tips for automobile photography? still, outdoors

Hi guys, your advice is requested. I'm doing a shoot of cars that are parked,

individually. I'm working on finding impressive backdrops (outdoors), but I

fear that no matter where I choose, and no matter how aggressively beautiful the

cars are, I won't be able to convey the power and exoticism on film. Do you

have any tips for angles, lighting, environment, etc.? Anything you can offer

will help me greatly. Thank you.

Here are some random thoughts -

Don't forget to bring a polarizing filter. A big black bed sheet to put over objects that you don't want to show up in reflections. A big piece of white card stock that you can use to create reflections where you need them to pick out the contours of the car.

Unless you are going to build a studio like this

http://www.bullpublishing.com/cgi-bin/web_store/web_store.cgi?page=311b.html&cart_id

you may find that detail photos or photos that do not show the whole car are more powerful than getting everything in. "less is more" and all that. Likewise, beware the background that is more interesting than the car. If it somehow relates to the history of the car and tells a story, then the setting can be an important part of the photo.

Don't forget to pick up all the stuff on the ground, and one of the reasons you see so many photos of cars on a wet surface is that the car "pops" on wet pavement and the pavement's reflections in the car's finish is much more controlled. You need the polarizing filter to make the car more shiny or less shiny, and to make reflections manageable. You may find that wearing a plain black shirt and black pants is a good idea

Composition is the most important thing, but you'll have to figure that out for yourself.