What Does It Take to Photograph a Car in Studio?

Photographing cars is no small task — literally. Their size makes them trickier to photograph than a lot of other subjects, requiring more lights, more space, and a range of other adjustments and considerations to create a successful shot. This interesting video shows you what it takes to photograph a car in a studio.

Coming to you from Karl Taylor, this fantastic video shows you how he photographs cars in his studio. A lot of us certainly do not have the space to photograph cars in an indoor studio, but even for those who do, it takes a lot of logistical considerations. One aspect that I thought was really clever was Taylor's choice to use a large reflective panel instead of a giant scrim. The aim of either is to provide a large, relatively even light source that can cover the entire car with mostly uniform light. However, by opting for the reflective panel, he is able to keep his light sources on the ground, making it far easier for him to move them around and adjust them as needed as opposed to having them 10 feet in the air. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Taylor.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
2 Comments

Can one make less expensive set up?

Wow that's pretty amazing! Tons of work and a great creative mind!