Posted on Sep.08, 2011, under Automobiles

(Olympus E-3, 14-54mm at 14mm (2x crop factor), ISO 200, Exposure 1/60 sec @ f/10)

The Deusenberg is one of my favorite classic automobiles. The car just exudes power and class, and the companies that did the coachwork created automobiles with wonderful details. I took this shot at the 2008 Concours d’Elegance held at Meadowbrook Hall in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The car is a 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Roadster with coachwork by Bohman and Schwartz. The car has an interesting history. According to information displayed with the car, the automobile was purchased for Clark Gable from his wife, Carole Lombard. Gable owned the car until 1942 until his wife’s death at which time it was given away with instructions that it never be seen in California while he was still alive.

When I took the shot, I was trying to capture the interesting lines of the wheel covers, the pin striping, the lights, etc. The raw image, with the grass and reflections of the people sort of distracted from the design elements. I could have blacked out the grass, but I still would have had to deal with the reflections. I decided to try something a bit more ‘artistic’ and experimented with using the Photoshop Cutout filter. The Cutout filter does a nice job of dramatically simplifying color gradations but it kept the key elements of the car intact. Compare the finished image above with the raw image below.

Finally, here is a full body shot. I used Topaz simplify to create more of a painted background look.

Got comments or questions? Feel free to leave them below.

Copyright ©2008-2011 James W. Howe – All rights reserved

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