# Dirt Road... **URL:** \ **Category:** Shift518 Automotive\ **Created:** [August 2, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/dirt-road/245849 "2009-08-02T20:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9
**Author:** ![KillerBlackbird](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/killerblackbird/32/6525_2.png) [@KillerBlackbird](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/KillerBlackbird)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 9:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/dirt-road/245849/9 "2009-08-03T09:58:30Z")
> [@buying a car without seeing it](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/buying-a-car-without-seeing-it/21155/13): > > You’ve got a bad habit of leaving your wheels cocked. :ahh > > Also you’ve got a “Tripod” effect going on in shot 4 where the forth wheel is obscured by the other ones. > > Otherwise, location is great, DOF is great. > > A few suggestions, I would recommend having a quick release type screw for the front plate. The new STi has a very charismatic front end that has to grow on you, the front plate is not helping the case. If it’s not required in VT, then you can also save some weight :thumb > > With the time you’ll save by not having to edit out the front plate you can edit out the window sticker to clean it up even more. > > Also as a variety shot, you could have the car off for some of them, where non of the lights are on. For the front it wasn’t too bad, but the back seemed to have too much going on with the license plate lights (again the damn plates). > > Look good however! > [@OFFICIAL Buffalo Sabres Thread](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/official-buffalo-sabres-thread/25170/1712): > > Vlad, front plates are required in VT - but for the sake of the pictures I do agree it should come off. > [@FS: Maytag Stove](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/fs-maytag-stove/17544/5): > > I somewhat agree with what cossey said vlad… > > There are some shots where if you tried to set it up so you can see the “4th wheel” would completely throw the picture off and it wouldnet look nearly as good. > > Take a few of his shots for instance… you can see 3 wheels, if he tried to go for the 4th he would have to use a low angle and it owuld ruin the shot… > > There are always exceptions to the rule There are a few rules I like to break and some I like to break more often than others. Here is my outlook; Sometimes having the wheels angled helps, sometimes it doesnt, it all depends what you’re trying to accomplish. If I left the wheels straight in #4 the cars angle would look out of place in relation to the road. It would still work, but could go either way. I have 3 favorite automotive photographers, Scott Chu, William Stern, and Wesley Allison. If you look at William Sterns portfolio for example (he shoots for 360forged wheels) [360 Forged | Flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/360forged/) most of his shots contain some wheel angle. You are right, it is good to mix it up. The 3 wheel trick is something I dont really pay much attention to. The new STi is not a very photogenic car and only looks good at certain angles, I’d much rather have the body of the car looking good than a quater of the backside of a wheel on the opposite side of the car in the shot. Evenly spacing each wheel in the shot makes my car look even more like a Nissan Murano or Lexus RX, for some reason it totally changes shape and not in a good way. The rule of thirds is another favorite rule of mine to break; its good to follow, but so much fun to break. Sometimes you are forced to break it. n!cole you are correct, VT reqiures front plates and the fine to not have one isnt worth it. F this state. My look on license plates and other parts of the car is; that if its there, leave it. Its the way you would see the car going down a road in person. I like to blank out the plate numbers unless the car owner says otherwise so no problems can arise, like the car ending up on ebay when its not for sale, if you catch my drift. If you start removing too many parts of the car then you have nothing to look at. > [@Opinions on public smoking?](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/opinions-on-public-smoking/21173/13): > > effing awesome shots man. Thanks man. --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/dirt-road/245849)._