Studio Car Photography Tips

Photography Tips  •  Studio Photography

What is cooler than getting to see one of the first Lamborghini Aventadors that was shipped to North America? Just ask Blair Bunting, who was fortunate enough to photograph it. The shoot, which took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a perfect example of getting the job done right with minimal equipment. Of course, the term minimal is objective, but considering the number of lights that are normally used in shoots of this caliber and the lights that Bunting got the job done with, I’d say Bunting is winning. So what did he use to illuminate the Italian beauty? A pretty basic setup consisting of nine Profoto heads powered by Profoto 7a Packs and a very awesome 30-foot Chimera Softbox.

Bunting, who is full of surprises, furthers displays his awesomeness when he touts he could have -and has done in the past: “…the same thing with a 60-watt bulb plugged into a softbox on a stick.”

Okay, Blair Bunting, you have our attention. To see the nine-light setup and a brief explanation of the light bulb on a stick method, take a look at the video below. Fair warning though, this car is super sexy; try not to drool on your keyboard too much:

Pretty awesome, right? In case you were too busy car gawking and missed out the specifics of the light setup, here’s a breakdown of the shoot.

• The 30-foot Chimera Softbox was hung above the car and outfitted with four Profoto flash heads. This served as the main key light for the shoot.
• The remaining five Profoto heads each got a grid attached to them and were then strategically placed around the car. Each camera-facing wheel got a light to help bring out the details and show the brake calipers. The front and back of the car were also lit separately, adding depth to the photograph and highlighting the car’s sleek lines. Finally, Bunton added the last light to the air intakes on the camera-facing side of the car to give the photo that last bit of pop.

After some minor Photoshop tweaking, which involved the inclusion of a fancy new background, the final product of the day’s work was revealed:

One of the First Lamborghini Aventadors