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Norm Roberts's picture

First time shooting a car with studio strobes.

Hey everyone, I am hoping that you will critique the crap out of this photo. Max time is 6 hours with shooting and PP. I want to learn as much as I can so if you guys have anything bad/good to say let it out!

Thanks

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2 Comments

Hey mate, lighting cars with strobes is particularly tough, you never seem to have enough light to cover the car. In this instance the lack of light on the top of the hood, windshield and roof really makes the car disappear into the background. You don't always need to have an entire car perfectly lit, ie you could have the background lighter which will then give shape to the silhouetted car but this should be done intentionally to add mood and done creatively to enhance the lines and shape of the car.

Also whilst there is always room for creative lighting, it is often safer to try and replicate a real light source. In this example there is strong light coming from the right side of frame and then strong light coming form the left. Perhaps trying to imitate 1 over head light might produce a more natural looking result? You will still want to light the sides and front of the car to show the details, but maybe at a much lower intensity than the overhead light.

What you might find easier is to lock the camera down on a tripod and walk around the car shooting multiple exposures with 1 strobe and reflector. So aim the light over the front wheel and fire, walk 2 steps down the side of the car and fire and repeat until you have covered all of the car. Then you can combine them in photoshop and choose what areas of the car you wish to light and which areas you want the light to fall off from.

Keep playing, car photography is fun :)

Hey Shaun, thanks for your input as it is greatly appreciated! I see what you are saying about the shape of the car, I am still learning how to light this giant mirror (car) properly with strobes. I have access to some cars so I hope to practice a lot more since I am able to. I noticed that the intensity does make it look not so natural now. I need to improve in many areas and refine certain skills to bring a more natural look.

I actually have another version that I added some smoke/atmosphere in Photoshop where you can actually see the shape of the car a bit more. I will add it in here.

Again thanks for the tips and I hope to improve!