by the ambient light like I wanted. I made sure to make a few different exposures—better to have ones I didn’t like than not have one I did.
“The image I liked best was then opened in Lightroom 3 to adjust exposure, contrast, and color temperature (white balance), before it was exported to Photoshop for fine-tuning: more specific color balance, exposure adjustment, slight desaturation, cloning/cleaning, and some sharpening. It may look like the entire scene is lit by just that one overhead street light, but there’s really a lot more into it—just how I wanted it to look.”