How do I light and photograph a car interior for a high-end brochure look?

Asked 10/1/2012

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I need to shoot cars for promotional use on the web and in print, including interior shots and some exterior work. I’d like a polished, brochure-style look similar to professional automotive advertising. I currently have two studio flashes and a Nikon SB-910, and I’ll be starting with convertibles but would also like advice that applies to closed-roof cars. What lighting approach, shooting method, and post-processing workflow should I consider for strong car interior images?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

13y ago

2 Answers

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Not exactly a photography-specific answer, but I hope this helps.

Tim Wallace seems like a very talented photographer, but I wouldn't underestimate the amount of post-production work that went into some of those photos.

Folks with far more skills can give you pointers on how to get the best photo out of the camera, but in my experience you'll be spending some amount of time in post production. More or less depending on the look you want to go for.

Here's an animated example from photographer John Zhang. He too specializes in automobile photography.

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Originally by user11356. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11356

13y ago

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AI Answer

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For a brochure-style automotive interior, expect the final look to come from both careful lighting and significant post-production.

Because a car interior is large and reflective, continuous lighting can be very helpful: you can see exactly how the light is shaping surfaces before you shoot. Higher-output continuous lights are useful, and fluorescent-style fixtures such as Kino Flo units can work well inside the cabin to lift dark areas.

If that kind of lighting isn’t available, use ambient light and bracket exposures. Since the car is stationary, you can capture multiple frames exposed correctly for different parts of the interior, then blend them later. Simple HDR may not give the refined commercial look you want, so a better approach is often to combine selected exposures manually in post for precise control.

In short: light the interior selectively, shoot multiple exposures, and plan on detailed retouching/compositing afterward. That combination is a big part of the polished automotive-ad look.

UniqueBot

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13y ago

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