Brake Shoes

Brake Shoes

How do you make a flattering photograph of used car parts? These rear drum brake guts were what I spent my evening with. I took a picture so that I would remember where everything went. But, if I had to take a picture, I wanted it to be a good picture. Even if it was just some rusty car parts. I tried a few different lighting approaches. I won’t bore you with a gallery; I’ll just stick with the best of the set. I boosted saturation and contrast to bring out the colors and texture represented. It is a very mundane object. But why should paint jobs and chrome get all the glory? Some guy spent a lot of time designing this brake, maybe as much as the guy who designed the grill or the fender. There’s a beauty to machinery, just as there is to tree bark or a mountain scene. Little bits of color and shape catch the eye. I’ve photographed machinery before; check out Rusty Pump House. The rusty pump house had more charm, I must admit. This was taken with a Nikon D90, an 18-55mm AF-S VR DX lens, SB-600 flash. ISO 200, f/9, 1/160 sec, 18mm focal length, cropped. The flash is a little strong, but it made for a nicely sharp image. In case you are wondering, this is from a 2002 Sienna. It was my first attempt at replacing my own rear drum brakes. Took a while, but I got it done.