Tim talks about the gear he uses every day on the job while planning out how to light the car by looking at the curves, shadows, and reflective surfaces, which will determine where to place the lights.

Committing to a position is an important first step, which will give you a starting point for deciding where to place the lights needed to achieve the desired final image. Once Tim chooses his shooting position and angle he can place the first key light.

Placing the second light is all about lighting the front of the car while balancing it with the ambient and first key light.

With the two key lights in place we can see how they work togethe, and then look for what new problems need to be solved. The first problem is adding focused light to the front wheel.

The job of the background light is to help separate the car from the darkness in the background, but also to add environmental texture and tie the car to the location. Shooting the car at a low angle allows you to hide a light out of sight behind the car.

By committing to our original shooting position and angle we've been able to build up the lights one at a time to reach the final shot. Now it's time to take the shot and call it a day.