Cars & Off Camera Flash - help & examples

DiddyDave

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Hi all

Looks like I may be doing a few car shots for a local garage that make crap cars look like those off the Fast & Furious films - now first thing, I've never shot a car before for anything, and I'm also wanting to do this with Off Camera Flash too (OCF) to light the cars nicely in grotty surroundings or even a local wood

I could take a few studio lights to their garage, but would prefer to be using speedlights, of which I have 2 and Skyports accordingly

Can anyone offer a few pointers and ideally with example shots too ??? :shrug:

Or even a pointer to who's good at this sort of thing on TP :)

Thanks in advance :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

DD
 
you want to be speaking to kris

libralis on here top notch at this stuff:clap:


md:thumbs:
 
I beleive POAH does mag stuff but mainly outdoors, Will you be outdoors or indoors?

You could attempt a strobist style shoot? @ night and light with softboxes?
 
I beleive POAH does mag stuff but mainly outdoors, Will you be outdoors or indoors?

You could attempt a strobist style shoot? @ night and light with softboxes?

Outdoors - I fancy doing a mix of ambient & flash, reducing the ambient (1-2 stops under to increase saturation & capture details in skies) and lighting via flash for the main subject

I am increasingly often introducing this for people shoots but can't help noticing people are much less reflective than cars :D so I'm wondering if a different approach is needed there :thinking:

DD
 
I had a reasonable result on my car using battery powered camcorder lights and a long exposure (about 5 secs). Had to watch out for the yellow streetlights though, ended up climbing it and putting a bin bag over it. It took me two nights to get this far :D

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I plan to experiment more with flashes behind the car to light the outline etc. I think I should have turned the headlight/sidelights on?
 
done both inside and out. my style is more dark which you may not want to copy

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lights

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nice thing with digital is you can play about with lights and take several shots to light the entire car up even if you only have one light.

this was done with one 430ex

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The top one of the TVR was taken using 2 flashes, but was a composite of 2 shots, one with the flashes aimed up in the ceiling and one aimed at the lights.

The mustang could have done with another flash to even out the lighting, and the Merc could have done with the flash being higher and further away to give a more even spread of light..

The best way to learn is trial and error ;)

George
 
Thanks for those POAH - that's exactly the sort of stuff I meant :clap:

Useful comment on the one light idea too

I take it then that you most commonly use just 2 lights?

DD



only got two big ones but got a couple of hot shoe flashes too
 
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