Don`t let the pictures fool you!

[safetyman2010]

I thought I would post some pictures here for the first time to illustrate how simply photographing paint in different ways can produce wildly different results in how impressive the paint looks - without actually doing anything.



Example 1:

[safetyman2010]

You can see that the paint is pretty damn rough from that picture. It was contaminated with Industrial Fallout as well as paint overspray and was scratched all to hell. Here is another shot of the same paint with no surface correction from another angle.



Example 2.

[safetyman2010]

Now I can tell you that even the first photograph did not show exactly how bad the paint really was and it was tough to get the photo to show that it was even that bad until I took 8 or 10 shots from different angles and reviewed them on the computer. Here is a picture after I initially polished half the trunk lid.



Example 3.

[safetyman2010]

Here is another shot after another pass with a finer polish.



Example 4.

[safetyman2010]

Here`s a side by side comparison before & after polishing with no waxes or glaze applied. What you see is what you get.



Example 5.

[safetyman2010]

Last and not least here is the final shot outside in natural light with one coat of wax applied.



Example 6.

[safetyman2010]

Here`s the really trick part and the point of my post. Check out this side by side shot of the paint outside after the left side of the trunklid was completely compounded, polished and waxed to perfection and absolutely nothing was done to the right side of the trunk lid.



Example 7.

[safetyman2010]

Remember that that is the same shot as the other before & after shot only shot under different light conditions and a favourable angle. The point I am trying to make is not to get too excited over some of the pictures that are posted because you have no idea what the results really are unless you are actually there to see them.

[jimmybuffit]

Amen, Scott.



Your point is very well made..

[RedondoV6]

Great post Shineshop, very informative and helpful in "keeping things in perspective".



Thanks for taking time out to post.

[imported_BretFraz]

Originally posted by Jimmy Buffit

Amen, Scott.



Your point is very well made..



Agreed. GeekySteve did something like this awhile back, taking a pic of a black Trans Am and making a rough car look terrific by changing camera settings.



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27223&highlight=camera

[safetyman2010]

I never saw that post but see how bent out of shape people get about some of the pictures that are posted here and all the "oooohhhing and ahhhhhhhing" that goes on. We really have no idea what the paint looked like beforehand OR after it has been covered with whatever wax/glaze/sealant has been applied.

[WD Pro]

100 % agree and can comment from experience.



I had my car photographed for a magazine and due to a lack of notice (less than 24 hours !), I had not been able to prep the car properly.



When the cameraman arrived he could see me panicking about certain bits and found it quite amusing. He assured me that on camera it would look perfect. In the magazine all the shots looked excellent and even though I knew where the defects / bad paint were they couldn’t be seen.



I would be embarrassed if you guys were to inspect the car with your own eyes but this is a (poor quality) scan from the magazine :



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/Peter1/Peters%20Cosworth/defd8c22.jpg



Who said the camera never lies ?



WD Pro :xyxthumbs