Shooting cars in harsh sun: what to fix on the lot and what to fix after
Midday glare, black paint and neighbouring cars — which problems are worth solving with your feet and which are better left to retouching.
TL;DR
Fix position on the lot: move the car, turn it so the sun is behind you, and avoid shooting into reflections of other cars. Leave exposure, glare, hotspots and photographer reflections to Enhancements, which corrects them without moving the car.
Fix these on the lot
- Overlap: another car or a pillar in front of yours can't be undone honestly. Move the car.
- Direction: keep the sun behind or beside you, not behind the car, so the side facing you is lit.
- Distance: step back and zoom slightly rather than shooting wide up close — it avoids distortion.
- Wet or dirty cars: no retouch should hide the state of the paint. Wash first.
Leave these to retouching
- Blown highlights and hotspots on bonnets and roofs.
- The photographer, buildings and trees reflected in doors and glass.
- Dull, flat light on overcast days.
- Crooked horizons and tight framing.
- Glare across screens and headliners in the cabin.
Enhancements handle each of these while keeping the car on your lot, with plates, badges and screens held as photographed.
A note on black paint
Dark cars act like mirrors. Before you shoot, look at the doors rather than the car: if you can see yourself or the building clearly, shift a few steps until the reflection is sky or ground. What's left, Enhancements can clean into a neutral gloss.
