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View Full Version : Lighting a car on a budget?



afc2112
03-22-2013, 03:43 PM
I'd like some insight as to what you guys use to light a car for night photography.

Ideally, it should be portable and easy on the wallet.

maharaj
03-22-2013, 04:33 PM
I'm not a photography expert but based on my observation of night photos it looks like a lot of parking garage spaces and/or street lights are used. My guess is that this keeps from having to use a bunch of extra lighting and keeps the night time theme of the shot. Just a guess though.

afc2112
03-22-2013, 05:40 PM
^ Do you not know me? I already do that.

bigx5murf
03-22-2013, 06:49 PM
LOOOOOONG exposure modes preferably with a tripod. I've been trying to learn to get a camera's settings right for night shots recently too. Just going to take practice and experience really.

Here's a picture taken in pitch black, only light sources are the area the sun bleeds in from.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/BiGx5MurF/DSC06601_zps0941c06e.jpg

afc2112
03-22-2013, 10:44 PM
LOOOOOONG exposure modes preferably with a tripod. I've been trying to learn to get a camera's settings right for night shots recently too. Just going to take practice and experience really.


Again, I already do this.

This is a 10 second shot with 35mm f1.8. (granted, there's no car)

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/315895_10100511412407281_285793728_n.jpg

I'm not a newb. I want to hear about lighting setups.

I want gear input. Either an umbrella to bounce the light off or something for light painting.

I appreciate the thoughts, though...

theothersawyer
03-22-2013, 10:56 PM
I just used an LED flashlight to do light painting on my car. I'll post up a picture of if for you later. I used a styrofoam cup to diffuse the light a bit. I worked great!!

Ciotti
03-23-2013, 11:11 AM
My setup...

http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pdT1_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3JZMGF0QASXVP&coliid=I3LTKMQ7N6CSRN

Handheld inside of

http://www.amazon.com/Westcott-Apollo-Light-Modifier-Recessed/dp/B00022KOWU/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1364054677&sr=1-3&keywords=westcott+apollo

=

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/2012%20MiB/Boone189.jpg

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/2012%20MiB/Boone190.jpg

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/2012%20MiB/Boone191.jpg

Quick one...

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/2012%20MiB/Boone201.jpg

Without the softbox since I needed more output to compete with the ambient...

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/Ernest/ArtMuseam1.jpg

http://www.ciottiindustries.com/gallery/Miatas/Ernest/ArtMuseam2.jpg

Here's a whole album with more :)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361927343882102.85088.194841487257356&type=3

What's great about the video light vs a flashlight is that the light temperature is properly balanced to sunlight so you don't have any weird color casts going on. I've only light painted a few times but it's just so dam easy to get good results as you can see above, I'm looking forward to doing more with it this year once it warms up.

afc2112
03-26-2013, 06:34 PM
LOVE the effect with the light modifier. How strong is that light and how close do you need to be while going down the side of the car?

Ciotti
03-26-2013, 09:01 PM
Thanks man, the closer you get the bigger the light source becomes so you vary the distance to dial in where the direct reflection is and isn't in the paint.

The video lights are dam bright, from across the room people will squint like they're looking into the sun :)

RetroModern
04-04-2013, 06:48 AM
I used to do this photography thing... The thing about automotive photography is reflections. That is the single most important difference between model photography and cars. Why is this important? because a car's paint is reflective. To light a car properly, you have to think of it as a mirror. So the secret is to use the reflections to accent the lines in the car. Thats why light painting is so effective. The light from the light source (whether it is a giant soft box, hand held led flashlight, white wall, etc) will show up on the paint of the car. Some cars take to it better than most. Silver or other metalic colors are a breeze to shoot. Black or dark color cars are a nightmare for the rookie shooters because they approach it like theyre shooting people. They throw a ton of light at it and get nothing back. The cheapest way to go about shooting a car is a large white bed sheet, one of those 500watt work lights, and a few friends to help you position the sheet around. The red Mitsu EVO below was shot with a bed sheet. Anyway, i've linked a few example of my work just to show that im not blowing smoke out my ass. And also i dont often get a chance to show off my work anymore. :D

7098 7099 7100 7101
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4058/4649237859_795b1b71da_z.jpg http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4038/4651812957_ab986b3425_z.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2606/3915321296_58c31b520e_z.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2636/4117347056_979b476ef1_z.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4070/4527225705_f5ecfccb09_b.jpg

theothersawyer
04-04-2013, 08:46 AM
That is some damn good work! Great photos!!

RetroModern
04-04-2013, 06:57 PM
Thanks! 99% of those shots were taken with a cheapo set of ebay mono flashes. i think i spent like $300 on them. so you dont really need to spend a lot on camera equipment. just a lot of knowledge and technique, and those are free.

Ted7
04-08-2013, 01:51 PM
Thanks Ciotti! I just received the NEEWER CN-160 Dimmable LED Video Light, will see how it works without the Apollo!

Damn that thing can be so bright!!!

Will test it soon on my car ;)