A night at the museum- Photographing in museums and indoor car shows.

 Many of the rarest and most exotic cars are displayed indoors at museums and indoor car shows. As a photographer, the challenge of shooting indoors is complicated by a number of things. Often access is limited with most cars roped off. Vehicles are often displayed very close to each other making a full view difficult. Much like an outdoor show, other people can be difficult to shoot around, and finally lighting can be a mix of several types of artificial light sources. Lighting can also be uneven if it is a temporary show. Good lighting for a convention or rodeo is often very poor for an automobile.
Here are a few simple tips to help you bring back good images.

• If possible, I like to go on a slow day, typically mid-week and as early as possible. Like " A night in the Museum, I once was able to get a curator of a collection to lock me in for a few hours to shoot a private collection in exchange for a couple of prints.
• Before you get wrapped up in the cars, step back and assess the light sources and quality.
• Take time to try several test shots at various white balance settings and with and without flash.
• Once you are comfortable with the white balance and color, bracket your exposures so you have a range of detail through shadow and highlights to work with later.
• If a full image of the car is not possible, look for a dramatic detail and angle to shoot such as the Lamborghini in the lead photo. This allowed me to shoot under the ropes and not include the crowd of visitors.  A Lamborghini always draws a crowd.
• Be patient and allow for people to move on, or go to another subject and return later.
• Get a range of full view, details and high and low angles.
• Have fun, remember you're there because you love cars and photography. If it's not a paid assignment, relax and enjoy the venue.
• Finally, when you download your files, use the multiple exposures to find the best shot to work from. You can employ a number of techniques and HDR within your editing software to fine tune the images to suit your vision.

I hope these tips will make your next indoor shoot more enjoyable and successful.
Michael.
  See other images at: www.stillslife.net  or Stillslife on Facebook.