Take A Shot: Babe of the Month Photo Tips & Tricks

So, you want to shoot your woman for Babe of the Month. Rock on! Since the first flathead Ford was stuffed into a car it was never meant for, hot women and hot cars have gone together like hot dogs and mustard, beer and baseball. Well, beer pretty much goes with anything (except driving), but that's another story.

With the Babe of the Month contest becoming more popular with every issue, the crew at 5.0&SF thought it was time to do a story with some hints and tips so you could shoot your girl with your car. As 5.0&SF's resident photographer, helping the citizens of 5.0 Nation take better BOTM pics was given to me. More often than not, potentially winning photos end up in the BOTM reject drawer in Editor Turner's office (not to be confused with the black hole of the universe, Assoc. Editor Johnson's cubicle) because of some serious technical flaw. Sometimes, the pic is out of focus, underexposed, overexposed, or the girl just doesn't look right. Many times we've looked at photos and thought, If only the person had done this when shooting...

With my mission clear, I went in search of appropriate subject matter for this story. Enter the extremely beautiful and talented Jen, Kara, and Rachel. We met Jen and Kara at 5.0's favorite local eating establishment, the Winghouse in Brandon, Florida, where Jen and Kara serve wings, beer, and good cheer to the masses. Rachel is a former Winghouse girl who now models and keeps busy with other things.

Now that I had the subjects, I needed a car to shoot them with. As luck would have it, the two Chip Foose Mustangs built through Unique Performance were at our offices after the Barrett-Jackson West Palm auction for evaluation. Hot women and hot Mustangs--do you notice the general theme?

So, in the studio we went. Now, I know what you guys are grumbling about--you don't have a studio and can't afford one. Well, don't sweat it. These techniques and tips apply to indoor and outdoor photography. And we're going to talk about outdoor shooting and things you should keep in mind.

First, when taking a photo, try to fill the viewfinder with as much of the car/babe as possible. This makes the main subjects of the photo visible so they don't get lost in the background. Second, watch for camera shake. When taking your pictures, try to keep the camera as steady as possible.

If you're using a film camera, have the negatives scanned at the highest resolution possible. If shooting with a digital camera, set the camera at its maximum resolution. This makes the photos look a ton better and helps on our end in case we have to tweak anything in the computer.

Outdoor Shooting

First thing on outdoor shooting--never shoot into the sun! This not only creates unsightly shadows that make your babe and car look bad, but it can also wreak havoc with the camera's exposure of the picture. As a rule of thumb, you always want the sun at your back, preferably at a 45-degree angle to the car.

Try not to shoot between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. During the middle part of the day, the angle of the sun is high and directly overhead. This makes the light on the car and girl flat. It also creates problems with "hot spots" on the car. These are places where the sun causes bright reflections on chrome bumpers, trim, polished wheels, and paint. At this time of day, the sun creates lighting problems that can confuse the camera and result in an overexposed/underexposed problem, and the sky is flat and uninteresting.

If you can only shoot during this "forbidden time," look for a place with even shade. This helps reduce the problem with hotspots and can make the lighting more desirable.

Also avoid shooting too early or too late in the day. If you don't have enough light for a good exposure, the photo won't look good, especially if you have a dark-colored car. A good rule of thumb is, if the sun's low enough you can't see it, it's too early or too late to take the photo.

General Tips

So you found a great spot to shoot the car, now what? Before you take any pictures, there are a few things to remember.

1. Always stay relaxed: If your babe is tense or not having a good time, it will show in the photos. Keeping the fun factor high will go a long way toward making your pictures better.

2. Wardrobe is important: The outfit your girl wears is important for several reasons. First, no thongs for Babe of the Month. Sorry, guys! Unfortunately, 5.0&SF has to deal with its own panel of censors, and they like to bounce photos like this in a heartbeat. Beyond that, the wardrobe is wide open. Second, your girl shouldn't wear anything she doesn't feel comfortable in. If a model is wearing something she doesn't feel good in, it will negatively affect the photos. This ties into the tension thing mentioned above. When shooting for Babe of the Month, take pictures of your girl in two or three different outfits. We like to see variety in the submissions, and multiple outfits make your chances even better for getting some BOTM-worthy shots.

When choosing outfits, tell your babe to pick out what she feels best in. Try to have her dress in something that complements the color of your car. Complementary colors work like this: red and blue, yellow and green, orange and purple. If you're not sure what best matches your car's paint, ask her to dress in white, black, or neutral colors that go with anything. Ask her to take off her jewelry, which can be distracting in photos or can scratch the paint.

3. Clean your car: Beyond giving the car a good wash, detail it for brake dust on the wheels, bugs on the grille and hood, tire stains, rubber pieces behind the rear wheels, and such. Dirt and grime you can't see with the naked eye have a nasty habit of showing up in photos.

Getting Started

So your girl's dressed and ready to go. The car's clean, the light is just right, and she's standing there wondering what to do. Keep these things in mind when shooting.

Avoid awkward or uncomfortable poses. Chances are, if your girl feels uncomfortable or awkward in a certain pose, it'll look that way in the picture. Start out by using simple, comfortable poses, the type you see all the time. As you get into shooting, try some different stuff, and your girl will probably get into the spirit of things and come up with some ideas of her own. Try to avoid overtly provocative shots (front or rear) because the censors will bounce them.

Shoot from a variety of angles. You can't submit too many photos for Babe of the Month, and the better the variety, the better your chances are for seeing your girl and car compete for BOTM honors. Try shooting from low angles, high angles, to the left of the car, to the right, and a few at eye level.

Have fun. This is important. Having fun helps keep the relaxed atmosphere you need for great photos, and you're taking pictures of a hot woman with a hot car, you should be having fun anyway.

Now What?

So you've taken your pictures, and it's time to submit them for BOTM. There are two ways to do it: e-mail them to 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords at finish.line@sorc.com. If you have too many pictures to e-mail (with high-resolution images this can be a problem) send a CD in the mail. Address it to:

BOTM
5.0 Mustang & Super Fords
9036 Brittany Way
Tampa, FL 33619

Hope this story has helped you out, at least you've got some great pictures of your girl/yourself with your car, at the most you'll be a contender for Babe of the Month honors!

To see the pics from our Babe of the Month Photo Tips teaser story, click HERE

BONUS GALLERY!

Here's a gallery of some good and bad photos to give you some more posing ideas and so you can see some other dos and don'ts that'll come in handy when you're taking Babe of the Month submission photos.