In the summer, Steele Mitsubishi, Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Mitsubishi dealership, asked me to photograph one of their vehicles for an upcoming billboard campaign. The only creative request I was provided for this shoot was to photograph the vehicle in a recognizable Halifax location, as the purpose was to advertise the Halifax dealership specifically.

There has been a continuing trend of taking the tried and true SUV design that has been around for decades and, with a bit of surgery, changing it into something less practical to create a “coupe” version. You can credit the BMW X6 for starting this trend back in 2007, but since then, more and more manufacturers have offered a sloped-roof version of many of their SUVs.

The MX-5/Miata was first introduced in 1989 and is now in its fourth generation, but it has not lost what has become so beloved. It is still a relatively affordable sports car that is a blast to drive with its near 50/50 weight distribution. This was my first time driving any iteration of the MX-5. Once dropping into the low seating position and organizing myself with the limited space provided, I remembered how fun such a small, agile car could be.

This summer has been great for the weather, but I have been away from automotive photography; I have been busy with other things, mainly travel. And with our limited car season, I haven’t shot anything automotive-related since the fall of last year. That’s almost ten months! That’s a long time to be away from my primary photography subject. With this hiatus and some upcoming shoots, I wanted to scout locations with the BMW M2.

Over more than ten years, automotive photography has allowed me to capture a diverse range of vehicles of different types and values. Whether an expensive exotic or an everyday commuter, I believe each car deserves the same attention to detail to showcase its unique character through photography. With thoughtful planning and strategic execution, virtually any vehicle can be a captivating photographic subject.

I’ve written numerous posts discussing automotive light painting. That includes the techniques and tips I believe will make your light painting most successful and the tools I use for light painting cars. Most of my light painting tools, including the Westcott Ice Light 2, my primary light source, have been in my repertoire for years. With the imminent release of the Ice Light 3, I thought it would be a good time to look back on the current Ice Light 2.

Spring is just around the corner, and if you live in a cold climate like I do, you will realize that car owners will be anxious to get their prized possessions out of storage and onto the open road. With a new season comes new opportunities to photograph. It’s a perfect time to review tips for successfully light painting a car for a successful photoshoot.

There are many reasons why people buy cars, as they mean different things to different people. Some consider cars utilitarian, a machine that can transport people from one place to another. To others, they can be regarded as art pieces, much more than only a means of transportation. A vehicle can be nostalgic, a symbol of status and success, or something to appreciate for the hundreds of hours spent creating it.

I work with several car dealerships locally. During the warmer months, I can take the vehicles off-site for photo shoots around the city utilizing various backgrounds and lighting conditions. Sometimes, this is the only option as some vehicles are limited, some are new arrivals, and many are in high demand. That means keeping the kilometres low.

In car photography, light painting is a technique that involves using a light source to create illuminated images of your vehicle. Light painting can be utilized both outside and inside the vehicle’s cabin and offers a unique and creative approach to capturing the essence of the car’s design.