This article discusses using extension tubes to photograph auto details, and shares a range of sample images. I recently went to the annual PoultryFest event in Smithville Ontario. It features an antique and custom car show, which is a great place to capture some images of automotive details.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

I’ve always found doing some close-up photography of antique and custom cars to be an enjoyable experience. It allows me to see details, like the metal air filter grill in the image above, that I would not normally even notice.

Some things, like the weld on a radiator, can become a bit of a guessing game with friends.

As you can imagine, the owners of the display cars take a lot of pride in their creations, going to great lengths to keep their vehicles in tip top shape. Close-up photographs made possible by using extension tubes reveal how hard it can be to keep show vehicles clean!

I love to find small, mechanical details to photograph with extension tubes. The care and attention to details demonstrated by owners of show vehicles can be quite extraordinary.

The lighting on the various vehicles on display can vary tremendously, and on occasion I can become so focused on photographing small details, that I sometimes forget to check my camera settings.

I always look for interesting light and reflections on the many chromed parts that are often used on the show cars.

Quite often a particular highlight is only noticeable from a very specific angle. This often necessitates reaching inside an engine cavity with my camera, while making sure not to touch any exterior surface of the show vehicle.

Metal braided hoses can often make wonderful photographic subjects. I love the intricacy of the metal weaving. While I always prefer to present my images as 100% captures, this type of subject matter can call for some cropping from time to time.

Circular shapes such as filler caps, can make great close-up photography subjects. When composing such images, I look for lighting that helps to highlight the main subject, and other elements that can add a feeling of depth to my images.

Finding dark backgrounds can help create high contrast close-up images. In these cases I often use shadow and black sliders in post to further darken the background.

I always use Aperture priority with single point auto-focus and a dedicated ISO when doing close-up photography with my Nikon 1 gear.

As you can see in the above two photographs, close-up images of steering wheels can make for some interesting captures.

Due to all of the chromed components and other reflective surfaces found on show cars it can be extremely difficult to avoid capturing yourself in some of your images. As long as these instances are not too distracting I don’t bother trying to remove them in post.

In situations where the image has a lot of details, I will typically choose a single focus point that draws the viewer’s eye. In the image above it was the thread of the bolt.

The next time you are planning to go to a display of automobiles, you may want to consider taking some extension tubes or a macro lens with you. You may see the display vehicles in a completely different way than you have in the past!

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about the Nikon 1 system, you may want to have a look at our eBook, The Little Camera That Could. It illustrates the capability of the Nikon 1 system through hundreds of original photographs. There is also commentary and tips about the Nikon 1 system. The cost is $9.99 Canadian.

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Technical Note:
All images in this article were captured hand-held in available light, using Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All photographs used in this article were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro 11, CS6, and the Nik Collection.

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