Need help and advice setting up an automotive studio

<p><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4365509736_f942cd9666_o.jpg"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4365509736_bebc879a01.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="108" /></a><br>

Hello all, my first post here. I want to setup a small studio to photograph cars for a company that sell them. The studio would be based in their showroom, which is a converted barn with white walls, white floor but no ceiling, just a barn roof.<br /><br />They already have a Nikon D40. I want to know what other kit they will need to produce images like the ones in this post<br>

The questions floating around my head that need answering are:<br /><br />What lighting do I need? <br />What other bits of kit will I need?<br />Do I need a special paint on the walls and floor?<br /><br />I am on a tight budget, the mission is to do this under £500.<br /><br />I appreciate your tips and guidance.</p>

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<p>Professionally, this is often done with an overhead softbox 3x the length of the car to create diffused specular highlights and define the shape, the softbox will have up to 30 flash heads in it, then up to about 8 more flash heads to accentuate key features such as wheels, bumpers, windscreen wipers and so on. These heads would be fitted with honeycombs, fresnel spots, focussing spots, beauty dishes etc.<br>

Multiply your budget by 6 and then add a 0 on the end - £30,000 should be somewhere near.<br>

Alternatively, it can be done largely on computer, you save on the capital cost and end up with an inferior product that will probably be good enough for your purpose and spend a lot of time rescuing bad images instead of creating good ones.<br>

But if your example photos are really good enough for your clients, you could manage without any lighting at all - just stick the camera on a tripod and touch up the shots on computer. The results won't do anything for your reputation but it will save you cash.</p>

<p>Thanks Garry, no reputation to look after, just some guys wanting to do a better than average job on a tight budget and looking to spend as little as possible to get the best possible outcome. Thanks for your advice.</p>

<p>To do it right, you should look into Procyc. They make rounded corners to make the image appear to "drop out" the background. Not cheap, but I've been in studios that use them for shooting cars, and it's weird because you lose your sense of direction. They also recommend the proper paint for neutral white balance (It's a Miller Paint color), but they know.</p>

<p>I did a commercial shoot last year for a car company.<br>

The studio measured 6' x 10'</p>

<p>How'd we pull that off?</p>

<p>We used replicas..models.<br>

It's cheap..and it works.</p>

<p>You didn't think all those fancy car brochures are all real cars; did ya? </p>

<p>I don't know where you are, but here in Detroit you could rent a studio especially designed for shooting cars: <a href="http://blueskystagerental.com/">http://blueskystagerental.com/</a>.</p>

<p>Michael thanks for your reply, we're looking at using rounded foam blocks on the floor to lose the wall-to-floor join.<br>

Kevin, well done.<br>

Kent, I'm based in the UK. The idea is to setup a studio in the premises where the cars are being sold. Renting a studio is a nice idea but over time we want to be able to shoot the cars there and then and save long-term studio costs and time by purchasing the gear outright.</p>