Upgrading my entry level equipment

[inkista]

Thanks for trying to save me, Mike, but I stand corrected and amazed. I mistook the exterior highlights for softbox reflections. That's an incredible shot.

I think everybody's jaws dropped when Hobby posted that. You can easily be forgiven for thinking it was a big-light setup.

The awesome comes when you go through the rest of his car shot set, and realize that he's mostly using a single SB-24 in a softbox to lightpaint the cars.

[Manfred M]

Kathy – to suggest that this is a two off-camera flash shot might be technically correct but just might be considered to be a tiny bit misleading (and I am certainly not trying to take away from a stunning image).

Light painting and the post-processing involved is an advanced, time consuming technique. The actual shots were done in a controlled environment, and while not exactly a studio setting, the environment is not one most people would have a chance to shoot in.

[inkista]

The SL gull-wing shot wasn't done via lightpainting. Only the other more traditional car shots that look like they were taken with really big softboxes. Again--read what he wrote and take a look at the set-up shots he has.

The other jaw-dropper is that he posted a shot of the ceiling in the room where he was working: completely black.

[Waterfall]

My experience is glass is fast for improvement. The camera body is a box on which we hang wonderful lenses. Alright, that is overstating, but in my humble opinion, investing in a great lens for your camera is most efficient.

[Manfred M]

The SL gull-wing shot wasn't done via lightpainting. Only the other more traditional car shots that look like they were taken with really big softboxes. Again--read what he wrote and take a look at the set-up shots he has.

The other jaw-dropper is that he posted a shot of the ceiling in the room where he was working: completely black.

Looking at where the light falls in the gull-wing, I'm not totally convinced that this is not a composite. (I did look through the article). The black ceiling probably helped more than it hindered. Regardless, it is a stunning work.