Shooting in a studio is something I’m still very new to. It’s worlds different from shooting on location. The great part about shooting in the studio is that you can control almost everything. It’s awesome for shooting black cars because it’s easier to control reflections. The studio is also good for details and interior shots. In this particular photo I was bouncing light off of a flat above the vehicle using a pair of ARRI hot lights. The benefit of constant lighting is it’s always WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). So if you want highlights to accentuate the fenders you manipulate the lights until you get what you want. Here’s a few other studio shots I took using similar techniques.

When I get a black car to shoot I try to find a nice open space to minimize distracting reflections. A good photographer friend of mine, Ron Perry, suggested a spot that would be perfect. Unfortunately, instead of a colorful sunset I got an overcast marine layer because the location was close to the water. The car looked great but the bland sky made for a bland photo. Luckily, my wife and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon and I grabbed a great shot that worked perfectly with the black Dodge Challenger SRT8.